After a long career as a firefighter/EMT and technical rescue specialist, Lars Mickelson is retiring from the Valley Regional Fire Authority.
His career in the fire service spans 20 years, serving first with Mountain View Fire and Rescue and then VRFA, but prior to becoming a firefighter, Mickelson worked in several capacities in the emergency medical field.
His first exposure to emergency medicine was serving as a combat medic for the U.S. Army Reserves. After that, Mickelson worked for King County Ambulance as an EMT and Overlake Hospital as an Emergency Room Technician. In addition to his firefighting duties, Mickelson served eight years as a technical rescue specialist for the VRFA and obtained certifications in dive and swift water rescue, as well as high and low angle rescue. He played a part in several emergency rescues, working alongside his Technical Rescue Team (TRT) members.