Director Shortall was promoted through the ranks of the San Francisco Fire Department starting as a Firefighter and retiring as Assistant Deputy Chief. He also served as the San Francisco Fire Emergency Medical Services Chief, was Deputy Director of the San Francisco Office of Emergency Services, and General Manager of the Bay Area Super Urban Area Security Initiative Homeland Security program. He is employed now as the full-time Executive Coordinator for FIRESafe MARIN and serves as President of the Board of the Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District, Director of the Ross Valley Fire Department, and member of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority Operations Committee.  He and his wife Diana are 40-year residents of Sleepy Hollow.