Board Members

Joe Basinski was hired in 2001 as a firefighter, has worked through the ranks during his years of service, and is currently a fire captain.  Captain Basinski has participated in many programs within the department and is instrumental in the delivery of training and EMS education to new hires and staff.  He is a California state-certified instructor and enjoys teaching rescue-specific classes. He is one of very few large animal rescue instructors in the state who can specifically benefit Valley Center. Capt. Basinski is involved at the local college level teaching paramedic school, where he can pass along his years of paramedic knowledge and experience to coming generations of health care providers.  Capt. Basinski has a diverse medical background, including working as a flight paramedic, stunt safety coordinator, and movie set paramedic, as well as teaching tactical medicine to military and SWAT teams in a simulated but realistic environment.  Capt. Basinski has held several other elected positions on the board before being nominated as president.

Christian was hired in 2022 and is currently a Fire Engineer for the VCFPD. He has over 13 years of fire service experience in different ranks. He started his fire service career with the San Diego County Fire Authority as a Firefighter. He moved up the ranks to Fire Apparatus Engineer, and then Officer in Charge. After working with the county, Christian was hired by a private fire organization where he worked in many aspects of the fire service including Wildland, Technical Rescue, and Industrial Fire Brigade.

Christian earned an NCAA Division I Scholarship with Charleston Southern University where he played football and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communication and minored in Kinesiology.

Leonardo Gonzalez Santos is the newest member to our Union Board. Leo was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States when he was 9, he then decided he wanted to work for the fire service when he was in high school.  He then went through Palomar Fire Academy in 2020 during the height of COVID-19. Leo was hired with Valley Center Fire Protection District in  2021 and started his career in the fire service as a Firefighter/EMT. After gaining emergency experience through the VCFPD, he proceeded to go through the Paloma Paramedic Program and promote to a Firefighter/Paramedic in 2023. Leo enjoys to camping, fishing, and spending time with his friends, his wife Anna and his dog Tecate. Leo is still young in his fire service career but is excited for the future of Valley Center and his role in shaping the organization.