Updated: October 8, 2025, at 10:57 a.m.

From fighting fires to gathering crowds by rocking the electric bass guitar, one firefighter has created a community outside the firehouse Engine Company 23.

Lieutenant Mick Uranko has become something of a GW campus celebrity because of his electric bass skills, with students and faculty frequently gathering outside firehouse Engine 23 on G Street to listen to, and sometimes even join in on, his riffs. Uranko and his fellow firefighters said his bass shredding generates a sense of connection between the firehouse and the broader campus community, using music as a vessel to bring people together and making residents more aware of the firehouse’s critical role in Foggy Bottom. 

Working as a firefighter across D.C. for 15 years — including departments in Adams Morgan, West End, Lincoln Park and now Foggy Bottom — Uranko said he’s always had a drive to try new, creative things and share them with the people in his life. For 10 years, he said he worked as an award-winning DJ for clubs and weddings in addition to firefighting. He said he was the owner of his own music production company, Uranko Productions, allowing him to build a solid foundation in the music industry — but he had never played an instrument before he picked up the bass two years ago. 

“I used to be an award-winning wedding DJ, and I used to Club DJ before that, so I did that for 10 years,” Uranko said. “So the performance side of it, that’s why I’m able to just put myself out there, because I used to DJ for hundreds of people — and I didn’t even know who they were. I’m the one responsible for making the event amazing.”

After becoming a single father to a five-year-old daughter, he said his schedule became much busier with family commitments, leading him to leave his DJing career. Uranko said he began learning how to play electric bass when he first arrived at the Foggy Bottom station a little over two years ago, serving as a creative outlet and a means of evolving as a person.

“Music is something that was a huge part of my life, still is, and I got into playing an instrument because I wanted to challenge myself,” Uranko said. 

While working as a lieutenant at the Lincoln Park station, he said a fellow D.C. lieutenant reached out and asked if he would switch assignments with him to D.C. Engine 23 in Foggy Bottom. Uranko agreed and said he now continues to make the three-to-four-hour drive down to the District every three days, equipped to fight fires and jam out.

“I can live a city life, and I can live a countryside life,” he said. 

Beyond his firefighting and entertaining pursuits, Uranko said he also works as a travel agent and owns his own woodworking business. He said he asks students for input about designs he could make conducive to improving dorm living, like a portable shelf for lofted beds. Given the firehouse’s location in Foggy Bottom, Uranko said he and fellow firefighters have the opportunity to connect with GW students, seeing them “light up” when they come in and take tours. 

“And the guys love it too because it shows how proud they are to be a part of that firehouse and be a part of that community,” he said.

Uranko said he has spent lots of time perfecting the bass over the past couple of years, and by using different apps or listening to the bass on YouTube he has learned numerous strumming techniques and chords. During his commute to Foggy Bottom from his home in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, he said he often listens to his favorite songs with the bass isolated from the backing track, allowing him to only hear the bass instrumentals and crunch in the extra practice time, even when he’s away from his bass.

He said the practice has paid off, noting how much progress he has made since he started playing, even teaching others a few notes of some of his favorite songs. He said music is “unique” in that you can see your improvement firsthand, successfully playing songs you were unable to play a week prior.

“It’s getting to where the guys at work are like, ‘Hey, you’re sounding really good,’ so I am getting confident with it, and I do like sharing it, even though I have only been doing it for a short amount of time,” Uranko said. “It’s fun and rewarding to share that experience.”

Uranko added that he believes music is almost a “universal language,” a timeless force that brings multiple generations together. He said this rings true for him and his daughter, one of his biggest motivators to continue playing every day. 

“This is one of those things that I hope I can pass down to my daughter and future kids, like, ‘Hey, this is something that you should definitely look into,'” Uranko said. “Growing up for me, it wasn’t pushed like it should now. There wasn’t a lot of avenues to learn how to play.”

Despite mostly playing 2000s and ’90s classic rock or emo, Uranko said one of his favorite songs to play is “Everybody Wants To Rule the World” by Tears for Fears because it serves as a point of connection between him and his daughter. He said the duo took a trip to Disney World during his time as a travel agent, and she heard the song while on one of the rides she was scared to go on. 

“She knows that song, and she relates it to a fun experience at Disney with her father, so I love playing that one because it reminds me of my daughter,” said Uranko.  

Uranko said in his profession as a firefighter, people are usually calling for help on “their worst day” when they do not know how to solve a problem. He said the resolution the firehouse provides to those in need gives the workers a sense of instant satisfaction, knowing they made a difference that day. He added that although there is an “overlap” between firefighting and bass-playing, music is different — it provides nostalgia or joy to those who may need it, and that impact is incredibly powerful. 

“I love sharing my story. I love inspiring other people,” he said. “Life is short, so we only have one opportunity, one chance, to make the most of it.”

Firefighter Technician Tim Williams said playing bass is Uranko’s special way of breaking the walls between the firefighters and “immediate civilians,” helping bring the members of the firehouse and the students of GW a little closer. Motivated by Uranko’s music, Williams said many students and faculty have stopped by the house, receiving tours and connecting with the firefighters. He said this gives community members not just entertainment on their walk home but a greater understanding of the inner workings of the firehouse.

Williams said oftentimes when Uranko plays after his shifts, other members of the community join in, either with their own instruments or with their voices, creating a jam session with an impromptu band right outside Engine 23. 

“He’s a character, so he typically draws a crowd and he feeds off of it,” Williams said. “Sometimes you might get people who come up and sing. Sometimes you might get someone who has an instrument on campus, and they might play an instrument along with him. But every night is something different. Lieutenant Uranko, he’s a pretty outgoing person.”

Firefighter Jajuan Murray, who works similar shifts to Uranko and is a close friend of his, said Uranko’s playing has evoked a sense of curiosity among community members to explore the firehouse, and Uranko’s extroverted personality has opened up the world of firefighting to the visitors. He said this helped change the dynamic of the firehouse, further cementing its ties to GW students, which makes it a “fun” environment.

“I consider him a friend and even family because of how close we are,” Murray said. “We eat together, we sleep in the same house, we have our own dynamic with just talking to each other. We just enjoy each other’s presence, so it’s really nice having him and all the guys here.”

This article was updated to correct the following: 

Uranko plays the electric bass guitar, a previous version of this article said he played the electric guitar.