In 1977, Victor Allen Padilla was performing hydrant maintenance duties with the City of Loma Lina - his first brush with the fire service.  Twenty years later, he was named Fire Fighter of the Year.  Such was the inspiring life of Victor, who got his start as a firefighter by the Loma Linda Fire Department in 1980 and rose to engineer and fire captain.  He also became a member of the County Hazmat team.  Off duty, he enjoyed traveling, motorhome and motorcycle camping, and competing in pistol and shotgun competitions and spending time with his family.  He lost his battle with job-related cancer at the age of 51.