Bert Thayer, whose firefighting career began in the late 1970s, announced his retirement after 29 years with Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue.
Thayer, who was inspired by his father, a volunteer firefighter for 18 years, got his first opportunity when he started as a summer firefighter for the United States Forest Service in 1978, according to a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue press release.
He joined Cowlitz 2 in 1994, holding positions from firefighter to lieutenant, and is now capping off his vocation with the rank of battalion chief.
“Most days it never felt like a job,” Thayer said in the press release. “I’m going to miss that, and I’m really going to miss the people. I know that is a cliché, but it is more than that.”