On a normal work day, Kim Clark is the global service continuity manager at Fossil Group – dealing with server outages and climate emergencies.
“If we have a hurricane or a tornado, I’m the guy they call,” Kim said. When he’s not at work, he’s responding to disasters in a vastly different way, as a volunteer firefighter for the Van Zandt County Fire Department in Canton, Texas. Volunteering approximately 48 hours each month to the department, he says he’s proud to work for a company like Fossil Group that allows him the time to do what he loves for his community.
Listen to Kim discuss his passion for volunteering and what it means to him to have Fossil Group’s support:
We know you’re passionate about working in your community and volunteering. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I’ve been doing volunteer work for about 20 years and it’s always been a childhood dream of mine to be a firefighter. When I lived in Rowlett, I ran the fire corps, which is a group of people that would take care of the firefighters after a fire. Firemen can only be in a fire for about 30-40 minutes on average. When they come out, they’re usually wearing 70 pounds of bunker gear and breathing stale air, so they go into a thing we call “rehab.” That’s giving them water and oxygen if they need it, and watching their vitals. After doing that for awhile, I decided to go into the fire academy and train to be a firefighter. To help the fire department and know that we’re supporting them shows the impact of what volunteers can do.
What do you like most about being a firefighter?
My favorite part is helping the people that you come in contact with. You’re meeting people on their worst day and helping guide them through it. About a month ago, there was a grass fire and the wind was blowing the fire towards a house. We got there in time to stop the fire about 100 feet in front of a couple’s home. It’s a good feeling to know that their entire lives were saved by some water and me being in the right place at the right time.
Have you found yourself taking the skills that you’ve learned in your volunteer work and applying them to your job at Fossil Group (and vice versa)?
There’s a lot of crossover with what I do as a disaster recovery manager. You work to prevent as much of an outage as possible, but you’re prepared when or if something does happen.
Why do you like working for Fossil Group?
One thing is for sure, they support my volunteer work. I tell people that I take paid volunteer time off and they say, “you’re getting paid right now?” They can’t believe it. This is the only place that I’ve worked where everyone is pretty happy to come into work everyday.
People want to volunteer and put their time and energy into making an impact in their communities. What would be your advice to them on where to start and how to get involved?
I would say the best way to start is to get on the web and search your city’s site to see what they offer. For fire and police departments, you can volunteer at any level.
Kim recently underwent a “Jaws of Life” training—a simulation in which firefighters use extraction equipment to rescue people trapped inside a car after a wreck. Listen to his experience and the ways in which his lieutenants say he’s making an impact in the field:
To learn more about how Fossil Group and others Make Time For Good, visit fossilgroup.com/sustainability.