Camas-Washougal Fire Chief Nick Swinhart recently recalled his first encounters with Deputy Fire Marshal Randy Miller.
Miller was one of the first people Swinhart met after being named fire chief in 2011.
“He (invited) me out to lunch and wanted to know what I knew about fire sprinklers,” Swinhart said, laughing. “Randy is passionate about this … he lives prevention.”
Miller, who just celebrated 30 years with the Camas-Washougal Fire Department, doesn’t disagree.
As a firefighter-paramedic, Miller was able to save one person at a time. But as a deputy fire marshal focused on preventative measures like codes requiring fire sprinklers in new homes, Miller feels as if he has the chance to save “hundreds of people at a time.”
“I feel like I’m serving my community, and I take it very personally,” Miller said.
Today, Miller is known in the national fire science community as a hero of fire prevention.