Hot Achievements: San Juan firefighter’s dedication recognized

Fire Lt. Jose Salinas cannot figure out why he is the employee of the month.

He hasn’t done much recently that would single him out for the honor, he says.

But, nonetheless, he showed up at a San Juan city commission meeting to accept his prize, a certificate and a $30 restaurant gift certificate.

While he remained genially befuddled over the attention, city officials’ descriptions turned the Employee of the Month award — the first city officials have ever given out — into a sort of lifetime achievement recognition for the 33-year-old San Juan native.

Salinas, who started out as a volunteer in 1993 after graduating from PSJA High, saves the department expensive repairs by fixing the trucks himself when they break down, said Fire Chief Tirso Garza.

Salinas also oversees live burn exercises for trainees at the Rio Grande Regional Fire Academy. And he manages one of the department’s three shifts.

A father of three, Salinas was one of the first paid firefighters in the city.

Two other Salinas brothers volunteer for the San Juan Fire Department, in addition to their paid positions at the Alamo and McAllen fire departments, respectively.

In fact, their uncle used to run the San Juan department; service to the community “has become a family thing, which we appreciate,” said Commissioner Pedro Contreras.

City Secretary Nancy Davalos said she instituted the Employee of the Month program to highlight the positive.

“More often than not, we never get to hear the good things our employees do,” she said.

Like any future employee of the month, Salinas’ photograph will be in the San Juan city office lobby for a month alongside portraits of the city commission members.

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Sara Perkins covers Starr County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4472. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.