OKEECHOBEE -- Okeechobee city firefighter Les McGee was born in Naples in 1978 and moved with his parents and brother and sister to Okeechobee in 1984. Growing up, there wasn’t a single thing about school that Mr. McGee liked. He couldn’t wait until it was over so he could get on with his life. He was a member of the chess club, and he played a mean six-string guitar.



He said one of his childhood heroes was Tony Hawk, but he spent most of his time playing baseball and not on a skateboard.

College went much the same as high school for Mr. McGee. It was just another necessary steppingstone on the path to his future as a firefighter. He didn’t hate it, but didn’t particularly enjoy it, either.

Mr. McGee’s first job was also one he considered his worst job: planting grass! It was backbreaking, and the hours were long. He chose firefighting as a career because he felt it was an honorable one, and it seemed exciting. The idea of a flexible schedule was a plus, too. He has been working as a firefighter for 13 years, with 11 of those in Okeechobee.

In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with his wife, his two children and his friends, and he especially enjoys fabricating and building projects. Nothing is more fun than building cool stuff with your own hands, he says.