Chuck Jakobs had an Uncle, Uncle Bud who was bigger than life. When Chuck was 3-4 years old, Uncle Bud took Chuck to his first fire. This was the beginning of Chuck’s lifetime passion to serve in the fire service. At 16 years old, Chuck was sworn in on June 6, 1967 as a new member of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Chuck’s experiences in emergency response introduced him to many people. He told me that relationships that started in the fire service last a life-time. Chuck equates the fire service to the Marine Corp. You trust that every firefighter around you is watching your back and you do the same for them. As years of service stacked up, Chuck recognized that his motto on life focused on three things; help people, make a difference and do the right thing.
He realized that achieving this was not accomplished by doing big things. It was solving many small problems and issues that add up to making a real difference.
These traits will also serve each of us when the unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances occur in our futures.