Jumpline magazine Spring 2025 - Flipbook - Page 25
Gustin Memorial Speech
Nick Morgado, CFO
25
He understood that to be a good instructor, you must also be a
great student. If you ever wanted to 昀椀nd him in class, he was
never hard to locate—always in the front rows, with a notebook
and pen in hand ready to learn.
work, and Bill would always go out of his way to make it special
for her—so much so that he was always at the top of her list of
people she wanted to see for the day, just under Donald, the
Dive Bureau’s pet snake.
He was a master of this craft, possessing an insatiable drive and
the unique ability to identify the most relevant topic, emerging
trend, or impactful event; dissecting it down and learning everything and anything there was to know about it.
As for me, I will miss hearing his boisterous voice and laughter
from the other side of the of昀椀ce, seeing him at his dedicated
seat in the cafeteria, and anticipating seeing him just around the
corner.
Then, he would translate it into “昀椀re昀椀ghter-ese,” effortlessly
teaching it on the drill ground, at a conference, in an article or
webcast, on a podcast, or even in a simple conversation. No
matter what the medium, his message was always 昀氀awlessly
communicated and understood by all those on the receiving end.
Captain Gustin was the consummate mentor, knowing just the
right amount of advice, coaching, and guidance to help you get
where it was you needed to go. He took an active interest in identifying and developing the next 昀椀re service instructor, through
drill development, the encouragement of penning articles for
trade magazines, or teaching alongside him at conferences.
Many of us are here today because he saw something in us—
perhaps a re昀氀ection of himself—and invested his time, effort,
and attention in furthering our development and bettering the
昀椀re service.
Bill’s time in the Training Division was nothing less than a perfect
match for him, where his love for training and ability to do so
was uninhibited. He was the glue of the division, he was always
there—on duty or not—working on a project, the latest article,
getting a workout in, or just sharing a cup of coffee and conversation.
He never met a dog he didn’t like and had the unique ability to
make you feel like the most important person in the room.
He was a proud girl dad and would boast about it often. Every now and then, my daughter, Skye, would accompany me to
I will miss his unexpected daily drop-ins, poking his head around
my of昀椀ce door to talk shop, tell a joke, or humbly request a day
off to teach a class or visit his children, Bill Jr. and Renee, and
his grandchildren, as if I would say no. In short I will miss my
friend.
He loved the Fire Service, our Department,
and the men and women who are MDFR. While
to many, he seemed larger than life. When you
really got to know him, he truly was a humble
and caring man, probably the most humble I
have ever met.
The author Terry Pratchett has said, “No one is actually gone
until the ripples they cause in the world die away.” The ripples
Captain Gustin caused have cemented him in time, and generations of 昀椀re昀椀ghters to come will speak and learn from him just as
we do today, along with such names as James Braidwood, Lloyd
Layman, and Francis Brannigan. It stands to reason
that Captain Gustin will never truly be gone.
In closing, I only see it 昀椀t to wrap up with the words of the good
Captain Gustin himself, as he would often say at the end of his
lectures: “Thanks for putting up with my bad jokes, may God
bless you, and keep you safe in our most noble profession.”
Farewell old friend and thanks for always being there.
Spring 2025 | JUMPLINE Magazine
