Seattle Fire Fighter Travis O'Connor is trading in his department issued helmet for a pair of combat boots as he prepares to go to Iraq as a U.S. Navy Seabee.

O'Connor, 34 years old, has worked at Ballard's Station 18 for the last four years. On June 15, he left for Gulf Port, Mississippi for two months of training in convoy security.

After that his NMCB (Navy Mobile Construction Battalion) 18 Detachment 0418 will depart for Kuwait for a short period so his unit of 500 men and women can get acclimated to the weather in the Middle East.

From there, they will be sent to Iraq for an eleven-month deployment.

The members of the unit are from Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Oregon. Joining O'Connor will be two other Ballard residents, Karen Testa and Angela Mashek.

The Seabees are expected to use their training to build schools, water wells, roads, maintain base camps and other projects as needed.

O'Connor avoids the television news reports on the war in Iraq. He says he will take many pictures of the good things going on in that country.

"I don't watch the news, it's bad stuff," O'Connor said.

Part of his new training will be providing security for supply runs. He says the humvees are now armored for protection against road-side bombs commonly known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs.

Despite the danger, O'Connor sees the mission in Iraq as in some ways similar to his daily mission as a firefighter; watching out for others.

"There's good people all over the place. We protect the good people from the small amount of bad guys."

O'Connor's father was a Seabee in Vietnam and has given him some advice on going to war.

"My dad said to keep my head down low, keep my eyes and ears open," O'Connor said.

O'Connor lives on Whidbey Island with his wife and two children, a son 7 and daughter five years old.

The eleven members of his Fire Department shift have promised to take care of the maintenance of his house while he is gone.

"The fire department is family. We will do anything for each other. The Navy is family. I have more family than I know what to do with," he said.

"I admire him and his willingness to sacrifice. He is doing this to serve his country and serve Seattle," said Captain Raul Angulo.