#25: Levon Yongoyan - Chief of Camano Island Fire & Rescue

Camano Voice

Links to Things Mentioned in this Episode:

• https://www.camanofire.com/
• https://www.burlingtonwa.gov/100/Fire
• https://www.northcountyfireems.com/
• Peter Drucker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker)
• The 4-Hour Work Week - Tim Ferriss
• The Advantage - Patrick Lencioni

Key Points of Interest:

• Where did Levon grow up?
• How did moving around influence his life?
• What brought Levon to Camano Island?
• How did Levon get started with Geographic Information Systems?
• Levon talks about his company TerraLogic GIS
• He also explains what it is used for
• What was his educational background?
• After closing down his company, where did he move onto?
• What was the idea behind these neighborhoods that they designed?
• Levon poses the question, “What is connection?” in relation to young kids vs older folk
• How did Levon get started with the Fire Department?
• When did the Camano Island Fire and Rescue change from Volunteer to having career Firefighters?
• When did he move on from Camano to Burlington Fire Department?
• Levon gets into some of the biggest differences between working in a rural vs city department
• Specifically, he gets into some of the dynamics of working on an island
• He also speaks into how they work with North County Fire Department
• Levon talks about the “unsung” heroes of emergencies
• One of Levon’s project he is working on is support groups for the Fire Fighters
• These also include helping other firefighters make sure their co-workers are doing well
• How has Levon implemented the lessons from small business to his current position
• Also, how does communication work when it is spread out among so many stations?
• Camano Fire is the only form of government that only serves Camano Island, not all of Island County
• Levon mentions some of the books that have been influential in his leadership building

Camano Island Locations Mentioned in this Episode:

• Port Susan Bay
• Arrowhead Ranch (https://arrowheadranchcamano.com/)