David John Liston ( Fairbanks 1998 )
posted: Jan 1, 2002
Dave, 28, died April 29, 2000, at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, Alaska, where he worked as a smokejumper for the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska Fire Service. He was on a refresher jump and his parachute failed to open. Liston was born April 17, 1972, in Portland, Oregon. He attended Gladstone High School, then Clackamas Community College in Oregon City in 1991 and 1992.
Dave began firefighting on the Deschutes National Forest in 1993. He went to Alaska in 1995 to work with the Alaska Fire Service as a member of the Midnight Sun Hotshots. He worked with that crew until 1996 when he was recruited to train aspiring hotshots as a squad boss on the North Star Fire Crew. He was selected for the Alaska smokejumpers in 1998.
Dave's interests included snowboarding, camping, fishing and exploring. He loved the freedom and openness of Alaska. He and his wife, Kristin, recently purchased property in the North Pole area. His fellow smokejumpers will remember him for his free spirit, positive attitude, and always doing more than what was expected. His goal since he began firefighting was to become a smokejumper.