One Firefighter’s Cancer Battle--2 More Chains!

My name is Kate, and I’m fundraising for my father, Tim. Tim was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and is looking at a long battle ahead of him. He has completed multiple emergency surgeries and just started his chemotherapy battle.

Photo: Tim on the fuels reduction crew at 16 years old.

Tim is a career wildland firefighter with 33 years of service. He has been a member of the wildland firefighting community since he was 16, when he started on a CDF Fuels crew. Tim's interests led him to a bachelor's degree in earth science at Southern Oregon University, where the Ashland Ranger District hired him in Ashland, OR upon graduation. He then went to the private contracting sector, where he worked for seven years before joining Cal Fire as a Wildland Fire Captain B. Tim completed Cal Fire academy and worked in CA for multiple years before joining the USFS in southern CA. He took out numerous crews every summer and was able to pass on his fire knowledge to those around him. Once retiring from the USFS in 2014, Tim found in his retirement that he missed the wildland fire community, so he did what all of us in fire do--he went back! He worked as a Tender operator and firefighter on type 5 engines for ODF for five years before deciding to build his old private contracting business back up. Tim now owns and operates a water tender and chipper in Southern Oregon. When he has downtime during fire season, he is also involved in the local community as a Jackson County Sheriff's Search and Rescue member. As noted in the photos below, he helps with community outreach and education with local schools, as he has his entire career!

Photo: Tim educating children in an elementary school in 2002.

He has been involved in most sectors of wilding firefighting, from being an Engine and Crew boss across R5 and R6 to working as a fire lookout in the summer. He has built numerous engines and tenders from the frame up, including his current 6x6 tender. He is truly an asset to the wildland community, and sitting out this season is very hard for him. He completed a master's degree with a thesis on fuel reduction and is passionate about biomass management.

Photo: Lassen Volcanic National Park-Crew boss for UC Davis fire crew 2007.

He and my mother have raised four daughters who all work in emergency services. Two are still in wildland fire today, and two have been involved in prior years.

Photo: Big Elk Guard Station, 1988

Photo: Tim and Daughter on same fire, 2017.

Photo: Tim and Daughter at US Forest Service fire academy graduation.

Photo (s): Tim's Daughters on local fire.

As Tim has been diagnosed with Cancer, he cannot take his chipper or tender out this summer—which is how he makes his money. Not only is he missing out on the revenue from those fire assignments, but he also has medical bills to worry about now.

Photo: Tim leading USFS Scorpion 3 blue card fire crew as crew captain out of Porterville, CA 2003.

Photo: Tim working out of Medford Airbase as RAMP Manager, 2012.

This money raised would not only pay for copays and medical expenses but would help offset the costs of the equipment and provide financial security since he won’t be able to take them out this summer. Chemotherapy is expensive and will start to add up.

Photo(s): Tim and his wife Samantha working on the chipper in 2021 in Washington. Tim next to his new water tender, freshly built in 2022.

Please consider donating to a lifelong firefighter!