Shawn began his career in the fire service in 2001, when he was hired by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Over the next 12 years, he would go on to embody the finest qualities of a true firefighter, serving the citizens of Los Angeles County with honor and distinction. Before joining the department, Shawn was an avid surfer and snowboarder, and those who knew him best say he brought the same tenacity and fearlessness he displayed on the slopes and in the water with him to the fire house. After the line-of-duty death of his father, Fire Captain Ken Bayer, in 1997, Shawn built upon his family's legacy of excellence through his own career in the fire service. Shawn died in 2013 after succumbing to jobrelated cancer.