Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s Team Member of the Month is a person who serves the community with Passion, Professionalism, & Pride.
This month, Battalion Chief (BC) Kevin Diamond is the focus profile of the month.
Diamond was born in Michigan and with his dad being an electrical engineer who was in sales for a company now known as Siemans, he has lived in several places, including New Jersey and San Mateo, Calif. before settling in Corona del Mar at the age of 14. His mother was in cosmetic sales for the now defunct Broadway department store.
After graduating from Corona del Mar High School in 1983, Diamond’s goal was to become an airline pilot. However, while lifeguarding one summer, he took an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class and his career goals took a turn.
After completing his EMT class, Diamond went to work for Seals Ambulance and knew it was a good fit for him. While working at Seals Ambulance, he met a friend named Dave Thomas (retired Asst. Chief from OCFA) who encouraged him to pursue a career as a firefighter/paramedic.
Diamond was hired with the City of Santa Ana in 1987, where he honed his craft as a paramedic. Before coming to Costa Mesa in 1990, he worked for Laguna Beach Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic. While with Costa Mesa, BC Diamond has held the rank of Firefighter/Paramedic, Captain, and Battalion Chief.
BC Diamond is a true leader who enjoys teaching, coaching, and mentoring. He not only teaches, coaches and mentors past, present and current Costa Mesa firefighters but also teaches for other organizations, such as Santa Ana College and private organizations offering professional development/leadership classes for the fire service.
Diamond has assisted countless individuals to successfully prepare for promotional tests.
Additional achievements include assisting in the implementation of our Arson Investigation unit, active instructor for our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Citizen Fire Academy’s (CFA), and significant contributions to improving firefighter safety through a company he founded, Breaking The Accident Chain (BTAC). Additionally, he is an example to those he mentors as he achieved his master’s degree from Columbia Southern University in Emergency Services Management.
Diamond is married to his wife Jenni, who works as a case worker for Run to Rescue. Together, they have two twin boys (20-years old) who were accomplished soccer players in high school and now hope to follow in their dad’s footsteps as they are currently attending a local fire academy. Diamond enjoys eating out, going to movies, and family trips.