W. Chris Mertz was born January 11, 1967, in San Diego, California. He attended Catholic school and graduated from University High in 1985. Soon after, he pursued a career in firefighting. He started with the Laguna Hot Shots and traveled the country extinguishing fires with his fellow fire brothers. He also worked for the Federal Fire Department in San Diego. In 1990, he was hired by Rancho Santa Fe Fire, where he stayed for the remainder of his career. While he was employed by RSF, he sought to be a member of Urban Search & Rescue. He was part of California USAR TF-8 San Diego for over 20 years. He was deployed to New York for 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. He joined a pipes and drums band in San Diego, which turned into playing with the CSFA band as well. He loved every aspect of his career, which he enhanced by getting his bachelor’s degree in emergency and disaster management, graduating magna cum laude from American Military University in 2018.

In 1995, Chris married the love of his life, and together they had an undeniable love that created three amazing people. Chris was a kind, loving father and husband. He had a passion for knowledge and learned everything he could, which he passed down to his kids. For almost 26 years, they built their lives together. The only thing that separated them was his second home at the fire station and his beloved strike teams. He loved being in the wilderness with his fire brothers as much as he loved being with the family he created, but he knew how to find the balance between the two. The family traveled the United States together via truck and fifth wheel, always on adventures to visit friends and family or off exploring the unknown, and they created memories that would last decades. As the kids grew, he helped shape them into the people they are today. He was proud of his children and who they chose to become in life. His son is a firefighter, and his girls joined the Air Force.

Chris was a vibrant soul that everyone loved to be around. He was funny, silly, and goofy. He loved to make people laugh with the most ridiculous stories that seemed very believable. He was smart and knew obscure random facts that made him a great trivia player. He was kind and generous. He filled every space with his light and love. He is missed dearly every day by those that knew him, but especially by those that loved him, including his fire brothers, his extended family, his in-laws, his parents, Bill and Pat; his sister, Theresa; his wife, Canli; and his children, Garrett (Amy), Natalie, and Roxanne (Wyatt).

He is irreplaceable. May he rest In Paradise.