Editor’s note: This feature is published monthly in The Journal and posted on SanJuanJournal.com.
Full name: Ken Clark
Where were you born? Born in Southern California, raised in rural northwest Pennsylvania.
Family: Wife, Heather; two daughters, Presley (5), McKenna (2); dog, Sunny (1).
Favorite food: Fresh locally caught seafood.
What kind of hobbies do you have?: Kayaking, photography, working out using our natural surroundings.
What is your day job? What is the most interesting job you’ve held?: Professional stuntman / fighting Harrison Ford for three days on the movie “Air Force One.”
What brought you to San Juan Island?: A wonderful place to raise children.
What area do you live in?: Garrison Bay.
What do you like about living on San Juan Island?: The summers.
What do you find is the hardest part about living on San Juan Island?: The winters.
What comes to mind when you hear “Only on San Juan Island …”?: A traffic jam that consists of being stuck behind a couple of mo-peds or gridlock due to a photo session with a camel.
What is your position/job within the department?: Firefighter, but am excited to continue to move much farther with training.
When and why did you join the fire department?: Joined the 2006 recruit class. A couple of other District 3 firefighters (the Woods) had given me the information that the department was understaffed and desperately in need for more firefighters in the station 34 area, and that is all I needed to hear. I was previously under the assumption that there wasn’t a need for more firefighters, and that wasn’t and still isn’t the case.
What do you like best about the department?: All of the people that I have met so far seem to truly care about what it is they are doing for the department and the community.
What has been your most exciting event since joining the department?: Live fire training. Really getting into a burning house (donated by a resident) and using all of our training to safely and effectively knock down the fire that under real circumstances could potentially devastate.
What did you find the hardest firefighter skill to learn?: Leg lock on ladder. I’m 6 foot 2 and 240 pounds. I can do it, but it sucks.
Do you have other volunteer activities?: I have occasionally taught classes of young adults (students) interested in entering the entertainment world how to do theatrical fights and stunts.
Describe your ideal day off: Going to the beach with my girls.
What are you most proud of?: My daughters and my marriage.
What would you like on your epitaph?: Ken Clark: He didn’t suck.
