Lincoln Correa spent 39 years and seven months answering calls across Tacoma's neighborhoods.

House fires, vehicle crashes, chemical spills, medical emergencies. In July 2026, the battalion chief hung up his turnout gear for the last time.

"I never had any reservations. I put my heart and soul into that, learning things about firefighting, the hoses, the equipment, and so forth," Correa told the Tacoma News Tribune in a profile published Saturday, July 18.

Correa moved from Hawaii to Tacoma in 1983 with his wife, Aileen, after a military assignment brought him to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

He worked at the Sears Automobile Center at the Tacoma Mall before a chance encounter with firefighters during Fire Prevention Month changed his trajectory. His uncle back in Hawaii was a firefighter, and the career felt like a natural fit.

He completed the fire service program at Bates Technical College and joined the Tacoma Fire Department in 1987. Over the decades, he rose through the ranks as a driver, lieutenant, and captain before reaching battalion chief in 2012.

Former TFD Battalion Chief Jim Scott, who worked alongside Correa, described him as someone who brought calm to chaotic scenes. "You can't help but like him," Scott told the News Tribune. "He's a bit of a bridge builder, just a very calming effect on people and incidents."

The job shaped his family, too. All three of Correa's sons followed him into the fire service, the News Tribune reported. Bryson, Chase, and Ethan Correa now serve at the Tacoma Fire Department and Puget Sound Fire.

Chase Correa told the paper his father's greatest achievement wasn't the fire service itself but the way he showed up for his family, choosing "his family and faith day in and day out, always teaching his boys by example."

Aileen Correa said communication held the household together through decades of shift work and unpredictable hours, particularly when the boys were in school.

In retirement, Correa plans to keep running his side business, AAA Rain Gutters, and volunteer at his church. He also looks forward to more time with Aileen, his three sons, four grandchildren, and his Shih Tzu, Kona.