Steve Kynard wakes up at 5 a.m. on weekends. And he considers that sleeping in.

Why? He rises at 3:30 a.m. to start his workdays. Kynard, who has worked on campus for 10 years and the last three as a fire alarm electrician, makes his lunch and reads for half an hour before hitting the gym at 4:45 a.m. After working out for 35 minutes and showering, Kynard gets to work at 6 a.m.

Most people would struggle with Kynard's early schedule, but rising before dawn is natural for the Woodland resident. Even in elementary school he would wake up at 4 a.m. to do his homework.

"I like the quiet time in the mornings with no one around asking questions or anything," Kynard says. "That's when I'm at my freshest."

'I like being busy'

The early morning serenity does not last long for Kynard. He works 10 hours a day from Monday to Thursday, and spends another eight to 16 hours a week as a private electrical contractor. During a typical day, he might toil till 4:30 p.m. on campus, put in two hours doing electrical work for a private client, get home at 7:30 p.m. and crash by 8:30 p.m.

"I have a busy schedule, but I'm an energetic guy," says Kynard. "I like being busy."

Kynard's father introduced him to electrical work when he was 22 years old. Kynard took to the field, and after going to trade school for two years, started his career at a mobile home company. He later took an electrician's position with the Davis biotechnology firm Calgene, where he worked for 11 years until his position was eliminated in 1995. He was unemployed for two months until a friend told him the university was short on qualified electricians. Kynard interviewed and was hired on the spot.

'Alarming' duties

He and his three co-workers are responsible for making sure campus buildings are prepared to detect and respond to a fire. That means measuring the ringing of every fire bell (there are generally 30 to 40 bells on each floor), testing smoke detectors (up to 800 in a building), testing duct detectors (around 20 per building) and pulling each of the manual fire alarms. Kynard and his crew can take up to two weeks to thoroughly complete a job.

"We're providing safety for the campus, so we can't fudge on it," says Kynard. "We need to make sure that everything will report as it should, so when the fire department comes, they'll go to the right floor, hall, room, whatever."

The fire alarm electrician crew is responsible for testing 250 campus buildings. Kynard estimates his crew could get through them all within a year and a half if they did nothing but testing, but the electricians are constantly getting called to do repairs and other maintenance work. The group needed three years to test all the buildings and set up a database the first time around.

Kynard doesn't let work dominate his life, though. Every Friday he wakes up early and goes fishing with his 76-year-old father. This time of year they fish for salmon in the Sacramento River, but Kynard's favorite summer spot is Indian Valley Reservoir.

Kynard says the weekly time with his father is important.

"Sitting in a boat together forces you to talk," he says. "I like to spend time with him, find out what's going on. He's more like a brother to me than a dad. I'm never going to regret not spending time with my dad."

Kynard also has a wife and two daughters: one at UC Davis and one at California State University, Sacramento.

What do you like most about your job?

I'm doing something important. If I overlook something, I have people's lives in jeopardy. I feel the importance and that makes me feel good.

Least?

The procedures, paperwork and courtesy notices to building occupants. There are a lot of hoops we have to go through because we're affecting so many people. I know it's necessary, but I just like doing the work.

What's something surprising about you that no one knows?

I'm 1992 Mr. Yolo. I won a bodybuilding contest. It was the first one I'd entered — I was 34 years old and I'd been lifting for three years. I got up there in a Speedo and everything.

What's your most treasured possession?

My boat. I use it around 50 times a year. I'd always wanted a boat and never had one as a kid. I baby it.

Read any good books lately?

The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren. A good friend told me, 'this book changed my life,' so I thought, 'maybe I should read it.' I read it and it really did touch my life. It's about why we were put on Earth by God. It asks a lot of questions that make you reflect.

Who inspires you?

My dad. He's a leader — people look up to him. He's so easy going. People are always telling me, 'your dad's such a neat guy.' I'm so lucky.