She took her Basic EMT class in 1989.  In 1991, Sonja joined a volunteer fire department and began taking basic firefighting classes.  She became an EMT Instructor in 1992, and an Intermediate EMT in 1993.  During that time, she was also teaching CPR.  In 1999, she took a Firefighter I & II course and was certified as a Firefighter II.  She also has an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science.

 

Other training:

     Fire Service Instructor/Evaluator

     Haz-Mat Awareness, First Responser, and Operations

     Health Safety Officer/Incident Safety Officer

     Industrial Emergency Response Team

     Confined Space Rescue I

     Rope Rescue I

     Fireground Tactics and Procedures

     Emergency Vehicle Operations

     SAFER Driver Instructor

     OSHA General Industry Instructor

     Mine Safety and Health Administration - CPR and First-aid Instructor

     FEMA - Professional Development Series - Emergency Management

     National Association of Safety Professionals - Emergency Management Specialist

    

Sonja is, or has been, a member of the following organizations:

     Fellowship of Christian Firefighters, International

     National Association of Safety Professionals

     National Fire Protection Association

     National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians

     Volunteer Firefighters of Arizona