Castillo is an assistant fire marshal in Fairfax County. He also is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, which is partnering with the U.S. Fire Administration for its Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign.
How did you become involved in firefighting?
I spent six years as a hospital corpsman [with the U.S. Navy], and the area where I live, Fairfax County, was one of the only departments that was a dual service, since I am not only a firefighter but also a paramedic.
What do you like most about your job?
The best part of my job is really helping the community, particularly the underprivileged community because those are the ones that don’t have any resources, any of these tools. Many fire departments across the nation have programs where they provide free smoke alarms to the communities, and we not only provide them but we install them.
What are your interests?
One of the things I do is serve the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters. I’m engaging my community through different organizations. In order for us to make a difference, we need to continue to be engaged, not only when we’re on duty but also as a volunteer. We need to continue to be involved because that’s the only way we’re going to make a difference in helping those people in need.
What is the Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign all about?
Basically we’re saying that smoke alarms do save lives. Many times we have seen fires that are preventable and smoke alarms that do not work because people remove the batteries or they’re just outdated. This is why we need to continue to remind everyone to check their smoke alarms, first of all to install them on every level of the home, outside and inside their dormitories, and to makes sure they are checked on a monthly basis and replace the batteries at least once a year.
– Melanie Ciarrone
