It can be hard to stop a “working machine” of a person, especially one who has served as both a firefighter and politician.
But Mike Cooper’s fire-fighting days are officially discontinued.
The former, four-term state representative from Edmonds retired from the Shoreline Fire Department after working his last shift as a lieutenant on May 6; he worked for the department for more than 25 years.
“I loved helping people and going on calls,” he said. “There’s nothing to replace that fire-house family.”
And although he has no immediate plans other than pursuing volunteer work, Cooper, 54, said he may consider reviving his political career. He has been asked to consider running for mayor of Edmonds or for a seat on the Snohomish County Council, he said, although he asserts he’s “not looking for a job.”
Cooper got his start as a volunteer firefighter in Edmonds after high school. His father, Jack Cooper, retired as Edmonds’ fire chief in 1979. After working several unrelated jobs, Cooper was hired full-time by the Shoreline Fire Department in 1980.
Until height requirements were abolished at fire departments, the five-foot-six-inch tall Cooper said he was unable to be hired.
Although he says his father never exactly “pushed him” to pursue fire fighting, he said it was something in which he was always interested.
“My mother gave me a picture not too long ago, of me standing in my dad’s boots,” Cooper said. “It was something I always wanted to do.”
Cooper’s decision to retire comes after essentially working two jobs for eight years. He was first elected to the legislature as a state representative in 1996 and in 2004 lost his bid for the statewide office of Public Lands Commissioner.
During his time in the legislature, Cooper, a Democrat, would take an unpaid leave of absence from the fire department and return to work after the session ended.
“It was like having two full-time jobs, because even when I was not in Olympia, I was busy doing committee and constituent work all the rest of the year,” Cooper said. “It was a valuable experience to me.”
When campaigning, Cooper said co-workers were always a big help and it was “kind of like the Shoreline Fire Department had its own state representative.
“There was a lot of teasing that went along with being a politician,” he said. “That was the nature.”
Even before serving in the legislature, Cooper strived to address firefighter safety and pension issues. Many people expected he would run for office eventually, he said.
After attending the funeral of a firefighter, Cooper said he began to focus heavily on advocating for more staffing and better safety equipment. When he first started volunteering as a firefighter, Cooper said firefighters were not required to wear breathing gear.
Legislation passed last year, which Cooper said he initially introduced, requires fire departments to report to the community what their capabilities are for responding to fires.
Cooper successfully blended being a politician and firefighter, said Gordon Pomeroy, a Shoreline Fire Department paramedic who worked with Cooper for 25 years. He had a lot of support from co-workers, he added.
“He is one huge energy ball,” Pomeroy said. “Little in stature, but huge in ambition.”
Although his wife, Chrystal, calls him a “professional volunteer,” Cooper said he doesn’t have any immediate plans other than to keep busy with his “free community activities.” The Coopers have three adult children.
Cooper currently chairs the Snohomish County Charter Review Commission, an oil advisory council and a few nonprofit organizations.
There are two goals at the fire station: to go home alive at the end of a shift and to retire healthy, Cooper said.
“I’ve done both of those,” he said.
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