Tim's Service During Fires Gains National Recognition
Most of you know Tim Little (Co-Owner of Tacticalbassin.com) as an awesome angler and video editor. Until this week however, very few of you had any idea what he does for work. Tim generally stays quiet about his job, choosing instead to let everyone assume that he's just out fishing every day. In reality, Tim works harder than anyone else I know and rarely makes it out on the water. He's not out fishing every day, in fact he's rarely fishing every month (Its just that when he does hit the water, he's a hammer).
As a California Fish and Wildlife Warden he works incredibly long hours. I mean LONG HOURS... I can't begin to explain how many times I've stayed at his house while at Clearlake and not even seen him. He's out responding to call after call and doesn't get to break for sleep or family time, let alone fishing or fun.
During the first day of the Valley Fire in Lake County, Tim did what he always does; he responded to a need. While evacuating people from their homes near Cobb Mountain a call came in that a grandmother and young child were trapped in an area that would soon burn. He wasn't the first to receive the call but he was the only responder with a vehicle that might make it in. Without hesitation, he went in and successfully saved those two lives. Later that day he did the same with another elderly woman trapped in a different home.
When Tim told me about the experience the next morning (He hadn't slept or been home yet) it didn't even register in my mind as being extraordinary, because frankly that's just Tim. That's what my friend does when people need help. Somewhere in the story telling I heard him say "I'm not sure it was smart to be up there, it was really bad" but that wasn't even a factor in his decision making at the time.
Tim's heroics while helping evacuate families garnered national attention this week. Its been amazing to see the story ripple across the nation! He's the last person who would ever want this sort of attention but that's exactly the kind of person who deserves to get it.
He wasn't the only responder on that mountain. His partner Ryan Stephenson and several other individuals from local departments were also up there "just doing their job" being hero's as well. When you see these guys, please thank them, though they'll probably be embarrassed to hear it.
Please forgive us for not having a fresh bass fishing video for you to watch this week. As you are now aware, Tim is a very busy man. While he pours his heart into every video he edits for this site, it is a very small part of the responsibilities he carries. Thank you so much for your support of Tacticalbassin and of Tim!