FF/EMT-P Krato has been with the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District for 12 years, and is a product of Florissant, born and raised in the city. He is the coordinator for the district’s Special Needs Tracking & Awareness Response System (STARS) in conjunction with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. In that role, he has conducted visits to the homes of the children in the district who are enrolled in the program to better understand the situations of each individual patient, introduce the fire district and its capabilities to the family, and bring information back to district paramedics on how to best care for these patients in the event the family calls 9-1-1. Zach has also produced videos and PowerPoint presentations which Cardinal Glennon has used for training other agencies participating in the STARS program.

FF/EMT-P Krato is also a key member of the Florissant Firefighters Community Outreach (FFCO) program. Most recently, he organized a Blacklight Bingo event last month which sold out. Money raised from the event helps fund the district’s holiday programs to provide Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts to those in need, school supply and coat drives, and other local charities and programs in the Florissant area. FF/EMT-P Krato is also the organizer of those holiday programs, finding the families to benefit, coordinating the purchase and delivery of the meals and gifts, and arranging for the personnel to deliver the meals and gifts at the appropriate time. There are a variety of other endeavors in which the FFCO participates, including cookouts at the local retirement and senior living communities, and FF/EMT-P Krato is always a key part of those endeavors.

FF/EMT-P Krato is a key asset to the fire district and very dedicated to the Florissant community. He is always looking to give back and benefit the community in any way that he can. I can’t think of an individual more deserving of recognition for service to his community than FF/EMT-P Zach Krato.