Thousands of calls and 43 years later, fire Capt. Greg Borg ready to hang up uniform

For 43 years, Spokane Fire Department Capt. Greg Borg, 68, has answered the call – actually thousands of calls.

This week he served his final shift, like all the ones before it, scrambling into his turnout gear and into the rig at Station 18 in North Spokane, heading out with lights flashing and sirens blaring, to help those in need.

For him, retirement isn’t due to burnout.

“I love it,” he said. “I love what I do.”

The 1968 Shadle grad knew a couple of firefighters growing up.

“They were good guys,” Borg said. “It seemed like something I’d like to do.”

He worked at fire departments in Boise and Richland before joining the SFD in 1978. He quickly discovered his favorite part of the job.

“I love going out on calls,” he said. “I love seeing what’s on the other end. Every shift is different.”

He also quickly discovered that dealing with death is an occupational hazard. Borg can’t count how many fatalities he’s responded to, including a recent death that still haunts him.

“Two years ago, right around the corner from the station, a girl maybe 19 or 20, hung herself in a garage,” he recalled. “It still bothers me.”

Borg also can’t count how many lives he’s helped save, but he can quickly add up how many babies he’s delivered – five. As far as he knows, no one named their child after him.

The busiest day of his career? Ice Storm ’96.

“Thirty-six calls in 24-hours,” he said.

And he’s seen his share of burning buildings. A decade before Ice Storm when working in Hillyard at Station 15, Borg recalled several multiple-alarm fires burning in downtown Spokane.

“They were arson-related. All lit by the same guy,” he said.

Car wrecks? He’s seen a few of those, too. Station 18 is located right between Division and Nevada streets, and it seems most every shift features a fender bender or worse. But none as bad as a freeway pileup he responded to in the early ’80s that involved 50 cars.

By far the most frequent calls Borg and his crew respond to are calls for medical aid. Falls, sickness, cardiac arrest, just about every mishap and misfortune imaginable.

Often when those calls have favorable outcomes, people stop by the station to say thank you.

“When I worked at Station 3, I was able to resuscitate a man, and he came back on Thanksgiving and brought a smoked turkey,” Borg recalled. “He did that all of the four years I was there.”

In addition to his on-duty work, Borg worked tirelessly for the Spokane Firefighters Union, IAFF Local 29, including serving as union president for nine years. He also served 22 years on the Department of Labor & Industries Firefighter Technical Review Committee, working on safety standards for firefighters.

His admiration and dedication for his fellow firefighters led him to a passion project to find a way to honor those who’d lost their lives in the line of duty.

Borg and his family were the driving force behind the Spokane Firefighters Memorial Project.

“I’ve always been interested in the history of the department,” he said. “Seventeen guys died in the line of duty.”

And thanks to Borg, each of them was recognized with plaques embedded in the sidewalks where the men lost their lives.

“We ended up raising $30,000,” he said. “The project took three years.”

When asked what it takes to be a good firefighter, he quickly responded.

“It’s not about how big or strong you are, it’s all about your attitude and understanding why you’re there,” he said. “Every day people count on you. Every day when you go to work, you have the potential to save someone’s life.”

In an email, fire Chief Brian Schaeffer praised Borg’s work on the Spokane Firefighters Memorial Project, and his many years of service.

“He progressed through the ranks and served admirably in every position,” Schaeffer wrote. “Family has always been Greg’s priority – his family at home and his fire service family. He cares for both equally with a vast amount of sentiment.”

Spending time with family – especially his grandkids, is at the top of Borg’s post-retirement plans. The adjustment to spending every night at home in his own bed may take a bit of time.

He laughed.

“Most of us live a life of being sleep-deprived,” he said.

Last week, between calls, Borg looked back on four decades of service to the community.

“There’s never been a day when I went to work and didn’t want to be there,” he said.