Curtiss was a longtime Riverside County paramedic for Goodhew Ambulance in Riverside County before he discovered the fire service and CAL FIRE. The fire service was Curtiss’s calling. It suited his selfless personality and was much more than a job; it answered a deep passion to help and protect others.

Curtiss was hired by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in 2001 and graduated from the CDF Fire Academy in 2001. he served as a firefighter II/paramedic in the City of Temecula and was assigned to Station 73 and Station 12. He was promoted to fire apparatus engineer and served in Coachella Valley, Corona Valley, and Temecula until 2016, when he was promoted to fire captain B in the San Diego Unit before retiring in October of 2017.

Curtiss served as a paramedic preceptor and field training officer. He mentored many fellow firefighters and paramedics and taught them how to provide care to the highest standards and treat all their patients as family. He also served as a type 1 hand crew captain in the final years of his career and responded to multiple historic wildfires. Curtiss loved being a firefighter and working for CAL FIRE. He often told his friends and family how it was one of the greatest honors in his life.

On his days off, Curtiss had a real passion for shooting; he loved adventurous road trips in his RV with his family and was a die-hard fan of everything USC. His pride and joy were his two little pugs, Kevin and Gianna, and Fluffy the Maltese.