By Olivia Madewell 

One of the first things Lt. Steve Yeutter will tell you is that he doesn’t consider himself a hero.

He grew up on a farm, spending much of his time outside and building the work ethic his sons admire in him today. To start his career, his enjoyment of outdoor work guided him into parks and recreation.

As Yeutter worked his way up to management, however, he found himself seeking more opportunities to interact with his community.

That’s what led him to spend 26 years with the Seattle Fire Department, the last two at Station 18 in Ballard.

Firefights are encouraged to think of themselves not as public servants but as fulfilling roles in customer service, Yeutter explained.

“There’s an interesting dichotomy,” he said. “We get to go on somebody’s worst day and help them and hopefully make it a little bit of a better day.”

Yeutter tries to take things a bit further--to be compassionate, caring and kind whenever possible. He also makes an extra effort to be respectful.

“Some people would say it’s just respecting a person’s dignity,” Yeutter said.

As a lieutenant, he prioritizes his crew.

“He gives them the tools to be successful. Then when they are successful, he steps back,” said Capt. Debra Sutey, a fellow Seattle firefighter and Yeutter’s supervisor for about five years.

Sutey described Yeutter not just as a peer but as a friend. They use each other as mentors and sounding boards.

Sutey added that Yeutter has a spirit of wanting to elevate everyone around him. He wouldn’t ever take all the credit.

What firefighters call a good stop is responding to a call quickly, working together and feeling like they made a difference.

Sometimes with calls, though, there’s only so much Yeutter can do within the boundaries of the job.

Yeutter’s son Connor, the youngest of three boys, recalled the hardest stories retold at home were the calls where his father wanted so much to help a family straighten their lives back out but just couldn’t.

Almost every shift Yeutter works includes what he calls Seattle hot-button topics like homelessness. Calls for emergency medical service aren’t uncommon with Seattle’s homeless population, he said.

His focus is trying to get the individuals the services they need.

If the individuals are ready to get off the streets, Yeutter said, there’s a big push in the department to help with that, putting them in contact with social services or the Downtown Emergency Service Center through departmental programs.

Yeutter helped one man find a group-living situation in Ballard.

“We still see him when we go to the apartment house they all live in,” Yeutter said. “He likes to go planting and growing stuff, so when he gets one [a plant] grown up a bit, he’ll bring them by the station.”

Yeutter said the man would visit almost every month, stopping by to bring his flourishing trophies to share.