Aaron, 3rd from the right, with his fire crew.

Aaron Fields has been a firefighter for over 13 years, 6 of which have been spent training others in the state fire academy. After almost dieing in his first fire due to incomplete training, he has devoted his days to perfecting a hybrid fire hose handling method called Nozzle Forward. Now, Aaron can be found traveling the country in his Tin Cloth Double Logger Coat (also known as the ‘Seattle Work Jacket’ in other areas), providing information and training to young firefighters that could save their life. Filson had the opportunity to to gain further insights on this remarkable method and the man behind it in our latest Trade Story.

What prompted you to start working on this unique method?
I got stuck in several fires early in my career that opened my eyes to the fact that I had been taught half of what I needed to know.  We need to understand not only what to do, but why we are doing it.  I took what I had learned already, and began the pursuit of filling the rest in from various places.  Fire hose and fire attack is the most basic thing in the fire service, so many folks take it for granted.  I have never been a personality that is satisfied with “good enough.”  I was lucky and ended up with some fantastic mentors.

What makes Nozzle Forward different than other methods of hose handling?
I’m a “systems” guy. My brains works like a Monet, if you go right up on his work you just see dots but if you step back you see the entire piece. I need to see the whole process. I started taking apart all these different techniques, abstracting them, combining them and came up with my own method that was fairly functional. The Nozzle Forward class is not simply a collection of techniques, but is instead a principal in mechanics that is reapplied in several ways, to create a simple effective, efficient system giving the nozzle-team greater mechanical advantage over their hand-lines.

In addition, it includes an aspect of fire attack based in years of experience coupled with the most up to date scientific studies. It helps nozzle teams deep inside structures — with limited perspective — to make quick choices by “reading” the behavior of the hostile environment. The skills taught in the Nozzle Forward are blue collar, practical skills that are an adaptable system for fire line management and fire attack.

How long have you utilized Filson products? And how much time has this particular Tin Double Logger Coat been in service?
I have had a Tin Cloth jacket for about 20 years, currently I own three.  I have a Tin Cruiser that I wear around and two Tin Double Loggers that I use when teaching.

This jacket in particular is 5 1/2 years old.  I have been teaching the Nozzle Forward for about 6 years. For the first two years I did about 12 classes.  The last four years have been between 30 and 50 a year.  On average we flow about 500,000 gallons of water per class. I myself likely flow in the vicinity of 500-700k a year.  In simple terms, this jacket has seen a “shit-ton” of H2O.  Usually, the training facilities have pumps and reservoirs, so there isn’t much waste of water. We use the Tin Cloth because it holds up to the wear and tear of the drill ground and keeps us dry.  Clearly we do not use them in live fire, simply when we are practicing.

Name a few of your other interests, hobbies, pastimes…
Besides working for Seattle Fire and teaching the Nozzle Forward on my off time, I raise two kids, 8 and 5, and keep fit.  I also like to read.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I have gotten a lot of good advice, here are a few: “Education is an act in personal humility,” “Our job is not one that we ever exceed the public’s expectation of us. They expect us to solve their worst problems. We either meet the public’s’ expectation or we fail,” and “Work more, talk less.”

What’s the best part of your job, Aaron?
The best part of my job is feeling like I have made a difference.  I was raised in Seattle. I work in the neighborhood that I grew up in, my brother and father work for Seattle Fire too, so the sense of community is very strong.  With the Nozzle Forward I have feel like I have been able to ply my craft in cities that I don’t work in.  When someone uses a skill that I taught them to have a positive impact, I feel like I am doing my job in a small way outside of my own geographic area.  Damn cool, damn humbling.

In a society where many people are far removed from the processes put in to food preparation, professional butchers like Zeph have taken the age-old craft in to their own hands.  The 31 year-old Portland, Oregon resident has spent the last 6 years developing and espousing an unique approach to butchery focusing on positive stewardship for both animal and environment.  If you’re lucky enough to procure meat from Zeph, you can literally have a hand in the preparation yourself.  Find out what else separates the Proletariat Butcher from the rest of the pack below.

