When the Fire Hits Home:

A Reflection on Family, Legacy, and Emergency Management

Sitting in my living room, I watched the news coverage of the Line Fire tearing through the San Bernardino National Forest. As an emergency manager, fires like this always capture my attention. The winds, the evacuation orders, and the coordination between local, state, and federal agencies—these are the things I pay close attention to, part of the job. But this time, it’s different. My son is out there on the front lines, battling that very fire, and suddenly the theory becomes personal.

It made me reflect on the generations before and how often children follow in their parent's footsteps, particularly in first-responder families. I come from a family of emergency responders. Some of my family members are volunteer firefighters, and some are paid professionals, but regardless of whether it’s for duty or service, all of us wear the same unspoken badge of commitment. It’s a legacy of helping others, of running towards danger when everyone else runs away, and of standing at the crossroads of disaster and response, making decisions that can change lives.