Axel Swanson, a lieutenant with the Iowa City Fire Department, recently earned a Fire Officer designation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Swanson, a 25-year firefighter, is one of only 848 designated Fire Officers worldwide.
“This job has become part of me,” Swanson said.
The Fire Officer designation signifies a firefighter’s demonstrated expertise in leadership, professional skills, and community involvement, meeting nationally recognized standards.
After earning his master’s degree in science from the University of Iowa in 1998, Swanson first worked for the UI doing prostate cancer research. His interest in firefighting stemmed from a friend who was working for the Cedar Rapids Fire Department. Out of curiosity, Swanson began the testing process for the Iowa City Fire Department and, before he knew it, received a full-time job offer.
“You get to help people,” Swanson said. “You get to be out there in the community, and just that aspect is very fulfilling.”
He said he’s had several opportunities to apply his background in science to his career in fire service.
“I found myself at the hazmat station and periodic chart,” Swanson said. “All the chemicals that we’ll see at the interstate. Radioactivity, Geiger counters, all the things that we use to detect the presence of spills happening.”
Bill Schmooke, assistant fire chief for the North Liberty Fire Department and lieutenant for the Iowa City Fire Department, said he has witnessed Swanson’s devotion to the profession over the 16 years they have worked together.
“Axel has done a lot of things in the fire service,” Schmooke said. “He’s currently out at station four, which is our public education station. And for the last few years, he’s really put his heart and soul into the fire prevention week.”
Schmooke said Swanson took the initiative to earn certification as a car seat installation technician, allowing him to assist parents who seek help from the department.
“It’s quite a noble endeavor,” Schmooke said, adding the technician role often involves assisting parents on a drop-in basis.
Schmooke, who was also recently designated as a Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence, described the designation process as rigorous.
“It was a very thorough and very time-consuming process of walking through your years of the fire service and everything I’ve done from the beginning until the present,” Schmooke said. “And then even forecasting future growth.”
The future growth is what Swanson said excites him most about the Fire Officer designation, which he will need to renew in three years.
“It’s validation that you’re on the right track,” Swanson said. “And it’s also good to have that self-evaluation that you can look at. ‘Here’s where I’m at. Where do I need to go so that you can continue improving?’”
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Mike Higgins, credentialing program manager for the Center for Public Safety Excellence, said the Fire Officer designation involves demonstrating formal education, documenting career experience, listing professional development and certifications, highlighting contributions to the fire service, detailing memberships and community involvement, and completing 14 technical competencies aligned with national standards.
While the designation does not affect firefighters’ daily work, Higgins emphasized it serves as an important mark of recognition.
“It fosters a sense of pride in their accomplishment,” Higgins said.
On the arduous certification process, Higgins said applicants often struggle most with the community involvement section.
“In the fire service, that’s something we don’t boast about, giving back to the community,” Higgins said. “That’s probably the hardest one for [applicants] to fill out. Not that it’s hard to do. It’s just nobody likes to pat themselves on the back too much.”
Fitting this trend, Swanson didn’t tout the educational or technical services his colleague highlighted but instead shared a unique aspect of the community involvement section.
“Part of our community involvement is we foster kittens at home,” Swanson said.
Reflecting on his most memorable experiences with the fire department, Swanson said he brings his best to every call but cherishes the experiences where he was a part of saving someone’s life.
“They’re all memorable, I wouldn’t say just one,” Swanson said. “But it’s when we have code saves where, as a team, we help somebody get their heart beating again. Those are memorable, and I was part of a couple this past year.”