Mike Dettmer didn’t just fight fires; he fought for the lives of the people beside him. As a Training and Health & Safety Chief, he spent his final years rewriting the rules to keep his “brotherhood” safe from the hidden killers of the job.

Now, he shares the final truth he learned after the gear was turned in: “You don’t have to be unbreakable to be brave”. Mike lives on Camano Island, where he continues to walk—sometimes five feet ahead, sometimes five feet behind—with the dog who saved him.