Warrior of the Week: Airman 1st Class Shane Holland

  • Published
  • By Airman Derek VanHorn
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Many jobs are somewhat predictable -- when an employee knows what to expect on a daily basis. Others however, can change in a matter of seconds, and that is exactly why some Airmen would have it no other way.

Airman 1st Class Shane Holland, 319th Civil Engineering Squadron firefighter, wanted to fight fires for many years growing up, and has an interesting outlook on dealing with the job.

"As firefighters, we don't want people to have to deal with emergency situations," said Holland, who is two classes away from an associate's degree in Fire Science. "But they are exciting for us and provide the best opportunities for hands-on training."

Since arriving at Grand Forks in August of 2010, Holland and his fellow crewmembers have mostly only dealt with small dorm or garbage fires, and Holland joked that one of his major career goals was to fight a large fire. Hailing from Phoenix, Ariz., he and his wife Raleigh have both adjusted well to the heat, or in this case, lack thereof.

"Back home we bundled up in a sweatshirt when it was 60 degrees," said the sarcastic Airman. "Now here in Grand Forks we throw some shorts on when it gets above 20 (degrees)."

The former high school swimmer and soccer mid-fielder has adjusted well to the climate change, and looks forward to making positive changes in his future.

"I stay motivated by learning from experience," he said. "I'm not a perfectionist, but if I do something wrong I'll work to learn from it and improve myself as best I can."

This concept directly relates to the programs in place for Airmen at the Grand Forks AFB fire station.

"Every day we start off our day with a roll call for accountability followed by details of cleaning either the trucks or the shop," said the kung-fu movie buff. "We then take classes to learn new aspects of the job, and after that we are strongly encouraged to take any available time to develop and upgrade our skills and qualifications within our career field."

The firefighters work shifts of 24 hours on duty followed by 24 hours off, and with so much time spent together with co-workers, it is important to remain supportive.

"The guys I work with are really great, and our work schedule is awesome," said Holland, who would like to someday be an astronaut. "If there are ever any potential issues at work, everyone is quick to work things out and easy to talk to."

Airman Holland is also an alternative and 80's music fan, wants to have a large family someday, and would love to be stationed at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.