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Justin was born July 14th, 1982, to proud parents Steve & Jill and big sister Jamie. He attended Quartz Hill Elementary, Valley View Elementary, Joe Walker Middle School & Quartz Hill High School, graduating with the Class of 2000. His free time was spent playing Little League Baseball, AYSO Soccer, skate-boarding with friends, and racing his motorcycle at LACR. He was also a 9 year member of Quartz Hill 4-H, raising animals each summer to take to the AV Fair.
But his true passion was snowboarding.
At a young age Justin knew he wanted to be a firefighter, just like his dad. To prepare for his career he became a certified Explorer
with the LACoFD, completed training and became a certified EMT, and earned a Certificate in Fire Technology at AV College. He worked as a firefighter at Station 34 for the US Forest Service
before being hired by the LACoFD as a Fire Suppression Aid. Justin was stationed at Camp 9, the very place his father started his career 30 years earlier.
On January 16th, 2003, Justin suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage, the result of a rupture of a malformation in his brain, something that he was born with, something that, of course, we did not know he had. After emergency surgery at Holy Cross Hospital, he was transferred to UCLA’s Neuro-Intensive Care Unit. There he remained in a coma and on life support for five weeks, passing away on February 21st from resulting complications. A Memorial Service for Justin was held on March 1st, 2003. Over 800 people, including almost 300 firefighters, gathered to pay homage to a remarkable young man and to celebrate his life. This very moving service concluded with Fire Department Bagpipers playing Amazing Grace, followed by the Last Alarm Ceremony, and a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter fly over.