Jose knew from a young age that he wanted to be a firefighter after seeing his Tio, Juan, of Tulare at work. Jose's first firefighting job was with CAL FIRE in 1997. He joined SJFD in 2001 and was promoted to engineer in 2004 and then to captain in 2011. Jose loved being a firefighter as much as he enjoyed being a husband and father. Jose was a joyful person with an infectious attitude and smile. He liked to run, play golf, spend time with his family and friends, watch sports and volunteer for his son's endeavors. Jose fought a short but tough battle before succumbing to job-related cancer at age 41, just two and a half weeks after his twin daughters were born.