South King Fire & Rescue is proud to introduce the department’s two newest firefighters. They graduated with Fire Academy Class #12 from the South King County Fire Training Consortium on Jan 20.

The graduation ceremony was held at the River of Life Fellowship church in Kent.

Jonathan Ptak is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. His volunteer firefighter experience spans more than 10 years in California, Texas and Washington. His most recent experience was with Clallam County Fire District 2. Ptak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Service Management.

Kristopher Clark is a U.S. Army veteran and a 15-year veteran of the Tacoma Police Department. Clark is a certified commercial diver who served in Tacoma as a rescue diver and swift water technician. Clark also earned the “Chief’s Company” award at the Jan. 20 graduation for his excellent performance in the fire academy.

Ptak and Clark are assigned to shift and actively serving the Federal Way and Des Moines communities.