Battalion Chief Stephens entered the fire service as a resident intern in 1993 at Turner Fire District while he obtained his Fire Degree from Chemeketa Community College. Chief Stephens then was a resident intern at Mohawk Vally Fire District while at Lane Community College for his Paramedic License. Since then, he has worked at Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services, which then became UCFD #1 in 2016, as a Firefighter/Engineer, Paramedic, Lieutenant and Battalion Chief of Fire Training.

Chief Stephens has an AAS in Fire Suppression and many other certifications through NFPA such as Fire Officer IV and Instructor III. 

Chief Stephens is active in the community and currently serves on the Hermiston Campus Life Board.

Chief Stephens and his wife, Gena, have two adult children. In his leisure time, he enjoys martial arts as a 12th degree blackbelt and traveling to Japan in martial pursuits.