"It's an honor and a privilege to serve," said Betts. And serve he has. Dr. Jim Betts is a pediatric surgeon by profession, who has gone above and beyond when it comes to giving back to his community.
It's a position that led him to the collapsed Cypress Structure in Oakland in the hours after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, where he not only helped rescue survivors, but also to recover the dead.
"We were actually called down to the Cypress Structure for the trapped individuals who were there and a group of us went down there," explained Betts, who had to amputate a young boy's leg to save his life.
Betts' service didn't stop there. While not at Children's, he works as a volunteer firefighter, as an EMT and part of the search and rescue team in Big Sur, where he has a home.
PHOTOS: New images show scope of wildfires' devastation, as major complexes ravage state
His primary job for nearly four decades has been at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland.
In recent weeks, Betts also served on the front lines of the Dolan fire, one of the hundreds raging in California.
"This is a very unusual year," said Betts. "We've got COVID and the pandemic. We have the fires in Big Sur, we have our hospital duties here. We have all the political unrest that's going around the nation."
As Dr. Betts approaches his 73rd birthday, he has no plans to retire anytime soon from either job.
"I don't play golf, I don't play tennis," said Betts. "To me, it's been a privilege to be able to become a pediatric surgeon as well as a firefighter."
App users: For a better experience, click here to view the full map in a new window
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
- Track wildfires across Bay Area with this interactive map
- Here are all the fires burning in the Bay Area right now
- Latest on LNU, CZU and SCU Complex Fire evacuations, road closures
- WATCH: Staggering footage shows lightning storm that started complex fires
- Photos show scope of Bay Area wildfires' devastation
- Track air quality levels in the Bay Area
- How LNU, CZU & SCU Lightning Complex Bay Area fires got their names
- How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation
- Most destructive California wildfires in history
- Camp Fire is deadliest wildfire in California history
- How are wildfires started? A look at the causes of some of the worst in California history
- Safety tips to remember when returning home after wildfire
- VIDEO: How to prepare your pets in case of disaster
- The difference between containing and controlling a wildfire
- How wildfire smoke can impact your health
- What's in wildfire smoke? How it can impact your health
