San Rafael Man Heading To Liberia In Volunteer Effort To Help Ebola Patients

SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) -- A San Rafael man is headed into one of the most dangerous and deadly places in the world on a humanitarian mission to help Ebola patients in Liberia.

Davis Perkins was busy packing Tuesday before departing on a six week deployment to Liberia with the organization Heart to Heart International.

Perkins has a long history of heading into danger zones.  He's been a paramedic, firefighting smokejumper, and a volunteer medic in a laundry list of dangerous places like Haiti, Ethiopia and Cambodia.

"They just called me a couple of nights ago and asked if I could go, so we are racing around to get ready," Perkins said.

For a week, Perkins will learn how to put on a protective suit and the latest equipment in Ebola treatment.  Villages like the one Perkins is heading to have seen 70-percent of their victims die from the disease which is easily transmitted to health care workers.

Perkins is also a renowned naturalist painter who had a one man show in the Smithsonian.

"He's got a strong heart.  He's got what he calls rescue bones.  It came from something we've talked about for a long time.  Strong heart, strong back," Perkins' wife Crystal Wright said.

Perkins is expected to return before Christmas, possibly to some kind of quarantine in his home.

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