In November of 2014 I found out I had a half brother I never knew. My father called and told me that I had a half brother. I was given my brother's name and number and I was told that my brother would understand if I didn't want to contact him, but that we would probably have lot in common, so I decided to call him.

In the first few moments of the phone call I heard station tones going off in the background. Turns out Kevin, my new brother, was also a firefighter and he was getting an alarm. I asked Kevin "Hey, you getting a call?" He said "How the hell did you know! - My reply". "I guess we do the same thing!"

When I met him, Kevin had 35 years in the fire service with Ventura County Fire. I was the little brother, 18 years in the fire service and 6 years on an ambulance in Oakland prior to the  Fire Service. We are both Captains. We have both been medics. When you say brother in the fire service, remember it could actually be true!

So let me ask you, if you met a brother in the Fire Service you didn't know you had and it was time for him to retire, what would you get him?  Well, I wasn't happy with buying him a beer or a shadow box or an axe mounted on a slab of oak that somebody's grandpa routed out in his garage. Nope, I had to make something cool, heart felt, something that I felt was just right. Something that would give honor to his service, honor to the Fire Service and give honor to the time we did not have as brothers. That is how Fire Traditions started. I hope you honor your fire family with a Fire Traditions sign. We truly believe that a Fire Traditions sign is the kind of special gift every firefighter would want to receive.