James Evans

Retired Anchorage Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief James R. Evans died Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at Providence Hospital.

There will be no funeral services at Mr. Evans' request. His ashes will be scattered in the wilderness.

He was born Sept. 16, 1934, at a farm home near Creston, Iowa, the son of Lester and Nynah Evans. He attended a country school and later Orient Consolidated schools in Orient, Iowa. He graduated with the class of 1952.

Shortly after graduation Mr. Evans moved to California, where he worked in a printing shop, and on Oct. 13, 1953, joined a volunteer fire department -- the start of a lifelong career. He became a part-time career firefighter in 1954, but temporarily left the fire service to serve three years in the Army, which included 18 months in Korea.

During his Army service he met his wife, Donna, while visiting his Iowa friends. They were married in January, 1956. After his military tour ended he and Donna settled in the San Francisco suburb of Pacifica, Calif. He was hired back into the fire department upon his discharge.

He worked through the ranks of this fire department ultimately becoming Deputy Fire Chief in 1971. A leg injury required him to retire from active firefighting in this small fire department, and was hired as the Chief of Training for the new Greater Anchorage Area Borough fire department, in Alaska.

He was soon promoted to Assistant Fire Chief for Operations and Training, and ultimately to Deputy Fire Chief. Upon unification of the borough and city fire departments he became Chief of Training for the new Municipal Fire Department.

During this period he was responsible for securing the state grants to build the Regional Fire Training Center in Anchorage, and was the municipal supervisor overseeing construction of the facility.

In 1980 he was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief and served until June, 1985, when a major heart problem developed, requiring him to retire from the active fire service.

Mr. Evans was nationally known as a fire instructor, traveling to many parts of the country teaching classes for the National Fire Academy, and he is very well known for the dozens of classes taught to Alaskan fire/rescue personnel.

He wrote the Fire Science Curriculum, now taught throughout the University of Alaska system, in 1973, and served as the Fire Science Program Coordinator at the university until 1990. He has published over 48 national articles in a variety of trade publications and has served on the development teams for several National Fire Academy courses. He published a joke book in 1994, a second book in 1996, and a third joke book in 2000, which are very popular and are widely sold throughout the country.

In 1967 he was named the Municipal Employee of the Year for the City of Pacifica. In 1984 he received a fellowship to the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government from FEMA. In 1990 he was awarded the prestigious Pioneer Award from the Anchorage Fire Department, and in 2000, was awarded the Del Moffett award by the state of Alaska for overcoming physical handicaps to serve the fire service. He served on many committees and boards in both California and Alaska, and in many leadership positions in the fire service organizations, including two years as president of the Anchorage Area Fire Chiefs Association, and two years as the president of the Alaska Fire Chiefs Association.

He was an avid outdoorsman and loved gold, fishing and big-game hunting.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Donna, of Anchorage; his daughter Sherrie, of Knoxville, Tennessee; his son, James and wife Debbie, of Anchorage; three grandchildren, Robin, Marc and Brittany; and two great-granddaughters, Tianna Rose and Nevaeh Angeline; and great-grandson, Jordan. He was preceded in death by a sister, Virginia; brother Charles; and grandson Timothy.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Fund, c/o the Regional Fire training Center, 1140 Airport Heights Road, Anchorage 99508.

Arrangements were entrusted to the Legacy Funeral Home, Kehl's Chapel.