On The Frontlines With Firefighting Franchisee Mike Kim Of D1 Temecula

Mike Kim is a full-time firefighter-paramedic for the Murrieta (CA) Fire Department. He also is the owner of D1 Temecula. Since Wednesday, Jan. 8, Kim has been on the frontlines of the Eaton Fire in the Pasadena-Altadena area, part of a 5-engine strike team tasked with slowing the blaze and helping those in need.

Kim, 45, and his crew have been working day-long shifts — 24 hours on, 24 hours off — and then sleeping in cots or trailers at the base camp during down time. “It's hard to find hotels because we're trying not to take up rooms for people who are evacuated,” Kim says. He’ll likely return home to Murrieta on Wednesday, Jan. 22, after 14 days of duty.

In Mike’s Words, Here’s What His Strike Team Is Doing:

• “When we first came up, we were basically protecting all the structures that were threatened by the fire, trying to save them. And then now that the fires have died down, our work is more putting out hot spots and helping people who have come back to their home and dig through the rubbish and kind of clean up their home or what's left.”
• “We will patrol at night and make sure nothing flares up. Our counterparts are in a bigger brush engine, which is like an offroad fire engine, and they're doing more mop up on the hills and trying to clean up the line and put a perimeter around the fire.”
• “One day, our assignment was to go to our heli-base, which is where all the aircraft come in and out, the helicopters that did the drops and stuff. We basically are there for emergencies and do the crash rescue for those guys.”

Mike Kim By The Numbers

• 19: Total years Mike has worked as a firefighter. 15 at LA City FD, 2 at Murrieta and 2 as a volunteer in San Diego
• 4: Kids Mike has with his wife — a 22-year-old daughter, 19-year-old son, twin 15-year-old boys
• 3: Duties Mike has in the cover band he’s in with a buddy — singing vocals and playing guitar and bass. “We are an acoustic duo and play cover songs where we mash up 2-5 songs and turn them into one.”
• 9-23-24: The date Mike opened the doors to D1 Temecula.

Kim Cares About Others: “I've always been in the business of helping people. I like the aspect of helping athletes get better and having a place for athletes to train, especially for the youth. That was big for our area. There was nothing like this when I was raising my kids out here. That's why I jumped at the opportunity with D1, just to give the community and the athletes a place to get better.”

Kim Relies On Others: Mike opened D1 Temecula without a partner, but it’s not a solo project. “Obviously, my wife has been very supportive, and I rely on my general manager to keep things running smoothly at the facility when I’m away.”

Training And Firefighting Are Group Efforts: “One of the interview questions for most departments is, Have you ever been a part of a team? A lot of us are ex-athletes and have that experience. You rely heavily on your partner, especially when your life depends on it. … I think that group training leads to better performance on the fireground and obviously on the playing field.”

Down Time With Family: “We like to play sports. We are season ticket holders to the Chargers, so we go to the games together. We're very involved with our ministry, so that's a big part of our life as well. We just like to hang out, do family stuff.”