Submarine nuclear engineer. Firefighter for 40 years. Founder of Rescue 42, which builds portable cell towers.
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Tim O'Connell is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Rescue 42, a 30-year-old international manufacturer of compact, rapidly deployable portable cell towers for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and FirstNet in the US, and similar cellular networks in other countries. Rescue 42 also manufactures emergency stabilization and other specialty rescue devices for Fire Departments worldwide.
Tim, a long time member of the Rotary Club of Chico, is a graduate of Chico State University, a former Nuclear Engineer on Fast-Attack Submarines, a former CalFire firefighter, and just retired after 40 years as a Volunteer Firefighter with the Butte County Fire Department.
Tim has been married to Celia for 36 years and has two grown children.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Tue, Oct 6 - Charlie Thieriot & Joe Silveira, Llano Seco Ranch
Tue, Oct 13 - Dr. Cynthia Daley, Center for Regenerative Agriculture & Resilient Systems
Tue, Oct 20 - Karin Lightfoot, World Polio Day
Tue, Oct 27 - Chico Housing Action Team presentation
We held our annual BBQ (Beau's Backyard BBQ) at the Moretti Ranch, and it was such a great night with our Rotary family!
Perfect weather, delicious food, some of Chico's very finest, and plenty of laughs made for one fantastic evening.
One of our favorite parts is seeing everyone bring their families out to join the fun. Nothing beats good food, good people, and a little Chico hospitality!
A huge thank you to Kevin and Susan Moretti for opening up their home and hosting us!