What attracted you to working as a butcher?
It was a very pragmatic implementation of larger more abstract philosophical, theological and environmental convictions. I wanted to have a pursuit that integrated my life in a very full sense. I get to provide people with the highest quality meat at a very affordable price.  It’s also very hands on.  I need to be active in what I do and this most certainly accomplishes that desire [Laughs].

Where did you learn this trade?
I learned to butcher at Seabreeze Farm off the coast of Vashon Island.  At this farm, the animals were raised, slaughtered, butchered and cured all on site. So, from the seed that grew the pasture to the sausage finally offered, we were involved.  I’ve been interested in meat for 6 years, and seriously pursuing butchery for 3.

Can you describe your distinct approach to butchery?
At Proletariat, we strive to create a close looped cycle where everything from the ground in which the animals forage to the meat you eat are well taken care of through responsible stewardship. We up-cycle our edible scraps to pigs in order to create something useful, and the hides are tanned and then made available for our customers to take home. We sell animals by the quarters, and this has a few main purposes:  first off, none of the animal goes to waste because you purchase the whole quarter, not just particular cuts. It also affords the best price for the consumer. You receive a Frenched rack of lamb for the same price you buy seemingly less desirable cuts like lamb shank, ground lamb or bones. We want you to see every cut as equally healthy and delicious. In short, we take meat from an abstract commodity in a typical retail setting to what it actually is: an animal, in which we strive to honor and be a good steward of.

Where do you source your animals?
The animals are sourced from local, family farms that practice good animal husbandry. We rely on our personal relationship with the farmer instead of external rules to discern whether the animals are being raised in an efficacious fashion that focuses on good pasture management.  We prefer the term “pasture raised” instead of “grass fed” as the latter is not a very accurate portrayal of a farmer’s reality in animal husbandry.

What are a few things that you think people misunderstand about butchery?
There isn’t too much of a misunderstanding, rather than a total lack of understanding and awareness for the craft. In many ways, it’s easier that people don’t have many preconceived notions about butchery so we can help people understand the craft from the ground up. Still, people are always surprised that we cut by hand and use old carbon steel knives.  Many of our clients are also surprised at the variety of cuts they get from us. There is more to a cow than New York steaks, rib eye, and ground beef. Also, people are always baffled by Old World preservation methods.  When we salt bacon, pancetta, or hams for customers and encourage them to hang them in the pantry we receive a lot of blank stares.

What makes your company different than others?
There is little about this company that is similar to any other butcher shop. We are taking what we like about butchery and reinventing the rest. Everything is handcrafted, no accelerating the process via machinery, artificial climates, or chemicals. It’s very basic and beautiful. We harbor an intentional pre-industrial, agrarian posture toward meat consumption.  Our sales structure is very different from a typical retail setting, rib eye is the same price as ground beef.  We also strive to involve our clients by letting them be involved in the butchery if they would like to. We want to integrate our customers further into the experience and ingrain responsibility for good consumption.

What’s your favorite meat or meal?
My favorite hunk of meat would be the “butcher’s cuts.”  I take the seemingly less desirable cuts and turn them into delicious meals. It is encouraging, as it shows us that you don’t need a NY steak to be satiated.  You simply need quality meat, good cooking methods, and an open mind to provide for you and yours.

The history of the axe in America is ubiquitous.  Trees as tall as Bunyan were felled with these sharpened glints of steel.  Cities and towns across the nation were born of them.  Great men and women were made by them.  Now, men like Andy Gregory of NW Axe Co. are taking this time-honored tradition in to their own two hands.  The 33 year old South Seattle resident discusses felling his first tree, the 4 most important characteristics of a great axe, and how he hopes to help people stay connected with nature.

Outdoor photos courtesy of Adam Hoff.
Shop photos courtesy of Robin Stein.

How long have you been working with metals and, in particular, crafting axes?
I’ve always loved tools, but only really got into fixing them up in the last couple years. It just naturally happened through spending time in my workshop. I had an old hatchet head that had been collecting dust in my tool box. On a sunny spring day I finally decided to hang a new handle on it, and pleased with the result I decided to make more. As collecting began, I began making custom leather sheaths for each axe, and Northwest Axe Company was born.

