Leadership
Chief Greg Waters – Firefighter/Paramedic
Chief Waters started coming out to the Freshwater Bay area in the late 1990s just to go fishing. He and his wife, Denise, fell in love with the area and packed up and moved out here in 2007. Greg joined the Joyce Fire family in 2009 and fell in love with the community we serve. Greg was frustrated by not having any Paramedics in the District so he set about to find a way to put himself through a Paramedic program in his spare time. Approximately two years later, he was licensed as a Paramedic in Washington state and Joyce Fire began providing Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. Greg was selected to be Joyce Fire’s first full-time Chief in 2018. Greg is a former U.S. Naval Officer and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. When he is not on calls, he and Denise enjoy world-wide travelling, scuba diving, and cruising around on the Harleys. Every other minute of their lives is consumed by big lovable Golden and Labrador Retrievers—most would say far too many of them.
Assistant Chief Alex Baker – Firefighter/EMT
Alex’s first experience with emergency service was when, at the age of 17, he helped pull a swimmer out of Lake Crescent and administer CPR. He went on to serve in the Army as a Combat Medic completing tours in Mogadishu, Somalia and in the Desert Storm and Desert Shield campaigns in Iraq.
After returning to the US and leaving the armed services, he chose to offer his skills as a medic to help serve the community by volunteering for CCFPD4. He became certified as a firefighter and EMT and was eventually elected in 2010 as Volunteer Fire Chief.
Alex was self-employed from approximately 1994 to 2014, when he accepted a full-time position with the US Postal Service, a position he still holds. In early 2016 the regulations and requirements of administering a fire district made it imperative that CCFPD4 hire a full-time Fire Chief. Alex gave 18 months’ notice and assisted with the recruiting, application, and hiring to fill that career position. To smooth the transition and to the present day, Alex continues to serve as Assistant Fire Chief.
Alex was born in Seattle and grew up in Port Angeles, Washington. He studied Criminal Justice at Peninsula College after his military service. During his service at Joyce Fire, Alex has been the recipient of the Lee Poats Award for drill attendance, and Volunteer of the Year for the highest number of responses in a year. Alex is currently certified as an IFSAC Firefighter I, EMT, Fire Investigator, IFSAC Fire Instructor, IFSAC Fire Safety Officer, and Emergency Vehicle Incident Prevention (EVIP) Instructor.
In his spare time, he coached the Crescent School girls’ volleyball team for 16 years and was awarded Coach of the Year for his involvement. As hobbies Alex enjoys fishing, running, and cycling. He has participated in triathlons, marathons, a ½ Iron Man, and the Seattle to Portland in a Day cycling event, but his first love is fishing…anywhere and often.
Quartermaster Lieutenant Carolyn Flint, AEMT
Carolyn’s involvement with volunteer emergency services started with joining the Joyce Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a group sponsored by FEMA. After joint training at a drill with Joyce Fire in 2016, she chose to join the district and became an EMT. Soon after she started studying to become an Advanced EMT and became licensed in 2020. In 2018 Carolyn was promoted to Lieutenant and took on the Quartermaster’s responsibilities.
Born outside of Salem, Oregon, Carolyn grew up in Monterey, California and moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2000, purchasing property in Joyce in 2005. She has studied at Monterey Peninsula College, California College of Arts and Crafts pursuing the arts, then at Portland State University, and the University of Portland studying finance, land use planning, construction, business, international, and maritime law.
After 25 years in the steel industry, Carolyn retired from her position of Corporate Credit Manager of Oregon Steel Mills. During her tenure she taught commercial credit/risk management. She also served as an expert witness for litigants in cases involving commercial credit matters. She has served on the boards of the National Association of Credit Management, the Steel Mill Credit Manager’s Association, the International Steel Mill Credit Association, the Oregon Convention Center Construction Project, and more recently the Juan de Fuca Scenic Byway Association.
As hobbies, Carolyn explores art using many mediums and has enjoyed all forms of camping, including on horse-back and buck-skinning. Cycling on a recumbent trike is her current favorite outdoor activity.
Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Zach Waters – Firefighter/Paramedic
Zach Waters began his EMS career as an EMT in 2016 with Olympic Ambulance. He began volunteering with CFPD4 soon after and attended Fire Academy in Sequim. He has since gone on to achieve his Paramedic license and numerous certifications including Officer/Fire Operations, Tender Operator, and Rope Rescue. Zach grew up in King County and attended the University of Washington where he studied Political History. His hobbies include fishing, SCUBA, cooking, motorcycles, and spending time with his family and numerous dogs.
