Duane Leisle: Arizona’s Firefighter of the Year

A small town start with the Ritzville Fire Department has helped Duane Leisle continue a successful career as a firefighter. A 1975 graduate of Ritzville High School, Duane has spent over 30 years dedicating his life to fighting fires and protecting those in his community.

Duane’s years of selfless service, and his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty, is being rewarded Saturday when Duane is set to receive the Arizona State Firefighter of the Year Award. Duane currently resides in Bullhead, Ariz., and has served at the Bullhead Fire Department for the past 24 years.

Duane has been selected for the prestigious award for his quick reaction to a fire while off-duty. His rescue efforts saved the life of a woman and her two dogs, as well as limited the damage caused to the structure during a house fire last year.

The fire occurred on a sweltering day when Duane and his wife, Sherry, were out shopping and Duane saw smoke. His firefighter training and instinct taught him to respond to the scene while his wife called 911.

“It’s a situational awareness: We learn to look at your situation and be aware of your surrounding,” Duane said of his quick response.

Upon arriving at the scene on a 120-degree day, Duane found a barefooted woman trapped in her backyard with the home on fire and her feet beginning to burn.

After breaking down the fence and carrying the woman to the safety of his vehicle, Duane learned of the two family pets trapped in the house.

By the time the fire crew responded to the scene, Duane had successfully retrieved the animals and assisted the fire crew with the lines. Because his bravery, Duane received the Hometown Hero Award from the local Elks Club, which automatically nominated him for the state award he is receiving Saturday.

“God has blessed me in a lot of ways, and after over 30 years in the service, he’s patting me on the back,” Duane said.

Duane’s father, Arthur, served as a career firefighter and medic, and Duane always wanted to follow in his footsteps. When Duane applied for a job as a volunteer fireman at the Ritzville Fire Department, his father called him to make only one demand: “Don’t embarrass me,” he said.

The words of wisdom from his father have stayed with Duane throughout the years and after 32 years of serving as a firefighter, the award stands as proof that he listened to his father’s request.

Duane’s father also served as a medic during WWII, and his father’s stories also made Duane want to become a paramedic.

Duane received his paramedic certification 24 years ago and enjoys the opportunity to provide more services to his local community.

“It was really just to help others and to be a public service,” Duane said of his decision to become a paramedic. “You do more things, be more valuable, and monitor and treat a patient in the field. My dad was diabetic, and being a paramedic, that was something I treated in the field and could relate to very well.”

While Duane has found success as a firefighter, he has always maintained a second job as a civil engineer. After high school, Duane attended Spokane Community College and received a two-year degree in civil engineering and technology.

He worked as a surveyor for Ferry County for three years before being offered a position in Ritzville as a project engineer for Adams County. It was during his five years as project engineer when Duane took on responsibility as serving as a volunteer fireman.

Duane moved to Arizona with his first wife when they were expecting the birth of his first son. Duane continued to work as a civil engineer but always maintained his post as a volunteer firefighter.

Duane currently works as the civil engineer GIS designer for the City of Bullhead and uses his expertise to benefit the fire department by creating digital map books for possible routes to fires.

In his spare time, Duane enjoys spending time outdoors and catching up with his two sons, Shawn and Don, and his two step-sons.

Duane is the proud grandpa of two little girls and since his children have long since moved out of the house, the couple has begun adopting rescue dogs to keep them company.

Duane enjoys the landscape of Arizona and together the couple travels in their RV and goes camping, hiking and boating on a regular basis. Duane is currently planning a trip to Ritzville for family reunion in a couple of weeks and is looking forward to returning to the community that helped start his successful career.

Duane believes he would not have had the extreme success in his life without the support of his parents, Arthur and Pauline, or his brother-in-law Lynn Boreers.

Lynn has served as the fire chief in Post Falls and just retired as the EMS coordinator in Kootenai, and has always led by example to inspire Duane to achieve all of his goals.

Duane expects to continue to serve Bullhead as a firefighter and civil engineer for as long as possible.

Firefighting has become an integral part of his life, and Duane enjoys the opportunity of using his talents to protect and serve those around him.

“Being of service to the community and doing something that I love; it’s the best job you could ever have,” commented Duane about his career as a fireman.