I joined the U.S. Army in 2003 and served on active duty for 10 years as a combat medic, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013, I relocated to California to continue serving with the California Army National Guard’s MEDEVAC (Dustoff) unit while beginning a career with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. I served as a flight medic with the Guard until retiring as a Sergeant First Class in 2023.
Today, I serve the community with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District on an engine company, as a flight officer with our Air Operations Program, and as the UAS Program Manager. Our Air Operations Program supports wildfire suppression through water-dropping missions, hoist rescues, and deploys through California’s mutual aid system to provide MEDEVAC coverage during large-scale emergencies. Our UAS program provides tactical reconnaissance for emergency incidents, payload operations, post-incident recovery through thermal wildfire mapping, and incident reconstruction.
Outside of my department, I serve on the FIRESCOPE UAS Subcommittee, am the DRONERESPONDERS liaison to the California Fire Chiefs Association, and serve as one of the State Directors for the California UAS Public Safety Group (CALGRU).