How was your interest in axes formed and shaped? 
I grew up going to a Boy Scout camp in Wisconsin every summer. Camp Freeland Leslie. This was a real deal, traditional Scout camp. There was the fancy Scout camp 40 miles away with waterskiing and a mess hall with provided meals. Ours was old school. The campsites were all named after Civil War battle sites. You’d arrive, hike out to your campsite, set up your issued canvas A-Frame tents and prepare for the week. You’d hike to the commissary to get the food and supplies for your meals, then hike back and cook your meals at the campsite. Patrol boxes, sheepherders, dutch ovens, water pails for KP, the works. You’d set up an axe yard, split wood for the fire. Later I’d become staff at the camp, where I worked in Scoutcraft. Pioneering, Wilderness Survival, Orienteering, Camping, and Cooking merit badges were all taught there.

Do you recall felling your first tree?
I specifically remember the summer I taught Camping merit badge, whenever there was down time I’d head over to the axe yard. We had axes, splitting mauls, a stand-and-post wedge splitter and sledgehammer. I’d spend hours splitting wood, there was something so satisfying about the process and the stacking of a wood pile. If I was lucky the cooking folks would be making dutch oven peach cobbler and I’d get in on that too. We’d also have an event every week called the Paul Bunyan Breakfast. You’d get up early, head to Scoutcraft and have a flapjack feast, then hike into the woods to chop down a tree that would get used for building structures in Pioneering area. That was where I felled my first tree.

What are the 4 most important aspects of an axe?
Character, condition, usefulness, and ability to hold an edge, in varying order of importance depending on use. In the end it’s all about splitting wood, carving, or chopping down a tree, I suppose. If your axe can do those things well, then you’ve got a winner. If you’re looking for a wall hanger that is pleasing to the eye, then things like a true aged patina on steel and a weathered handle can’t be beat. I’m usually trying to create a mixture of all of these qualities, something that is beautiful enough to hang as a piece of functional or historical art, but perfectly capable of splitting a cord of wood if required to do so (and look all the more handsome with wear after doing so).What 3 things separate NW Axe Co. from other companies?
It starts with location. There has never been a large scale axe manufacturer on the West Coast. Northwest Axe Company is preparing to be the first. I have a number of tool designs in the works that I aim to begin producing later this year, utilizing west coast forging and local manufacturing. There’s only a handful of American companies still producing axes in the US, as most have outsourced to China, Mexico, and Taiwan. It’s a big challenge; while there’s established east coast companies that have been doing this for a long time, we are starting from scratch. I love that there’s a historical aspect to what I’m doing.

Another thing is the sheaths I’m making for these axes. I’ve noticed a trend in the industry that sheaths almost seem to be an afterthought to other manufacturers. When you buy a new axe, you want it to be protected during transport and when it’s not in use. I’m creating sheaths that not only complement each axe visually but that will withstand the ins and outs of daily life with a modicum of care. Heavy-duty four piece construction with good rivets, and a proper welt for the edge to rest on, not just some thin leather wrapped around the bit.

Finally, it’s the philosophy I bring to this business. I have an environmental background and conservation is a very important part of my environmental ethic. The history of these tools being used by the USFS, trail workers, and conservation groups is not lost on me. This country was built with an axe. I appreciate that most of the people who are buying my tools are people who are close to nature in some way or another, and that’s in part what I am trying to do with this business, help people stay connected to the outdoors. In this technological era, it’s easy for us to get lost in computer world. In a way, the axe is a symbol of where we’ve come from and what we all must remember, that without shelter, clean water, food, and warmth, none of the rest of this makes any difference.

Describe a perfect day for you?
Oh boy, that’s a big question. I’m pretty sure it involves sunshine, mountains, water, and nudity.

Do you have any advice for people trying to follow their passions?
In the last couple years I’ve begun to think that it’s almost less important what you are doing, but just that you’re putting your all into doing it. Yes, of course you must love it. That’s most important. But what’s holding you back? Usually fear, I’ve found. So you take chances and live. If you truly love what you are doing, and you are truly passionate about it, and you truly put your all into it, then you cannot fail. People will be inspired by you and support you. And if you don’t find the success you had hoped for, then you will at least have taken a journey worth taking and learned lessons worth learning. The important thing is to get started. Do it, make it happen. The only thing stopping you is yourself.

