First off, Charlie has the likeable, easy going personality that comes from his family and upbringing. He's athletic and fun to be around, and he knew he was going to be a part of the LPVFR team at a young age. To quote him directly: "I have always known I wanted to be a part of the team that not only helped and protected my friends and neighbors but also gave my father the honored title of Fire Fighter."
To make that happen, he joined us as soon as he could, starting the paperwork while he was still 17 so he'd be ready to go after his 18th birthday. At this point he's been with us about two years, and actually responding for a bit over one year. Longer term, Charlie definitely wants to be in the fire service. His plans include: completing his general education and Fire Technology associates degree at Cabrillo College, paramedic school, transferring to a four year college to complete a bachelor's degree, and finally a full time job as a firefighter.
Like most volunteers, Charlie goes to every call he can. There is a running joke that he gets sent to a lot of 'power lines down' calls and consequently winds up standing around waiting for PG&E to arrive, but in truth he's been to quite a few calls of all kinds. His first wildland fire response was to an incident on Loma Chiquita, and he remembers it well. The first few minutes were difficult, but then everything clicked and he was hooked. His description of how he reacted reads like a recruiting brochure: "The challenge of it all, being part of the action, putting out a fire that threatened my community, being part of a team, I loved it all. Granted the smoke, the heat and carrying large amounts of heavy equipment up and down steep hills wasn't too fun, but it was worth it all to help and be a part of the entire operation."
As you might guess, Charlie leads an active life outside LPVFR. He's got a summer job doing landscaping work that keeps him in shape, loves pickup games in many sports, and will do almost anything involving a boat. He says he's been skydiving and wasn't terrified. And he's good at origami as well. In truth he's a jack of all trades, good with his hands, and always willing to help if he can. He's a welcome addition to the team, and a great reflection of his father and family.