Ghosts

Sacramento Valley native D.J. Cline was born and raised in a mid-sized town in Northern California and is the oldest of three siblings. He and his wife, Diane, whom he considers his best friend, have spent many years living in the Sierra Nevada, where they raise Labrador Retrievers together. D.J. began his public safety career in law enforcement in 1986 before transitioning into Emergency Medical Services in 1990. Over the course of more than three decades in EMS, he has served in a wide range of demanding environments, including busy 911 ambulance systems, hospital-based operations, fixed-wing air medical transport, and rotor-wing flight programs in the United States and Saudi Arabia. In 1999, D.J. founded a successful wildland fire and disaster medical support organization that has provided nationally recognized leadership, logistical coordination, and medical management during some of the country's most catastrophic disasters and emergency incidents. As he prepares for retirement after more than thirty years in EMS and public safety, D.J. reflects on a career defined by service, leadership, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to helping others during their darkest moments. Along the way, he has experienced the profound rewards that come with a life of purpose, while also carrying the emotional weight and unseen burdens that years in emergency service inevitably leave behind.