Russell Fagan fell in love with the fire service when he trained to be a firefighter while in the U.S. Air Force. He served in the Los Angeles County Fire Department for 25 years, working as a hazmat specialist as well as an instructor for the hazmat special team. Outside of the firehouse, Russell was an avid surfer who dreamed of traveling to “catch all the big waves.” Russell succumbed to the effects of job-related cancer in November 2018.