After five years of testing, I was hired by the Seattle Fire Department in 2003. I was 39 years old and felt like I had won the lottery. My first assignment was E37. I volunteered to work on Ladder 13, a temporary truck in West Seattle. I then moved to L9 in the University District and became a Tillerman.

Before the fire service, I grew up in the Hood Canal area. I was a very average student and a good athlete. I raced motorcycles, played football, basketball, and baseball, and was an amateur boxer.

As a young adult, I worked as a fisherman, logger, and construction worker. I started my own construction company in 1990 and ran it until I was hired by Seattle Fire.

I married my wife, Karen, in 1988. We have three awesome adult children and three grandkids. My wife and I were extremely involved in the youth sports programs in the community and coached year-round.

Karen and I sold our homestead and acreage in Seabeck, WA, in November 2021 due to financial concerns after the mandate. We have spent the last few years building a Barndominium in Shelton from the ground up ourselves.

There, we enjoy gardening, beekeeping, fishing, and a holistic lifestyle.