Erik was born in 1984 as the third of five siblings and raised in Bothell, WA. Family and faith were the guiding principles of the household, as Erik and his siblings were raised by his parents and grandmother.

Shortly after 9/11, Erik had a desire to serve both his community and country, so he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a firefighter. After receiving his honorable discharge, he took a one-year contract firefighter position in Iraq. In 2008, Erik wanted to return to his family and took a job with the Boeing Fire Department in Everett, WA, where he worked until 2017. While working for Boeing, he met his wife while she was taking a tour of the fire station. Things moved quickly, and they moved in together, got married, and found out they were pregnant in the summer of 2017.

In 2017, Erik and his wife received news from the Seattle Fire Department that he was being offered a job from what he thought would be the last employer he’d ever work for. Erik found an incredible group of people to work with at Station 8 and was assigned to Ladder Company 6.

At the end of 2021, Erik and his family’s lives were flipped upside down, as he felt his career was being wrongfully stripped away by the City of Seattle.

Currently, Erik is working as a fire captain in Mason County and enjoying the feeling of a small department. He describes it as a family atmosphere, where the leadership actually cares about the employees. While working his full-time job, Erik also serves as a director on his community’s school board.

Just like his childhood, Erik lives with his wife and their two children next door to his parents. The entire family enjoys spending their time together, surrounded by nature on their multi-generational property.