Curtiss W. Tate Jr. was a long-time Riverside County Paramedic before he discovered the fire service, which suited his selfless personality and answered a passion to help and protect others. Curtiss was hired by the California 
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and graduated from the CDF Fire Academy in 2001. He served as a Firefighter II/Paramedic and then as a Fire Apparatus Engineer in the Riverside Unit. Curtiss was promoted to Fire Captain B in the San Diego Unit in 2016 before retiring in 2017. During his time with CAL FIRE, Curtiss served as a Paramedic Preceptor and Field Training Officer. He mentored many fellow firefighters and paramedics. Curtiss loved adventurous road trips with his family and was a fan of everything USC. His pride and joy were his three dogs, Kevin, Gianna, and Fluffy.