Hocking College Alum Working for FEMA

Hocking College alumnus Eli Antons has always been passionate about helping people. This is one of the main reasons he decided to become a firefighter and EMT.  Antons received his Fire and Emergency Services degree in 1997 from Hocking College and now works in the Regional Planning Branch of FEMA in Washington, D.C.

FEMA's mission is basic when it comes to protecting citizens: prepare for the emergency, protect people against the emergency, respond appropriately to the emergency and recover from the hazards. "My background as one of the responders gives the mission of FEMA a unique importance to me personally," Antons said.

Antons' role in the Regional Planning Branch of FEMA is to ensure all 10 U.S. FEMA regions have plans for natural and manmade disasters. Before he became an employee of FEMA, he was a firefighter and paramedic in Marietta, Ohio. While working as a firefighter, he was placed on the Helicopter Rescue Team. During an extremely stressful mission, Antons was forced to recollect the skills he obtained during his training at Hocking.  His team was part of a mission that rescued a woman from the top of a camper in Wayne National Forest. He was given a Citizens Award of Valor for his part in the rescue.

After this accomplishment, he moved on to Fort Meade, Maryland in 2005 where he took another job as a firefighter and EMT. In 2008, he was hired as the Fire Inspector for the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. where his responsibilities included remote offices in Maryland and Colorado. His role evolved over the years and as his responsibilities and duties expanded, he became known as the Safety and Fire Protection Specialist.

Antons credits his success to his education at Hocking College. With his degree in Fire and Emergency Services, he learned the skills he needed to succeed. He distinctly remembers the professors being devoted to their students and to him. The skills he learned from these professors are the ones that remain helpful to him when he's working a job.

"Some of the greatest impacts were when we went to the Columbus Fire Academy for live burn, search and rescue training. These training days honed my skills and confidence," he commented.

Although time may pass and people move on with their lives, they will always remember the people and places that shape them into who they are. Hocking College not only prepared Antons for his future, it gave him fond memories to look back on with a smile.