Mark Riva, July 2023 - First Responder of the Month Honoree, presented by Rosebud Mining Company!
Mark Riva, July 2023
35 years as a Commodore Volunteer Fire Fighter
10 years, Commodore VFD Fire Chief (present)
2 years, EMT (present)
Why do you do what you do?
“I got into the fire service because I thought I could make a difference in my community. I got interested in the EMS service because my daughter (Branna) told me how gratifying it is with helping people on a more personal level and she was right.”
What or who influenced you to get into public service?
“I would say I’m a little different than most people in the fire service, I never grew up with family in the fire service. We had a couple large house fires in my town when i was young and I couldn’t believe the team work the firemen showed to put the fires out and I wanted to become a part of that. My best friend George Lutman was a fireman for Commodore and I asked him about getting an application and the rest is history.
“As far as EMS, my daughter (Branna) and son in law started a QRS service in our fire department. After a year of service, my other daughter (Brooke) wanted to expand the membership and asked me if I wanted to go to EMT class with her and I said yes. It’s been great working beside both of them.
“My parents was always supportive in my choice of joining the fire service.”
