ROYAL CITY - Grant County Fire District No. 10/11 Captain/Mechanic Russ Hersh has achieved the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and Master Emergency Vehicle Technician (ET) certifications.

Hersh has more than 18 years of experience as an ASE mechanic and 14 years of experience as a fire mechanic. He has been employed by GCFD No. 10/11 since April of 2007.

"Captain Hersh has played an integral part in reducing Districts 10/11's fleet size and maintenance without compromising our response capability," Fire Chief Brian Evans said. "We are fortunate to have Russ on staff."

Hersh is a graduate of Universal Technical Institute with a degree in automotive diesel technology. The ASE and EVT are the highest certifications available in the automotive/fire mechanic field.

For the ASE, Hersh had to complete a minimum of two years of service and pass eight medium/heavy-duty truck certification exams. The EVT required the ASE plus an additional truck-specific tests.

In addition to his duties as a fire mechanic, Hersh is and emergency medical technician. He performs fire/emergency medical response and command duties.

"The job can be stressful at times, but providing the volunteers and the public with reliable equipment makes the job rewarding," he said.