Lieutenant, Dave Benzick, Firefighter/Paramedic
David Benzick is currently the Station 42 Lieutenant and serves the district as a Firefighter and a Paramedic. Besides those main duties he provides training for the fire district volunteers and has certification in vehicle extrication and technical rope rescue. He has lived and worked on the Olympic Peninsula since 2007.
Medical Officer, Lieutenant Krista Smith- Firefighter/EMT
Krista’s career in firefighting and EMS started in 1993 when the San Francisco Fire Department published an employment opportunity. Her application was based on a dare, and subsequently she found she loved the career. Krista moved on to use her skills with Coast Life Support District Ambulance and as Assistant Chief of the Redwood Coast Fire Department in northern California.
Retiring in 2013, Krista moved to Joyce in 2020 and started volunteering for Joyce Fire. She has been the top responder since, earning Volunteer of the Year and the Lee Poats awards for drill attendance in 2021 and 2022. In 2022 Krista was awarded the Officer of the Year Award by the International Footprint Association for her service to Joyce Fire. Krista is currently certified as an EMT, Firefighter, Rope Rescue Technician, Hazmat technician, STOP THE BLEED Instructor, and in Heavy/Confined Space/Rope Rescue, Rescue Swimming, Kayak/Surf Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Fireboat, Water Rescue craft, and Critical Incident Stress Management.
Krista studied French Horn at the New England Conservatory and Juilliard, with professional performances in New York, Boston, Europe, and San Francisco. She currently plays as Principal Horn with the Port Angeles Symphony. Her hobbies include rescuing cats and dogs, marine mammals, and exploring the world through kayaking, biking, hiking, and swimming.
Krista also volunteers as a Marine Naturalist at the Feiro Marine Center in Port Angeles and is a member of the Crescent Bay Lions Club. Her constant companion is Mochi, a blue-eyed red-headed canine. Mochi has earned her chops as the unofficial mascot of Joyce Fire.
Thomas Muir, Station 41 Lieutenant
Thomas Muir began his career in 2005 with Farmington Fire Department, at the rank of Firefighter/EMT for two years and Engineer for three years. During that time he certified in Technical Rope Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, and Confined Space Rescue. He began training in 2008 at TEEX Disaster City as a Structural Collapse Technician with FEMA and was a member of New Mexico Task Force 1. He pursued training in Wildland firefighting and is a certified Faller. Thomas trained at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Fire Training Center, and worked as an ARFF Engineer at Four Corners Regional Airport. He attended San Juan College and earned a degree in Fire Science. After moving to the PNW he worked for Olympic Ambulance for four years at the Port Angeles branch. Thomas has been a member of CCFPD 4 since 2020. In his spare time he likes to hike with his dog, mountain bike, garden, rock climb, and train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Thomas also volunteers with the Port Angeles Food Bank and enjoys feeding the community and putting smiles on hungry faces.
Lieutenant Gary Southard – Firefighter/EMT
Gary moved his wife and daughter up to Freshwater Bay 16 years ago. They loved the community and wanted to give back. He started with Clallam County Search and Rescue and then joined Joyce Fire. He went through the Firefighter Training Academy and then became an EMT. In his spare time he is a licensed electrician and tries to sneak in as much fishing as he can.
Lieutenant Garrett Heaton, Training
Garrett began his career in the fire service in 2007. He went to EMT and Fire Academy school in 2008/2009. He was hired on full time at Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue and quickly stepped into the role of Safety Officer. He then took over the Training Officer position in 2011 and has focused on training ever since. Before leaving Snoqualmie Pass, he was in charge of upper Kittitas county training and coordination.
Garrett moved to the peninsula in 2016 with his wife and child to be closer to his wife’s family. He started working with Vashon Island Fire and Rescue at that time. With his background in EVIP training, he transitioned professionally into a position with NTSI (National Traffic Safety Institute) where he currently works as a principal instructor and instructs and trains individuals and groups in behavior modification while driving.
Some of his personal accomplishments include publishing a book called Marshmallow Memoirs, completing the Iron Man, and accomplishing a childhood dream of building a log cabin in northern Idaho. In his younger days, he lived for more high-risk activities such as free-style downhill skiing and competing in Park and Big Air competitions. Currently, in his free time he enjoys surfing, music, hanging out on the beach and adventuring in the woods with his family and friends.