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Ms Reale,
My name is Billy Mixon. Thank you for providing the opportunity of Lasik procedures for the local heroes in Panama City.
I am a fire fighter for the Panama City Fire Department (PCFD) and perform duties as an Engineer. I have been married for three years to my lovely wife, Janice, and we have a beautiful 3 year old daughter, Mallory. We are a very active family that enjoys outdoor activates and sports when I’m not fulfilling my duties. I play softball for PCFD which host tournaments to raise money for North West Florida Burn Camp “Camp Amigo” and participle in the annual Fire Department Olympics. As a family, we enjoy going to the beach, canoeing, swimming, having cookouts, spending time with family members.
I have been employed with PCFD for six years. Being an Engineer, means you are the driver and responsible for every aspect of the truck. It is my job to get to each emergency call as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of my passengers as well as members of the surrounding community. My job requires knowledge of every street and the location of all hydrants within the Panama City limits. My vision plays a major role in this and is a daily challenge that I face to read street signs and address numbers correctly. An error on the street name or address could mean loss of property or even worse lives. The biggest problem with wearing glasses as a driver is that they often fog up from the humidity or rain. I then have to clean them in order to see to drive the fire truck. This cleaning process is time consuming and could impair my driving as well as a distraction from my tasks of responding to emergency calls. I have contacts, but since I am far sighted with a slight stigmatism, they are uncomfortable and bothersome to wear them while performing a 24-hour shift of daily duty.
I also serve as a member of PCFD’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. This is a specialized team for which I have trained for over 200 hours and am required to train monthly to maintain the state certification. The USAR team specializes in high angle and confined space rescue. When using these two disciplines for these type rescues, glasses cannot be worn under the breathing mask when working in extreme conditions.
What you call a hero, I call just doing my job. I am a firefighter because it is a calling which I am proud to answer. Thank you again for the opportunity of being considered for the Lasik procedures.
Billy Mixon
My name is Billy Mixon. Thank you for providing the opportunity of Lasik procedures for the local heroes in Panama City.
I am a fire fighter for the Panama City Fire Department (PCFD) and perform duties as an Engineer. I have been married for three years to my lovely wife, Janice, and we have a beautiful 3 year old daughter, Mallory. We are a very active family that enjoys outdoor activates and sports when I’m not fulfilling my duties. I play softball for PCFD which host tournaments to raise money for North West Florida Burn Camp “Camp Amigo” and participle in the annual Fire Department Olympics. As a family, we enjoy going to the beach, canoeing, swimming, having cookouts, spending time with family members.
I have been employed with PCFD for six years. Being an Engineer, means you are the driver and responsible for every aspect of the truck. It is my job to get to each emergency call as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of my passengers as well as members of the surrounding community. My job requires knowledge of every street and the location of all hydrants within the Panama City limits. My vision plays a major role in this and is a daily challenge that I face to read street signs and address numbers correctly. An error on the street name or address could mean loss of property or even worse lives. The biggest problem with wearing glasses as a driver is that they often fog up from the humidity or rain. I then have to clean them in order to see to drive the fire truck. This cleaning process is time consuming and could impair my driving as well as a distraction from my tasks of responding to emergency calls. I have contacts, but since I am far sighted with a slight stigmatism, they are uncomfortable and bothersome to wear them while performing a 24-hour shift of daily duty.
I also serve as a member of PCFD’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. This is a specialized team for which I have trained for over 200 hours and am required to train monthly to maintain the state certification. The USAR team specializes in high angle and confined space rescue. When using these two disciplines for these type rescues, glasses cannot be worn under the breathing mask when working in extreme conditions.
What you call a hero, I call just doing my job. I am a firefighter because it is a calling which I am proud to answer. Thank you again for the opportunity of being considered for the Lasik procedures.
Billy Mixon
