Ricardo Salutregui , June 25, 2010

In his interview with Alicia Martin-Cowger on June 25, 2010, Ricardo “Sal” Salutregui, who served with the Boise Fire Department, offered his memories of his career as a firefighter. Salutregui’s career with BFD spanned the late 1950s through 1984 when he retired. He spoke on the following topics: his Basque heritage and working as a sheepherder and farm laborer; recruitment and training of new firefighters; life in the firehouse; his training as an Army mechanic; his reasons for leaving the line; his achievements in saving the department money as a result of his mechanical abilities; his reasons for entering the fire service; medical calls and major fires; learning how to combat fire; the brotherhood of firefighters; firehouse pranks and rivalries; his involvement in the union; his family life; changes in equipment and safety; and his work as Superintendent of Maintenance.