Born in San Diego I've spent most of my life in Southern California. I was fortunate early on and married my high school love. We have no kids and spent a number of years in the Eastern Sierra Mountains enjoying the outdoors after high school. I spent some time as a ski bum, a liftie, a ski patroller, wildland firefighter on an engine, a hotshot crew, and a fire use module. Eventually we had the good fortune to return to our home in San Diego. My hobbies include cars (water-cooled Volkswagens and my 1972 Porsche 914), skiing, travel, and I have a passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I believe Jiu-Jitsu can change lives, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I welcome you to come train with me anytime. Seriously, I know it sounds crazy but it’s a life changer. With or without me I suggest you get out there and try it. My life hasn’t always been great. My bio above focuses on the rosy things I have had the great fortune to enjoy, but nothing is perfect. I’ve dealt with my own anxiety and depression. My parents divorced when I was young and I had an angry, and abusive alcoholic in my life. I was an extremely angry child, who dealt with authority horribly. I was lucky that I did not ruin my life before I even finished high school. I’ve watched friends I had slip so far they may never come back. Many are gone forever, and even some who I thought were fine, were not and are now gone. After high school I realized I wanted to do something of importance with my life. With the support of my now wife, my family, and the confidence and control I acquired through Jiu-Jitsu I was able to accomplish my childhood dream of becoming a firefighter. If ever you need me for anything, anytime, please reach out. I promise I’ll answer.

Helping others is something I have always wanted to do with my life. I get to do that every day at work, but we as first responders need help on occasion as well. Being there for each other is important because we understand the factors that uniquely affect us every day on and off the job. In my personal life, I have lost a number of friends, some closer than others. The most recent time I found myself asking what I could do to help prevent this from happening again. Firestong came along a few weeks later and I knew I could no longer sit on the sidelines. Reaching out for help can be hard. Our profession trains us to be amazing problem solvers. We end up with a mentality that we can do everything on our own. In reality, sometimes we all need a little help, and there is no shame in that.