Chief Motes and Marie Gumá—Mental Health Lifeline for Clay County’s Bravest | S4 E16

Acting Fire Chief David Motes has served over 33 years with Clay County. He was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, to a Navy family that lived in many areas from Washington to California, finally settling in Florida. Initially, Chief Motes lived on the west side of Jacksonville, but his family quickly sought a safer life in Clay County, growing up in Lake Asbury in the early 70s. Chief Motes became a State Certified Firefighter in 10th grade while attending Middleburg High School after becoming a Volunteer Firefighter in Lake Asbury. Chief Motes attained an Associate's Degree in Fire and EMS, a bachelor's Degree in Public Administration from Flagler College, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Barry University. Chief Motes has several certifications in Fire Rescue Service, including Fire Instructor, Fire Inspector, and Company Officer. Other areas of expertise are Technical Rescue, Haz-Mat, advanced emergency medical programs and instruction, terrorist intervention, tactical medicine, and emergency management. Chief Motes is also a Florida Certified General Contractor with extensive training in building construction.
After graduation, Chief Motes began his career at Ambulance Service Inc., where he gained experience while attaining his paramedic license in 1988. St. Johns County hired him and continued to gain experience in a fast passed progressive emergency medical system before Clay County hired him in June of 1988 to service in Keystone Heights. This was not his first landing in Clay County. He served as a Volunteer Firefighter in La… Read More

Marie holds a master’s in clinical psychology from Carlos Albizu University and has substantially completed doctoral coursework in the same field.

After over a decade in practice, she transitioned into the realm of marketing. Marie then served as a Marketing Executive for eight years in the inpatient substance use disorder industry.

With an avid interest in addressing the psychological needs of first responders, Marie attended and later contributed to the Florida Firefighters Safety and Health Collaborative's Clinician Training and Management between 2017 and 2020. Her dedication was underscored by her role in the Clinician Response Team for Coral Springs Parkland Fire Rescue during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy.

In October 2019, the untimely passing of Alvis Fernandez, a revered firefighter from Boynton Beach, sent shockwaves through all who had the privilege to know him. During a series of station visits spearheaded by an IAFF peer support team from Orlando Fire, Scott Weeks, the Fire Union President of Boynton Beach, recognized the need for dedicated mental health services. He turned to Marie and said, "We need you here."

This call to action prompted Marie to introduce the Command Counseling Center (CCC) to Boynton Beach, a venture she was inspired to create after observing the third-party counseling collaborations at the Orange County Fire Authority in California and understanding exactly what these industries needed to move from a reactive culture to a preventative one. The following year, the HR Man… Read More