If you weren’t working with NW Axe Co. what would you be doing?  Where would we find you?
I’ve been a teacher for Seattle Public Schools for a number of years, and am still currently a substitute, so teaching would be a good place to start. I also work part time at a climbing gym and do photo production work. But honestly, regardless of the work, you’d probably find me in my workshop tinkering with something, or preparing for a motorcycle trip. If I could ride a motorcycle around the world for the rest of my life, I’d do it and die a happy man. Maybe you’ll find me following that passion someday…

Kenmore is our kind of airline.  Family owned and operated out of Washington State since 1946, no one knows their way around a bush plane better.  We sat down with machinist Mike Smith, a Kenmore veteran of 11 years, to talk welding, banjos, and bird dogs.

What’s your trade?
I make and repair airplane parts, tools for the mechanics. I do a little bit of everything. I’m a machinist, welder, and metal fabricator. Machine-work, heat-treating, all forms of welding, gas welding aluminum, TIG welding, very little MIG welding, some gas welding with steel…

Seems like you’re in the right place then.
Kenmore has been here for 50 plus years, since the ’40s I believe.  I started here about a year after the original owner and founder passed away, so I never met him.  It’s a family owned business, it’s been here forever, I’ve been here for 11 years and I have no plans to leave.  Unless I’m escorted off the premises [laughs].

What is Kenmore known for?
We run our own fleet of airplanes, and we do restorations for customers.  We’re considered specialists in Beaver restorations, the de Havilland Beaver, which is the quintessential floatplane or bush plane.

How did you come to work on floatplanes?
Well, I was a metal fabricator for many years before I started working here. I was a German and Italian car mechanic for years, then involved in vintage motor racing for years.  These are closely related to vintage aircraft work.  So, a lot of my experience and skill crossed over fairly quickly.

What’s the best part of the job?
Being able to work on cool old machinery, and working for an employer that values family and free time.  Being able to work on the stuff I enjoy, and to be useful, and still have a life outside of work.

Anything you’d like to know how to do better?
Play the banjo.

What’s the most important invention thus far?
There are innumerable answers… But I’d have to say the bird dog!

How about your favorite tiny thing?
I can’t afford an expensive watch, but I really appreciate watch-work.  But my favorite tiny thing is probably my daughter.

Any advice you care to pass on?
My Dad used to say all kinds of stuff…  But the one that stuck was “if you can’t shoot pool, shoot hard.”

If you weren’t working as a machinist, what would you be doing?
I’d be in prison! [laughs]

Jason Ramos has devoted 25 years of his life to the fire service.  Now a full-fledged smokejumper working out of Winthrop, Washington, Jason has learned to expect the unexpected everyday.  On a clouded and cool afternoon, Filson caught up with Jason aboard his ‘home away from home,’ a custom camper Sportsmobile.

How did you become a smokejumper?
With any fire agency, when you come in, you’re going to hear about all the different job opportunities.  Smokejumping was always at the top.  If you go through all the years of training, and are lucky enough to try out, you can make it.  I learned about it at a very young age, and about 10 years later I applied for it.  Here we are today.

Where are you based?
Currently, I’m based out of Winthrop, WA.  It was actually the birth place of smokejumping — started here in 1939 with experimental jumps in the valley.

Why did you choose this particular occupation?
It’s a good question, but a hard answer.  Some people have multi-generational families of smokejumpers, but I heard about it while firefighting in a city with no smokejumpers at all.  It was something to try out for — you can go that path — and there are a lot of hurdles and obstacles to even get there.  So it’s one of those things you take day by day. Any firefighter in the world, they all know what smokejumpers do.  It’s very demanding, and it’s something that all of them think about.  I didn’t have any firefighters in the family, it was something I’d seen on documentaries, on TV, and in books; and I took that path.

