Redhawk by day, firefighter by night

Chris Miller, interim assistant director of facilities and operations in the Office of Residence Life at Southeast Missouri State University, spends his time assisting with the basic needs of students, from plumbing to air conditioning.

"Every day is different," he said. "It's been fun to help students work through different issues they're having in their homes. I really believe a part of my job is to make sure students have good homes. We don't use the word 'dorm' very often -- we say 'residence hall room' because we believe it's more than a place to sleep. I really believe in making sure their home is their home away from home."

Miller said responding to crises is the most challenging part of his job, but also the most enjoyable part.

"I really enjoy these crisis situations, which a lot of people think is weird," he said. "I enjoy just being there to triage the situation, working with facilities management Â… making sure we communicate well to meet the students' needs."

Miller is no stranger to crisis situations. On top of his everyday tasks at Southeast, he is a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with the East County Fire Department.

Chris Miller works at Southeast Missouri State University and is a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with the East County Fire Department.Submitted photo

He first became a volunteer firefighter in 2010 while attending Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.

"I enjoy being there for people in their greatest time of need," he said. "That's really what drives me Â… when people call 911, they're not calling it on their best day, they're calling it on their worst day. Being able to be there for people when they're in their time of need really brings fulfillment to me."

He took a two-year break from firefighting during his graduate studies, but when he moved to Cape Girardeau, one of the first things he did was find a new volunteer department.

He has been a full-fledged member of the East County Fire Department as a firefighter and first responder since April 2014.

During the spring of 2015, he began taking emergency medical technician classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

A year later, he participated in the City of Cape Girardeau's fire academy and now is certified through the state of Missouri as a firefighter.

Miller works all day at Southeast while carrying a pager on his hip for the East County Fire Department. The department gets an average of 250 calls a year, he said.

"I carry this pager with me 24/7," he said. "Whenever I'm at home, I'm able to respond to different emergencies. When I'm at work, I am very blessed to have a supervisor that is very understanding, and if I'm not fully committed to something, then I am free to respond during the day to whatever may arise. Â… People are going to have emergencies 24/7, and they expect someone to come when they call 911."

Miller said much like his job on campus, volunteer firefighting is a team effort.

"I can't be at everything," he said. "But that's the beauty in being in a volunteer department -- if one member can't go, another one may be free and can respond. It's a team effort, just like we see on campus, to see that this works well."

Despite his busy schedule and being faced with stressful situations, Miller said being connected to people keeps him calm and focused on his tasks.

"I enjoy what I do," he said. "Whether it's on campus or at the fire department, that joy is what gets me out of bed in the morning. Sometimes that bed is super comfortable and it's like, 'Do I really have to go to work?' But once I'm at work and I'm connected with people, those fears go away and I'm able to manage those different situations."

Miller said he tries to bring encouragement and positivity to everyone he meets.

"This world can be difficult," he said. "I'm not perfect, I'm no better than anyone else, I'm just trying to make the biggest impact that I can in the short time that I have on this earth."