It seems like Mike Stankus has done it all. He's worked on vehicles and machinery in the rock-mining, construction, logging, concrete and asphalt-paving industries. He worked on a dredge cleaning the mess from Mount St. Helen's eruption and helped build a nuclear power plant in Washington. He has spent the past 10 years in the fire service as primarily an emergency vehicle technician; he's also a volunteer firefighter. He's the top EVT for King County (Wash.) Fire District 44 and he's nearly half way to his goal of attaining all of the EVT certifications offered. Stankus is also FIRE CHIEF's In Service 2007 EVT of the year.

Has your experience helped in the fire service?

Definitely. Fire trucks and regular trucks can have similar problems. There are certain systems on heavy equipment that are applicable to a fire truck, like pumps or hydraulics. I started welding at such a young age and spent years working on rock crushers and things that were high maintenance. I was exposed to a lot of bad environments for welding, so I became a better welder quicker.

What's the most important thing an EVT should do?

Gain as much schooling and knowledge as you can. Some say they don't want to become certified because they won't gain enough salary. In this industry the systems and equipment are changing so quickly that if you don't keep abreast you are going to be left behind. A lot of younger people coming into the trade haven't been exposed to the mechanical end of it. If they spend time studying, it will be much more advantageous to them. And when you become a master technician, share knowledge with fellow technicians or anybody new in the trade. Knowledge is power, not in a bad way, but in a way that can make your job easier.

What vehicle changes have been most troubling to EVTs?

There's more electronics and less mechanical features. You need to be computer savvy but also be able to think on your own in a logical way to get you through the steps of what you need to do to troubleshoot. It's not easy anymore.

How do you get the most life from vehicles?

If a person adheres to a pretty strict maintenance schedule, apparatus will last a long, long time. Oil and grease are cheap compared to hard parts. I've seen engines basically torn up inside from the neglect of past maintenance practices.

What is the biggest challenge to keeping vehicles available?

Parts. To be able to get parts in a timely fashion is not always the easiest thing anymore. We keep some parts on hand, but it doesn't make sense to keep certain items because you can wrap up thousands and thousands of dollars in inventory, and if you replace the vehicle with another, those parts are not always going to fit.

What role does driver behavior play in a vehicle's condition?

A big role. I can kind of read by what had been broken to see if it had been abused or if it was normal wear and tear.

How can drivers keep the vehicles in better working order?

Drive at a safer speed and not do hard breaking. If you have an intersection and you have to slow down, think ahead. Don't go in at the last minute and dynamite the brakes. These trucks are so heavy that doing that over time will make the brakes become glazed. Then they won't stop as good as they should. And in turn, that vehicle becomes unsafe to drive and tears up a lot more items in the system that have to be replaced that wouldn't normally have to be done. Taking rough roads at a high speed is really tough on these trucks. They're heavy trucks; they are just like big toolboxes running down the road. And if somebody hits a railroad track grade hard, it impacts the springs real bad and flexes the frame and body. It is really sad to see some of these accidents that probably could have been prevented if the drivers were more understanding of what can happen on the bigger trucks.

How much do EVTs need to rely on drivers to be their eyes and ears?

Greatly. A lot of unforeseen problems can be caught if a driver or engineer warns us in advance. We might be able to prevent something from really coming apart or further damage being done. If they are checking the oil and notice that the color is a little different, we might have a head gasket going or something in there that can be caught to save a complete engine rebuild. I like to spend as much time with firefighters on the trucks, for instance, to teach them how to do a proper walk around inspection or brake test. Working close with the guys really helps.