“If you wait till ‘you're ready,’ you will never be ready”

Determination, perseverance, and dedication are what this alumnus did to achieve his

dream job. Ever since he was a kid, Rodney Queen, knew he wanted to become to emergency

maintenance technician(EMT), and firefighter. He thought it would be difficult to achieve as he

did not know the path to becoming one.

Then one day, his friend, a current firefighter told him to apply. “That sparked my

excitement again,” Queen said.

Queen was unhappy at his desk job and wanted a change in pace. “Doing the same thing

every day gets boring” Queen said.

He knew it was the right time the more he thought about becoming a firefighter. But the

timing was only sometimes on his side he had to overcome a major challenge.

A few years before he applied to the local fire department, Queen broke his leg in a

terrible skateboard accident. He had to get surgeries and was on bed rest for a year. His dream of

becoming a firefighter was slipping away, as he thought he could not do it anymore. Even though

he was in a cast and still not weight-bearing, he applied to the firefighter department with some

convincing.

During the first part of the academy, he remained in the cast and was relearning to walk,

run, jump and climb as well as everything you need to be able to do as a firefighter. He was not

able to run until a month before the big physical agility test (PAT). PAT consists of several

exercises that a firefighter might encounter during an actual fire. For the Norfolk County Fire

Department, these include ladder lift, hose roll, hoisting, high rise, forced entry, extension ladder,

dummy pull, and charged hose.

 “I had some issue with my ankle, and was slow with some movements, but for the most

part, I had recovered well enough,” Queen said.

He said he owed a lot of credit to his support system that helped him get through the

academy. He thanked his physical therapist who helped him heal enough to participate in the

PAT. His mom and girlfriend were there to support him when he needed to vent, and there when

he needed more encouragement. “It was the hardest 10 months of my life,” Queen said. Having

his support system alongside him made a difference.

Queen graduated from Virginia Wesylan University in 2017, while it was still a college at

that time. He earned a degree in communication, with a religious study minor. He was a part of

greek life for a bit but spent most of his free time in Young Life. He said Virginia Wesleyan

prepared him for his next steps in life. Anyone can go through school and the motions, but here

at VWU, they challenged him by making him think outside the box. They encouraged him to

take learning into his own hands.

“As a firefighter, there is a lot of time where it is up to me to train and study everything.

So the self-discipline and motivation I learned in college are very helpful today,” Queen said.

It was not only the classes that challenge Queen but the professors too. They all helped

him achieve his goal, but Dr. Terry Lindvall specifically helped him. “He is my hero,” Queen

said.

Dr. Lindvall was eager to talk about Queen. He said that Queen had a special ability to

honestly care about his fellow classmates and peers. In class, he had a special charm about him.

“He was able to ingratiate himself into getting extensions for his papers or excuses for his

sleepiness in class. I would have to almost douse him with water just to wake him up,” Dr.

Lindvall said.
 Queen would ask insightful questions and dig deeper into discussions about topics that

interested him. Dr. Lindvall had the pleasure of having him for multiple semesters which allowed

him to watch Queen grow into a dependable and conscientious man. He was able to help anyone

who needed it.

“When he chose to become a fireman, his talents came together, blending an observant

eye, a quick wit, strength of body and character, and a genuine Christian love for others that

prepared him for this special calling, of being a true dedicated public servant,” Dr. Lindvall said.

“Now I rest a little better in case I accidentally start a fire, knowing that it will be his turn

to help me and douse me with water,” said Dr. Lindvall

Queen gave some advice to those thinking about becoming a firefighter. He said that if

you are thinking about it, go for it.

“If you wait till ‘you're ready,’ you will never be ready,” Queen said. This goes for

anything you do in life. If you think about something just go for it. “Oh and get used to

push-ups,” Queen said.