From his earliest days, Scott Desmond liked to say that he wanted to be "just like my dad." Throughout his life, he cherished the closeness of family í__ his own and his extended fire service family. His career began in Orange County before moving to Contra Costa in 1999. Scott gave back to his profession by helping to train recruits on self-contained breathing apparatus. At home, it was all about family for Scott, but he found time for baseball, guitar and video games. Scott Desmond paid the ultimate price with Matt Burton while trying to save the lives of two elderly residents in a deadly San Pablo house fire.