What 5 things do you always have with you in the field?
Every jumper is very different.  Some guys have trinkets from their kids or girlfriends, but I always have good sunglasses.  You’re wearing your boots, you’ve got your chapstick, your knife, some extra money because you never know where you’re going.  Having those things you’re very comfortable with can make missions go very differently.  If you forgot your knife, you know, you have to find a sharp rock.  It can change the mission, those little things are important.

Describe a normal day the life of a smokejumper:
There is no normal day.  First thing that happens is a morning roll call — just like everyone did in school — but a siren may go off before that, and you’re off to a mission.  No two days are the same.  It’s very dynamic.  You could be flying to another state, or half an hour later, be 100 feet up in a tree.  It’s hard to explain, but every day is simply unknown, and that keeps us coming back.

Your job involves a lot of time in forests and the wilderness, what’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?
Washington State.  The North Cascades.  They’ve got to be some of the most awe-inspiring places you could ever experience.  Some stretches are so virgin and desolate, there is nothing but lakes, and rock spires, and glaciers as far as you can see. A lot of locals call the area the American Swiss Alps.  And it is.  There are places in those mountains you can’t even explain.  Washington is the top — besides Hawaii and Mexico [laughs].

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever received?
To always be humble and listen.  And that’s a hard thing to do.  In my profession, we’re all “type-a alpha males,” but you have to just listen.  You have to pay attention to the “old salts” or the old veterans.  Listen and learn, because those guys have already been there.  They’re always willing to teach you.  “Listen and watch,” is great advice.

What is something you would love to learn how to do?
I’d love to learn to fly jets.  But I’ve been very lucky.  I’ve been able to do a lot of different sports — and I love to free dive and wind surf — but I’m pretty content.  As long as I’m eating good food, and not being cold or hungry, I’ve got a lot.

Photos courtesy of Wood&Faulk.

Matt Pierce is a modern day jack of all trades.  Born in Kansas, the tinkerer’s interests in carpentry and mechanics were honed through interactions with close friends and family.  Eight years ago, Matt gathered the gumption to uproot, leave Kansas, and relocate to Portland, Oregon.  Currently, he runs a blog entitled Wood&Faulk and carries a line of his own craftsman goods.

What was inspiration behind Wood&Faulk?
It was based in everything that I learned growing up in Kansas.  The name comes from Woodrow and Faulkner, which are two streets on which I had previously lived.  I learned so much at that time working on house projects and building furniture and everything involved with having old houses.

How did you get started in leather craft?  What was the first piece you remember creating?
I’d tried some simple projects about 15 years ago, but the real spark for Wood&Faulk was the belt project.  I made a tiny run of belts in natural leather for people to wear-in and document how the process went.  After doing that, the requests kept coming in, so I started making belts for sale.

What brought you out to the Northwest and Portland from Kansas?
I was –and still am– just in awe of the climate, the forest and the landscape in Oregon.  It’s 1000 times different than Kansas.  I’m still shocked to see a mountain in the distance at any time here.

Where do you find inspiration?
Music, being outside, reading, taking naps… Just about anywhere.

Are you an outdoorsman?  What do you do and where do you go?
I’d call myself a recreational outdoorsman.  I have a canoe that I love to take out, love to camp and hike, but I never get super crazy about the weight of gear or the high-tech aspects.  It’s more about getting out and relaxing.  If it’s cold or rainy, I’ll hike in my Filson Tin Cruiser.

What’s your biggest project right now, and what’s involved?
Outside of work, it’s remodeling my torn up kitchen.  I hope to post more about that on the blog soon, but I’m deciding how much I want to tear out.  Maybe I’m trying to not think about that…

What is your biggest weakness? And biggest strength?
Biggest weakness has typically been taking on too many projects and not saying ‘no.’  I’ve gotten a lot better, mainly out of necessity now that the business is getting more hectic.  Biggest strength is figuring out how things work, although that usually involves buying more tools, so maybe it’s a weakness?

What is one thing you’d love to learn to do?
I just bought a recurve bow and I’d love to get better at my aim!

What artists do you look up to?
Charles and Ray Eames, Ralph Lauren, Keith Richards, Ai Weiwei.

What’s the best piece of advice you have received?
My Dad taught me how to shake hands properly and tell direction, if that’s considered advice.