Daniel Arnold – Montecito Firefighter

As those of you who have read my column know, I have written about people who are still thriving and doing what they love in the third and fourth chapters of their lives. For the next few weeks, however, I am going to write about five of Montecito’s firefighters who literally saved our lives in the Thomas Fire and mudslides.

The Montecito Firefighters Charitable Foundation (MFCF) is honoring the firefighters and their families for the101st Anniversary and Thanksgiving Celebration on November 18.

Celebrating. Honoring. Remembering.

They are exceptional young men – and even though this is not a professional statement, I have to say, they are all hunks!

Tall, lanky, likeable Dan Arnold is a second-generation, 37-year-old firefighter in the Montecito San Ysidro Station. He could probably play Jimmy Stewart’s brother in any film. He is a graduate of Westmont College, where he met his future wife, Katie.

Dan grew up in California until junior high school. His family then moved to southern Oregon, where he loved hiking, biking, and all things outdoors. You can almost picture him fishing or riding his bike in the beautiful topography. His father was a firefighter too, until Dan was in about the third grade, when his dad hurt his back and had to stop. It was a sad time for Dan, his sister, and mom because they knew how much that meant to their father. 

Dan came back to California after high school and majored in engineering at Westmont. He thought that would be his life. After graduation, he did some construction work, and as time went on he realized he wanted not only to help himself in whatever he chose to do, Dan wanted to make a difference in others people’s lives as well. He remembered how good his dad felt about his job and he thought firefighting might be just what he was looking for.

He was accepted as a firefighter in Oxnard. He stayed there for eight years, commuting to Goleta where he and his wife and soon his daughter Elena, 6, and son Micah, 4, lived. After eight years he realized he wanted to be closer to his home and applied to and was accepted to Montecito Fire Department in 2016. 

A year and a half later, he was called into the Thomas fire. He realized that the combination of the fire, rain, and mudslides was something all of us would likely not see again. He originally went to Santa Paula for the fire and then back to Ojai, Ventura, and Montecito. He stayed at Birnam Wood, helping the rescue efforts. He emphasized when talking to me how many fire departments from Washington to San Diego came to help. He said, “They went wherever there was extreme need.”

Daniel was part of a group called “The Magnificent Seven.” They saved more than 100 lives and their pets during the time they were trapped. These heroes were stuck for 16 hours because of the debris flow, and it wasn’t until the next day that the ground crew and the Black Hawk helicopters along with the U.S. Coast Guard helicopters could come to evacuate. He worked steadily with firefighters Robert Galbraith and supervisor Maeve Juarez.

We salute and thank you, firefighter Dan. We are so grateful to have you in Montecito.