Jack Twitchell
For the past 30 years I was employed by the Arcadia Fire Department and consider myself to be quite fortunate for having such a rewarding career. At the time of my retirement I held the rank of Fire Captain II and was assigned to an Aerial Ladder Truck. As a Fire Captain II, I was in charge of Arcadia Fire Department Headquarters Station 105 that houses nine personnel, and was responsible for coordinating individual and multi-company drills, developing Training Action Plans, and was also in charge of personnel staffing. In addition to my assigned duties, I was also the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) coordinator for the City of Arcadia, as well as a member of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). I have also held the ranks of Fire Captain, Fire Engineer, and Firefighter. As a Fire Captain, I was assigned to a Fire Engine, and supervised Firefighters and Paramedics on a daily basis while responding to both emergent and non-emergent 911 calls. I held the rank of Fire Engineer for a total of 14 years, and spent equal amounts of time on both the Aerial Ladder Truck and a Fire Engine. I took advantage of the training and promotional opportunities early on in my career as an entry level Firefighter, and promoted to the rank of Fire Engineer after only five years as a Firefighter. I was also a member of the Arcadia Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue Team, Regional Task Force 4. As a past member of the Arcadia Fire Fighters Association (AFFA), I served in many different capacities, from President to Vice-President, managing all aspects of Association business, especially professional relationship development and maintenance between the AFFA, the Arcadia City Council, City Manager, City labor groups, and the Community at large. I have also been involved with contract negotiations, and was the Political Action Committee Chairperson for the AFFA. I also dedicated my time to helping improve employee health benefits for all bargaining groups by becoming a member of the Health Insurance Committee, and helped to write, procure, and monitor development and implementation of specialized fire apparatus by becoming a member of the Apparatus Committee. Throughout my career I have obtained various certifications from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and local colleges. I am a certified State Fire Training instructor for Low Angle Rope Rescue Operational (LARRO), Rescue Systems I, Confined Space Rescue Awareness, Firefighter Safety and Survival, Firefighter 1 & 2 Skills Evaluator, and Firefighter 1 & 2 Lead Evaluator. I am certified as both a Firefighter I & II, Emergency Medical Technician, California State Training Institute (CSTI) Haz Mat First Responder Operational, and a California State Fire Marshal Fire Officer. I am a qualified as an Engine Boss and as a Strike Team Engineer as listed in the California Incident Command Certification System (CICCS) for the California Office of Emergency Services (CAL-OES). In addition, I have successfully completed many National Wildland Coordinating Group (NWCG) training courses that support position performance for personnel mobilized to wildland fires and other all-hazard incidents, as well as the National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses that provide a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. Additional training courses I have attended that are pertinent to my job include Trench Rescue Technician, Fire Control 3B, and CPR. In addition to the aforementioned work experience and certifications listed, I have also been intimately involved with instructing new employees, promotional candidates, and college students. On a daily basis as a Fire Captain II I was in charge of delivering new and/or recurring training to personnel. As part of that duty, I was responsible for developing training action plans that were designed to deliver course content to all ranks; all personnel in every rank are federally mandated to have a minimum of 240 hours of training per year. As a retiree I continue to be involved with training newly hired Firefighters and personnel seeking to advance their careers through the promotional process. During my employment I was a member of the Arcadia Fire Training Cadre for many years. As the NIMS Coordinator for the City of Arcadia, I was also involved with the training of personnel in all city departments by providing them with the proper on-line instructional sites in an effort to become NIMS compliant as required by the city; class listings for upper level management NIMS courses were provided by myself and taught by outside instructors over a series of weeks. Since 2010 I have been a part of teaching college students for the Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy as well as for the Oxnard College Wildland Fire Academy. As a Professional Expert for both academies, and now as the Wildland Fire Academy Coordinator, I am responsible for delivering all applicable and required course content as stipulated by both the California State Fire Marshal's Office of Training and the National Wildland Coordinating Group (NWCG). I work closely with instructors from various fire agencies, faculty, and school administrators to provide the best possible instruction to the students while adhering to State and Local guidelines. I teach a variety of different disciplines to the students, and am always willing to take on new tasks when help is needed. Courses that I teach that are required by the State Fire Marshals Office include Firefighter Safety and Survival, Low Angle Rope Rescue, and Fire Control 3B; I am also a Firefighter 1 & 2 Lead Evaluator and Skills Evaluator at the academy.
When I am away from work, I enjoy spending time with my family and doing anything that involves being outside. I enjoy surfing, mountain biking, hiking, swimming, and traveling. My favorite places to be outdoors include any of our local beaches and the Sierra Nevada mountains.
I am excited to be a part of such a great college and Fire Technology program, and I look forward to assisting students who are interested in pursuing a rewarding career in the Fire Service....it truly is the best job!