Ben began his career in public safety in 1998 as a volunteer firefighter in Northern California. From there he progressed to working in various roles in public safety including the fire service, emergency management, and corrections. Ben has worked for a variety of agencies including county, state, and tribal agencies. Additionally, he worked for over 10 years as a Manager, Hazardous Materials with Union Pacific Railroad overseeing prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts related to hazardous materials incidents within his area.