Idaho National Laboratory Fire Fighters Honors Local Girl as Fire Fighter for a Day

Front row from left: Local I-83 fire fighters Jeremy Ropp and Jason Andrews, Katherine Tyler and Local I-83 fire fighter Paul Schell. In the back row is Katherine's mother Lori Tyler.

April 14, 2010 – Idaho Falls, Idaho, sixth grader Katherine Tyler has spina bifida and recently missed six weeks of school fighting off an infection. When she came back to school, Tyler discovered her classmates and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Fire Fighters Local I-83 had something very special planned for her return. Tyler was made Honorary INL Fire Fighter for the Day.

The idea began with one of her classmates, Jordan Schell -- who is the son of Local I-83 fire fighter Paul Schell. Jordan told his dad that his class was concerned about Katherine and wanted to do something nice for her. “I turned to my union brothers and sisters for ideas which led to the ‘Fire Fighter for the Day’,” says Schell.

“Our fire fighters had met Katherine during a previous visit to the school,” says Local I-83 President Wendy Baron. “At that time, she had the opportunity to board one of our fire trucks and said she might like to be a fire fighter one day. We thought we’d make her dream come true a little early.”

On her special day, Local I-83 fire fighters Jeremy Ropp, Paul Schell and Jason Andrews presented Katherine with a four-by-five-foot "Have a Great Day" card signed by Local I-83 fire fighters. She also received a fire fighter’s hat and an official Firefighters World Combat Challenge medal won by INL fire fighter Kevin Voyles.

The Idaho National Laboratory, located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory that supports the U.S. Department of Energy's missions in nuclear and energy research, science and national defense. INL Local I-83 fire fighters respond to all facility emergencies, including fires, medical emergencies and incidents involving hazardous materials.