There were two things Zakk Tompkins knew growing up in Mahomet: the first was that he loved watching the Cornbelt Fire Department trucks in town; the second was that his parents were setting a great example of being members of their community.
The first led Tompkins to become a Cornbelt firefighter four years ago. The second may have helped him become the 2020 Cornbelt Firefighter of the Year.
Baseball may be America’s favorite pastime, but as a child, Tompkins liked following fire trucks as they responded to a call.
“Finally I was tired of just watching and wanted to join in,” Tompkins said. “About four years ago I filled out an application online and attended the interview process, deciding to commit to doing it for at least a year if I was brought on.”
He was delighted to hear that he was cleared to become a probationary firefighter from Captain Dave Parsons.
“Starting as a probationary firefighter four years ago, I made a simple decision which was to work hard and do the right thing,” Tompkins said. “I have a natural desire to learn as much as I can and Cornbelt has a great environment to foster that.”
The seed of getting involved with the community was planted by his parents, Bob and Sandy.
“I was fortunate enough to have grown up with parents and grandparents that tried to instill positive core values in me,” he said. “No matter what we were involved in around town, my dad was always one of the first people to show up and help and one of the last to leave. I brought that mentality with me to the Cornbelt.
“I committed myself to doing the right thing, even when no one else was looking. I also latched on to several mentors that have absolutely made a difference in my career at Cornbelt and my life in general.”
Through hard work, Tompkins became a full time EMT-B at Cornbelt, an engineer, swift water rescue technician and an active member of the peer support team.
But some of the behind-the-scenes work, like helping with grant writing or taking on extra training, along with mentoring probationary or younger firefighters set Zakk apart to his peers in 2020.
Koller said that Tompkins’ kindness and patience draws in new recruits who are looking to learn.
“They feel very comfortable going to him,” Koller said. “That’s very valuable.”
Koller’s own son, Jack, has found a friend and camaraderie in Tompkins.
Koller said watching his son go through probationary training has been different than watching other recruits do the same, but he knows that Jack is in good hands. Tompkins often meets Jack at the station to go over training material or just to lend him an ear.
“Zakk is paying it forward now,” Koller said. “He sees an opportunity to pay forward what other folks have done for him.
“He’s just a really good person.”
Tompkins said that being in contact with people who surround each other and challenge each other to become better on a day-to-day basis is easy to find within the Cornbelt Fire Department.
“Cornbelt is full of good people with a diverse skill set so it was naturally easy to do here,” Tompkins said.
Recruits often come into Cornbelt, thinking that they will learn how to respond to a call, but there’s something more going on at the Mahomet department.
“We have a mantra up here,” Koller said, “to truly care and to be nice. Period. No ifs ands or buts. Regardless of time of day what the call is.
“And everyone does a really great job of that, obviously, but, Zakk really embodies that. He puts other people before himself.”
For Tompkins, though, the family atmosphere at Cornbelt is something he looks forward to being part of.
“We can joke, bicker and still work together and love each other at the end of the day,” Tompkins said. “This past year has not been an easy one for anyone but it has been an opportunity to see what Cornbelt and its members, past and present are all about. I have been blessed to be surrounded by a group of truly caring men and women at Cornbelt.”
In that, Tompkins said, while he feels “honored and blessed” to be recognized as Firefighter of the Year, he believes there are other volunteers who are just as deserving.
“I felt a huge sense of honor knowing that other people that I look up to chose me for this award,” he said.
