MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- With a family tree full of firefighters and police officers from New York, one Camp Pendleton firefighter continues his ancestors’ legacy, protecting the base community.
After helping extinguish fires that burned countless acres on Pendleton in recent years, Bill P. Gick, fire inspector and public information officer, Fire and Emergency Services, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, maintains his livelihood to this day.
“We have family pictures of police officers and firefighters still riding horses,” said Gick. “Most of my family is from New York, but I was raised here because my dad was stationed here with the Corps before deploying to fight in the Korean War.”
Following combat tours with the Navy to Somalia and the Gulf War, Gick has devoted 16 years of his life to the base’s fire department, working his way from the bottom up.
Hired on as a dispatcher in 1993, Gick is now the Public Information Officer for Camp Pendleton’s FES. The PIO is responsible for the appropriate release and coordination of all fire-related information to the public.
“When the fires hit in 2007, I remember working just about 24 hours a day with little sleep,” said Gick. “The sheer visibility, proximity are what made the fires so difficult. You could see the walls of fire for miles.”
The former Navy airman was promoted to firefighter in 1994 and spent the next nine years protecting the 200-square-mile base. Gick trained extensively in swift-water rescue, boat operations and boom-deployment maneuvers while working on Pendleton. His years of extensive training also led to instructing emergency-vehicle operations, of which he is now a master instructor.
“Even though it might be challenging at times, this job is, without a doubt, worthwhile,” said Gick.
In 2003, the California-native was forced from his active firefighting career after succumbing to extensive back injuries. Gick spent the next two years recovering and only after pleading with his doctor to return, did he assume the position he holds today.
“Coming from and being in a military family myself, it truly is rewarding having the opportunity to give back to those who serve,” said Gick.
Gick now resides in Oceanside with his wife of 14 years and golden retriever.