About Tinosa, Inc
Tinosa, Inc.--About Us:
Tinosa is a San Diego based technical services company supporting the Department of Defense as well as civilian organizations in all matters relevant to life support and high-pressure gas distribution systems. Tinosa has a mature core capability to provide testing, installation, maintenance, repair, and field-testing for breathing air systems and components (i.e., for firefighters), diver’s air, oxygen, nitrogen, helium, mixed gas (HEO2, N2O2) and hyperbaric systems. Tinosa’s capabilities include the provision of depot level maintenance and repair for all US Navy certified diving systems to include breathing air compressors. Tinosa is a Factory Authorized BAUER Compressor Sales and Service Center.
Tinosa was founded by Tim and Jacki Kiley in 2010. In April 2023, AFECO, Inc. (DBA: FIRE ETC.), a California corporation based in San Diego, acquired Tinosa. Tim and Dave Duea, President of FIRE ETC., had a working relationship for over 20 years. FIRE ETC. is excited to have Tinosa a part of the FIRE ETC. family. Click here to learn more about Fire ETC.
Why the name Tinosa?
We named the company Tinosa to pay homage to the U.S. Navy and two of its submarines named after this black, poisonous, tropical fish—the Tinosa. The first, USS Tinosa (SS-283) was built and commissioned during World World II. She served valiantly in the Pacific theater during the war performing twelve war patrols and was credited with sinking sixteen enemy ships.
The second was a nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Tinosa (SSN-606) which served the fleet admirably from 1964-1992 with numerous successful deployments in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Her most notable contributions to U.S. Naval history however, was her association with safety and her contributions to the genesis of the SUBSAFE Quality Assurance Program of the U.S. Navy. The Tinosa was one of the first submarines retrofitted to address the SUBSAFE elements created after the tragic loss of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) in 1963, after succumbing to catastrophic flooding within the internal engineering spaces causing her to sink in 8,400 feet, taking the lives of 129 sailors. Investigations revealed that she sank due to a combination of poor design, materials, as well as flawed maintenance procedures to the salt water and main ballast tank blow piping systems along other critical subsystems. The SUBSAFE Quality Assurance Program was created to apply extensive rigor in design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance practices to critical systems throughout the submarine. A second foundation called the Deep Submergence, Scope of Certification (DSS-SOC) was adopted following yet another tragic event that led to the loss of five divers during Navy Special Warfare training from a specialized diving lock-out system. DSS-SOC built in additional requirements to the SUBSAFE requirements on the US Navy’s deep submergence and certified diving systems. Today, the SUBSAFE Program is recognized as one of the greatest quality assurance programs of all time and has been adopted by NASA and numerous commercial maritime certification organizations and foreign navies as the standard in their diving and submarine quality assurance programs.
The Tinosa name is synonymous with and stands to remind us of the importance of safety and first time quality assurance in the critical work we perform on diving and firefighting life support systems every day. At Tinosa, our business and mission is equipping the courageous with precision life support systems. As such, quality assurance IS a life and death matter.
Tinosa, Inc.—Mission:
• Equip The Courageous (“ETC”) with precision life support systems to save lives and property.
Tinosa, Inc.—Vision:
• A Safer America, due in part to the beloved Tinosa team successfully executing its mission.
Tinosa, Inc.—Values:
• Work Hard.
• Everyday work hard to make yourself and the company better.
• “If it were easy, it would be someone else’s job.”
• Serve Customers.
• We listen to the customer and find solutions to their needs.
• “Without customers, there would be no company.”
• Solve Problems.
• Spotting an issue is the easy part. We solve problems.
• “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
• Do the Right Thing.
• As accountable professionals, we can be trusted to do the right thing.
• “No virtue is more universally accepted as a test of good character than trustworthiness.”
• Continue to Learn.
• We love to learn and grow. We learn from our mistakes—and ideally they’re not catastrophic.
• “Every kick in the butt is a boost.”
• Be a Humble, Team Player.
• There is no limit to what a person can do or where they can go if they don’t mind who gets the credit.
• “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6
• Be a Grateful Family Member.
• Serving the courageous is a honor and we are grateful to part of the first responder, defense and fire service family/community.
• As a second-generation family-owned business, we care for one another and share the load and the profits.
• “It’s a big job, but many hands make light work.”
Tinosa--Leadership:
James Wheeler
General Manager – Tinosa, Inc.
James Wheeler’s passion for protecting and ensuring the safety of others began in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he worked as a Skydiving Instructor, Videographer, and Parachute gear packer/inspector for several years. James made over 3000 skydives during his skydiving career. He consistently ensured the safety of those who entrusted him with their lives through his ability to stay calm under pressure, a great attention to detail, and ensuring the use of quality gear.
It was his skydiving career that brought James to California, where he had the opportunity to build operations of a newer skydiving community, including assisting with advertising, sales, and daily operations. Due to the birth of his first child, James left skydiving and pursued a career on the ground as an EMT. As an EMT, James gained invaluable and hands-on experience in emergency response and refined his attention to quality assurance.
James continued to build his ability to lead by working in sales for several years before transitioning to SoCal PPE in 2021. James learned SoCal PPE from the ground up and knows every aspect of SoCal PPE operations. With a passion and understanding about the need to keep first responders safe, James has been instrumental in educating fire departments about the importance of NFPA 1851 standards. His expertise and commitment have helped the company grow and thrive in the industry.
James has been happily married to his wife, Mary, for 20 years. Together they have three children, and both balance their careers with a deep commitment to the family. In his free time, James is also an avid trail ultrarunner and pickleball player.