My name’s Arron Richardson, I’m 28 and I come from Racine, Wisconsin.
ARRON Richardson
Age: 28 (born November 27, 1991) Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota Current residence: Racine, Wisconsin Occupation: Firefighter Marital Status: Married Species: Honey Badger Height: 5’ 10” (187 cm) Weight: 200 lbs (95 kg)
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved getting rowdy and trying to outdo my peers in all sorta feats of bravery. I learned my lessons through cuts, bruises and a couple broken bones, but it was what made me the badger to beat. Even more so since I grew up a Boy Scout, all the way through Eagle, and between that and varsity sports to channel that energy on, it was never a dull moment for this honey.
My experience with the Scouts ended up paving the way for my eventual career path as a firefighter. Being from a strong catholic family, I was taught to help people and give back to my community as much as I could – which combined with my healthy craving for excitement and adrenaline, made the firefighting profession fit like a glove.
I’ve been a firefighter for six years now, and I don’t regret a single moment of it. It’s... a very dangerous profession, but I find it extremely rewarding as well. Anytime you answer a call you get this... urgency, let's call it that, because you don’t really know for sure what you’re going into yet you need to be prepared to tackle any situation head on, whatever it is. Most days I wouldn’t wanna be in any place but the fire station, and I consider my crew the brothers I’ve never had; our bond is as strong as steel, and we got each other's trust through easy times and hardships alike.
Now I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it – firefighting is not for everyone. It is the dirtiest, most stressful and demanding daily job you can think of, plus it does put a definite hamper on your life span one way or another. I've seen death, smelled death and had a couple close brushes with it. So you get how it’s pretty much imperative that in order to ensure your chances to survive this game, you need to be at your fittest and then some.
I am no match for most of my crew when it comes to running up a stair flight in full gear, hoisting heavy loads or performing rescue dives. Any free moment I got from my duties is dedicated to working towards top physical shape: I’ve been training at a CrossFit affiliate for five years now, plus I regularly enjoy long runs and practice swimming as well as rescue swimming. I knew I was doing something right when the Wisconsin State Firefighters Association presented me with a state award for fire and emergency service responders, easily the greatest honor I’ve received in my life.
Believing in God encompasses a lot of what I am and the life I live. Reading the Bible serves as a daily reminder than God is with you even in the most tragic calls, and that you need to focus on the good things in your life and how they greatly outnumber the negatives. Prophet Isaiah himself said 'When you walk through the fire, you will not get burned; the flames will not set you ablaze', and that’s a lot of the comfort and reassurance I need when facing every challenge, like intense heat and air so thick and blazing it could burn through my short fur.
I’m extremely proud of getting married at 22 and working towards the goal of building a family this early in my life. Me and my wife Dominique have been together for years and years and years: she’s been the only woman I’ve ever had, and though I get a lot of ribbing about it from my fellow firefighters and friends, I strongly believe in the life I chose and in her utmost support. My two-year-old Yvonne is my little princess, and I’m into this to provide a better future for her and ensure she can get her education taken care of.
I'm the American Mustelid Alpha because there is nothing and no one in here who can sway me from my goal to win this. I’m tackling AMA as I do everything in my life: through strength, wisdom, knowledge and by the grace of Jesus. They can throw anything they feel at me, but... you know how they say honey badgers don’t care? Well I surely don’t care one bit about my competition. I might be a badger of God, but I’m definitely not planning on pulling any punches.
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Armed with years of experience as an Eagle Scout and underwater rescue diver, Arron has been making a name for himself as one of Wisconsin's top firefighters. From the very beginning he's shown everyone he means business: he posted the best score in the first trial and missed top2 by mere seconds in the big obstacle course on the second day of selections. This fervent Christian has already built himself a massive target on his back, but his shoulders are wide enough to withstand such a burden. Can he navigate his way in the show without compromising his loyalty and values?
Thanks a bunch to the amazing Crocdragon89 who took on the duty of drawing the whole cast and played a major part in bringing our vision to life! <3
From now on, we'll be posting each upcoming episode in two parts for easier reading - first part coming out on Tuesdays, second part on Thursdays. Episode 2, "What Are The Chances?", will be out on January 5th and 7th!
American Mustelid Alpha is the brainchild of HeadQuarters (the joint project of Qovapryi and Harlow). Arron Richardson and all mentioned characters belong to them both.
