Jim was born and raised in San Diego, California. He graduated from Hoover high school, where he also met his wife Joan. After first working in a metal shop for several years, Jim joined the San Diego Fire Department in 1961 and served as a Firefighter, Engineer, and Captain until his retirement in 1995. Jim’s father William, and son Jim also served on the fire department in San Diego, creating a Pfister legacy that spanned three generations and 100 years of service with SDFD.

One thing firefighters have a lot of, especially after being on the job for 34 years, is stories. And they love telling those stories, time and time again. This is a collection of Jim’s stories, recorded in 2000 shortly after his retirement by his daughter Katie for a school project.

Firefighters work in a culturally unique position that allows them to see people at the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. Through it all, they remain calm and caring in even the most seemingly hopeless crises. These stories range from small acts of kindness to self-sacrificing acts of heroism, from the most heartbreaking human tragedies and disasters to moments of mischief and practical jokes.

They are presented here as an unflinching and unfiltered look at what life on the job is like, told by a man whose skill, charisma, and tendency toward mischief made him a natural and beloved leader within SDFD and patriarch within his family.