Volunteer First Responder Enjoys Giving Back

Mark Capobianco simply sees his time as a volunteer firefighter and first responder as a way to give back to the community.

Capobianco, who owns his own business, Cappy’s Custon Cabinets, has volunteered for three years after he saw a sign looking for volunteers. He passed the Firefighter 1 class then, and in January 2010 completed an 80-hour medical first responder class.

In April, Capobianco was honored by as the . At a banquet, Region Ten EMS Council Chairman Jim Dove highlighted Capobianco’s contributions.

“I enjoy helping folks out,” Capobianco said. “It’s a good way to give back to the community. I find it one of those rewarding things in life.”

A news release pointed out what Capobianco offers and said, “He has touched the lives of many people and is an outstanding example of Oconee County Volunteer Fire Rescue and the service it provides to the citizens.”

Capobianco said he was surprised to receive the award, only because of the people he works with.

“There’s a bunch of qualified folks, I was honored to get it,” he said. “Definitely a lot of people give a lot of time. I’m sure many give more time than I do. I try to do what I can do with the time I have.”

Capobianco said he averages about three to five calls a week, and three out of five are medical calls. But the summer heat has caused some grass fires recently.

His business is located near Fire Station 7, while he lives near Fire Station 2 in Farmington. While his business is his main priority, Capobianco said working for himself also allows him to answer calls during the day.

“That makes me more available versus someone who’s kind of confined to a desk,” he said.

Almost all of the calls he answers are for people with minor bumps and bruises, but he also saved a woman whose heart had stopped and was suffering a seizure.

“You get one of those, it goes a long way,” he said.

Capobianco said there are a variety of calls he answers, from heart attacks and strokes, to downed power lines and trees in a road. And that’s why the training prepares the volunteers to pursue a career in it.

“There’s a vast majority of the younger guys that take the course and end up going on and being on paid departments,” he said.

He’s considered pursuing full Emergency Medical Technician training, but he said it would be difficult to balance that with his business and two children.

Regardless, he intends to continue volunteering.