For 12 years I've served as a licensed EMT and volunteer first responder. Today that means searching for critical missing children and vulnerable adults with both Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue and LAPD Search & Rescue — plus wilderness searches, mountain and rope rescues, and helicopter hoist operations with the Santa Clarita Valley team.

12 YearsEMT
SCV Search & RescueVolunteer
LAPD Search & RescueVolunteer
Mayor's CrisisResponse Team
HumaneInvestigator
American Red CrossVolunteer

Teams

Where I serve

Nick waving from the SCV Search and Rescue truck
Active · 5 years

Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue

Founded in 1957, the team is one of eight volunteer search and rescue teams under the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, on call 24/7. We respond to lost and injured hikers, critical missing children and vulnerable adults, high-angle rope rescues for vehicles over the side, swift-water rescues and disasters like fires and floods — across the Santa Clarita Valley and the Angeles National Forest, and statewide through mutual aid. Every member is an EMT, and the team is certified in mountain rescue by the Mountain Rescue Association.

Visit SCV SAR ↗
Nick in uniform with an LAPD captain
Active · 7 years

LAPD Search & Rescue

With C.E.M.P. Search & Rescue — an all-volunteer nonprofit team serving Los Angeles since 1962 — I'm deployed by LAPD divisions to search for critical missing children and vulnerable adults, most often people living with dementia. The team also supports evidence searches, crime-scene lighting and disaster response across the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

Visit C.E.M.P. SAR ↗

In the field

Nick boarding a helicopter on a hoist line
Nick in his rescue helmet and radio chest rig
Nick in wildfire gear with a respirator
Nick geared up for a canyon rope rescue
Nick searching through brush in an orange SAR jacket
Nick scanning a ridge with binoculars at dusk
Nick hiking through deep snow
Nick hauling a rope in deep snow

Over the years

A history of showing up

  1. MarylandPolice volunteer · 4+ years

    Police Youth Services. My first uniform. I volunteered with my local police department for more than four years and was selected for a full-time internship with its Youth Services Section — helping teach DARE and other programs in local schools, and working as a counselor at police-sponsored after-school programs and summer camps.

    Along the way I received police training, including hostage negotiation training from the FBI, and worked my way up through the ranks of our specialized unit to the rank of captain.

    Nick in his first police volunteer uniform in Maryland
  2. MarylandFire department EMT · 3 years

    Emergency Medical Technician. I became a board-certified EMT and spent three years running calls on an ambulance with a Maryland fire department — medical emergencies, accidents and everything in between.

    It was my first experience on the medical side of public safety.

  3. Los AngelesHumane Investigator · several years

    Humane Investigator. After moving to Los Angeles, I spent several years as a Humane Investigator — looking into reports of animal cruelty and neglect, checking on animals in distress, and working to get them safe.

    I investigated animal cruelty cases while completing the training to become a sworn humane officer, including attending an Animal Law Enforcement Academy in San Diego.

    Nick in uniform as a Humane Investigator in Los Angeles
  4. Los AngelesCrisis response 4 yrs · Red Cross 3 yrs

    Mayor's Crisis Response Team. For four years I was a certified crisis responder with the Los Angeles Mayor's Crisis Response Team, assisting families through some of the worst days of their lives. Founded in 1992 and managed by the Mayor's Office of Public Safety, the team is called out by LAPD, LAFD and area hospitals to homicides, suicides, fatal traffic collisions, infant deaths, officer-involved shootings and domestic violence calls — offering immediate comfort, emotional support and resources, and serving as a liaison between survivors and investigators.

    American Red Cross. For three years I was a Disaster Services Worker with the American Red Cross, specializing in disaster communications — helping prepare both Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County for disasters, while preparing the team for out-of-state and international deployments.

    Members of the Los Angeles Mayor's Crisis Response Team beside their response vehicle
    The Mayor's Crisis Response Team
  5. Santa ClaritaSearch & rescue · since 2021

    Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue. Since 2021 I've served with the Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue Team, one of eight volunteer teams under the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, on call 24/7 since 1957. We search for lost and injured hikers and for critical missing children and vulnerable adults, haul patients out of canyons on technical rope systems, reach drivers in vehicles over the side, work swift water and rugged mountain terrain, and carry out helicopter hoist operations with the Sheriff's air unit.

    We also respond to wildfires, floods, evacuations and other disasters, and assist across the county and state through mutual aid. Along the way I've logged more than 1,500 volunteer hours and become an LASD certified drone and ATV operator.

  6. CitywideLAPD Search & Rescue · since 2018

    LAPD Search & Rescue. Since 2018 I've volunteered with C.E.M.P. Search & Rescue, an all-volunteer nonprofit team that has served Los Angeles since 1962. We don't self-deploy: LAPD divisions call us out when someone goes missing, most often a critical missing child or a vulnerable adult living with dementia.

    Beyond searches, the team supports evidence searches, crime-scene lighting, evacuations and disaster response across the San Fernando Valley and the rest of the city.

  7. TrainingCertifications & training
    • Current EMT license
    • Current LASD certified drone operator
    • Current LASD certified ATV operator
    • Over 1,500 volunteer hours with Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue
    • Former PC 832 training, plus expandable baton and Taser certifications
    • 4 years as a Police Volunteer, with more than 2,000 hours of community service
    • Graduate of several Youth and Citizen Police Academy courses
    • Former California Animal Law Enforcement Academy training