My name is Kyle, I am a resident of Eleva. I moved here many years ago, met an incredible woman named Sadie and somehow got her to marry me in 2010. Together we have 3 kids, a dog and a cat. I work full-time at the Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire as a Fire Service Technician and also part-time as an Fire & Emergency Services Instructor. It is bittersweet working for the college where I have earned all of my fire service education to date. Starting in October of this year I will be continuing my education in the fire service as I'm enrolled in an Instructor 2 class through Waukesha Technical College to advance my skills to pass on my knowledge and experience to my students. Looking ahead to 2025, I am hopeful to be accepted into Mid-State Technical College where I will work hard to earn an associate degree in Emergency Services Management with an emphasis on Fire Science.

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I have been a paid on call firefighter for the village of Eleva for over 15 years and currently serve as the departments Training Officer. There are a few reasons that I decided to get involved with emergency services, the fun and innocent story I share is that when I was a young boy I started my mom's couch on fire while playing with matches. If I'm asked on a deeper level, I share a more meaningful purpose. When I 16, my 19 year old stepbrother was tragically killed in a car accident. The pain and depression that was left in the void is something I didn't ever want others to experience. In my mind, if I could get involved somehow to save another family from that same pain, depression and hardship of losing a loved one, my existence would be validated.

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When Arcadia Fire Chief Jeff Halvorson went missing, I was part of the search party. After learning that he was found deceased as a result of suicide, it got me thinking of the difficult things we all see and do while trying to save lives and property. I know the demons I face, I could only imagine the demons that haunted him to the point that he chose to take his own life. In collaboration with my mother Deb Helgeson who is the founder of Hope 4 U, I pitched the idea of a specialized group that focused on our Heroes. I agreed to walk 100 miles during suicide awareness month to raise awareness and raise funds to create the new group. From there Hope 4 Heroes was established, I am proud to hold the title of Co-Founder.

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My wife and I have a seasonal camper near Bloomer and recently purchased some land near Chetek. We tend to spend a lot of time there which gives me a chance to unwind and unplug. We have met many great people there that also serve in emergency services. Being with those like-minded people has been a blessing in disguise because we speak the same language and have the same dark humor that is shared across the emergency service world. Hanging around a campfire with a few drinks and cigars sharing nameless and faceless stories is similar to a critical incident stress debriefing that you would have after a tragic call. Afterwards, my mind isn't as full, and my heart isn't as heavy.