First in a series.
Ten months into his tenure as chief of the Fire Dept., Dave White looks as comfortable in his position as you would expect a 27-year veteran to be.
Even though he came to the fire service early in the modern era – when fires were receding and medical care came to the fore – Dave White is an old-fashioned style city employee:
He came and he has stayed.
Even though he “was a typical teenager when I graduated from high school in Pasadena in 1980 – I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do” – fire service spans the entirety of his career.
He figured out a direction fast, though. “I knew I liked being outdoors, hiking and backpacking,” Mr. White said. “So I applied for a seasonal position with the United States Forest Service.”
A career was born. Sounds so easy, so stress-free.
Except for stipulating that he wanted to work outdoors, the chief was not picky about where he would be placed.
“Under ‘job type’ on my application, I put down ‘anything,’” he said. “When they sent me a job offer a couple months later, it was as a seasonal firefighter. I said to myself, ‘That would be interesting,’” and here is Chief White 35 years later.
He makes it sound so easy and logical.
“I showed up. They gave me some training. I was assigned to an engine in Big Tujunga Canyon. Within a couple weeks I had my first big fire, the Placerita Canyon Fire of 1980.
“I was absolutely hooked,” said the chief. “I could not believe that I was there.”
(To be continued)
