Billings Peer Team Advisor

Billings Peer Team Program Director

I am married to my wife, Kari, and we have three children. My oldest /Leaderchild is a boy, Cal; my middle daughter is Mya and my youngest daughter, is Palmer. I was a police officer for 10 years before I became a firefighter. I have had a lot of struggles in my life. I have had struggles with marriage, alcoholism, work, and the loss of loved ones. Specifically, I used alcohol to cope with the death of my mother. My mom died of brain cancer at the age of 50. The alcohol coping mechanism was what led to losing a job with the police department. Because of those experiences, I am passionate about mental health and I hope that no one has to go through what I did. Some of the mechanisms I have employed for success are the Judea Christian faith, alcohol treatment, and marriage counseling. I would love to share my experiences to help my fellow employees hopefully.

Billings Peer Team Lead Coordinator

I have been in the fire service for about 15 years. Starting out as a volunteer in Lockwood, (2yrs) working on the ARFF crew at the airport (7yrs), and finally landing at BFD in 2018. In all those years I have always been involved in training in some capacity and trying to find avenues where I could help better each place I was at. Before my career in the fire service, I obtained a Bachelors Degree in Education from UM Western.
I have been on the Peer Support team since its inception in 2019 and have taken several classes as a part of it. I am currently on the Big Sky CISM team providing support for incident debriefs in and around Billings. Mental health and maintaining it is a passion of mine and I enjoy being there for my brothers and sisters in the fire service and other emergency personnel.

Billings Peer Team Lead Coordinator/Chaplain

Billings Peer Team Lead Coodinator

Support Member

I decided to join the peer team because I saw the need and benefits of having people to come to in a time of need. There are other resources out there and I believe the peer team gives our members another option. I have been in a place where I needed help and tried a variety of resources for me personally I found a great benefit in just talking with peers. This is why when this opportunity came up I decided to join the peer team. It might not be the best fit for everyone but with the variety of people on the team, there is the peer team member who can provide the help you need or get you pointed in the right direction.

Support Member

I am an Engineer/EMT with the BFD and am currently in my 12th year on the job. I love all that we do and enjoy serving the citizens of Billings. I did my initial training and joined the Peer team in 2022. I joined the team because I love helping people and thought that I could be a good sounding board for my workmates. Whether it's serving in the kitchen preparing a meal or just having a good conversation, I want to be the guy that everyone is comfortable talking to. I look forward to being a valued member of our growing team.

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member

Support Member