BIO

My Name is John De Luna I retired from the National Park Service in 2016 as a Type 6 wildland fire engine captain. I started my wildfire career in 1986 in South Lake Tahoe California on a Type 2 hand crew. I was young and thought this is the career I wanted, and my superiors saw how dedicated I was so they encouraged me to get on a Hot Shot Crew. In 1987 I was hired on the Mendocino Inter-agency Hot Shot Crew based out of Stonyford California. I was the new rookie and loved it, A group of dedicated men and women who worked hard and played even harder. In 1989 I was hired on the Warm Springs Inter-agency Hot Shot Crew Based out of Warm Springs Oregon. Again I was working with a great group of men and women who inspired me to try and pursue a permanent position in Fire and serve my country the best way I can. In 1990 Desert Storm started so I joined the United States Marine Corps. I served proudly for 4 years, but had the yearning to be in the woods fighting wildfires, so in 1994 I traded my combat boots and M-16 for wildland fire boots and a pulaski. In 1995 Baker River Inter-agency Hot Shot Crew based out of Concrete Washington hired me. My position was a permanent Squad Leader, In 1996 I had the privilege to work on Redmond Inter-agency Hot Shot Crew based out of Redmond Oregon to gain management skills. This was my dream job in an absolutely beautiful area of Western Washington. In 2000 I made a lateral move to the Olympic National Park Fire Management located in beautiful Port Angeles Washington. This is where I decided to raise my two awesome daughters.

During my career as a wildland firefighter I have  carried and utilized the Bladder bag, and thought there has to be an easier way to refill these without dismantling them for refill, or sticking the nozzle in the fill and getting soaked, or cross threading the plastic fill when the bag is full and having it leak all over the firefighters back. Ive seen some homemade ones over the years and have made some myself. Then one day I was driving up to the Mountains and had a vision of a nozzle that could be a great mop up tool and refill the bladder bag at the same time, and imediately put my thoughts into action and filed a patent. A local machine shop made my first proto type that actually worked. The rest of the story is in progress!!

Contact

John De Luna

De Luna's Enterprises

811 West Lyre River Road

Port Angeles, WA  98343

river1966@msn.com

(360) 461-1899