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Saturday, december 6 th , 2014

12pm - 4pm

This year we honor the work

and dedication of

LA Firemens Relief Association

815 Colorado Blvd. - 4th floor

Los Angeles CA 90041

contact:
jbrandolino@lafra.org -- 323.259.5215

Paid Advertisement:

Our Mission Statement:

To construct a comprehensive financial plan that will
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To help our clients achieve a better return on life.
To form a long-term relationship with our clients.
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800.573.4829
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2 October 2014

30

VOL. XCI

OCTOBER 2014

FEATURES
Getting Batty at the Beach

Santa Monica beach was the scene for the 2014 edition
of the LAFD Over-the-Line tournament its just a fun
thing to do (and great way to raise money for the
Widows and Orphans) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06

2014 Hook and Ladder Enduro

More than 500 participants, in six different classes,

on two courses, enjoy a weekend of fun in the desert
while benefitting the WODFF .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08

Coming To America

LAFD families welcome into their homes the Next Generation

from Germany the children of Berlin Fire Department
members visit Los Angeles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

On the cover: Physical Rescue, Mission Hills

Photo by: Rick McClure, EPN

Notice: Production of The Firemens Grapevine magazine is very expensive, and while your dues
serve to underwrite a portion of the magazines costs, the bulk of funding comes from advertisers.
Many businesses advertise in the Grapevine. This does not mean that LAFRA endorses these
advertisers. Use of a Grapevine advertiser is at the risk of the member. If you are interested in any
of the advertisements, we urge you to use any and all means at your disposal to investigate them.

COPYRIGHT 2014

Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association.

No material may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

NO. 02

CONTENTS
Presidents Message ................................................................................05
Kitchen Table Wisdom
Handline selection for single family dwellings .......................................12
Elections Notification ................................................................................14
Wounded Warrior
FS 26 honors an Army combat medic ......................................................15
Battalion News ..........................................................................................16
Retired Guys ...........................................................................................29
Department in Action ................................................................................30
True Meaning of Fire Family
A thankful wife tells her story ..............................................................34
Health Subsidy Lawsuit
Ken Buzzell lays out the case ..............................................................37
LAFD Golf Club
Partners Tournament ...........................................................................39
New members wanted .............................................................................39
Station Fridge ...........................................................................................40
Dollars & Sense
Banks vs Credit Unions ........................................................................41
Retirement Celebrations
Raul Miranda .........................................................................................43
Gary Zieger ...........................................................................................44
Retirement Dinner Announcements ........................................................45
Mailbox .....................................................................................................46
Memorials .................................................................................................49
LAFD History
Fallen Firefighters Memorial .................................................................51
Minutes of the Board of Trustees ..............................................................54
Classifieds ................................................................................................57
Tailboard ................................................................................................61

Follow us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/firemensgrapevine
October 2014 3

FIREMENS GRAPEVINE
owned and published by the

Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association

815 Colorado Blvd, 4th Floor, Los angeles CA 90041

EDITORIAL STAFF
Dave Wagner Editor..........................................................editor@lafra.org
Eric Santiago Creative Editor.....................................esantiago@lafra.org
Juan-Carlos Snchez Project Coordinator................jcsanchez@lafra.org
David Vienna Web/Social Media Editor...........................dvienna@lafra.org
DisplayAdvertising....................................(323) 259-5200 ext. 231, 232, 260

PSOs

Katherine Main, Brian Humphrey, Erik Scott

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mike Mastro, Frank Borden, David Vienna,

Jody Houser, Michael Stefano, Monte Egherman, Steve Ruda

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ryan Babroff, David Blaire, Doc DeMulle, Greg Doyle, Harry Garvin,
Steve Gentry, Juan Guerra, Brian Haimer, Gavin Kaufman, Ryan Ling, Rick McClure,
Mike Meadows, Lloyd Payne, Jeff Zimmerman, Yvonne Griffin, Laura Lichter.

LOS ANGELES FIREMENS RELIEF ASSOCIATION

Juan Albarran........................................................President
Robert Steinbacher .......................................Vice-President
Andrew Kuljis ........................................................Secretary
Barry Hedberg
Chris Hart
Chris Stine
Craig White
David Lowe
David Ortiz

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
David Peters
Doak Smith
Frank Hernandez
Gene Bednarchik
James E. Coburn
Jeff Cawdrey
Mark Akahoshi

Rick Godinez
Steve Berkery
Steve Ruda
Steve Tufts
Steven Domanski
Tim Larson

CHAPLAINS

To contact a chaplain,
Please call Senior Chaplain Rick Godinez at (661) 904-3050
or the MFC Floor Captain at (213) 576-8920
Greg W. Gibson...................Chaplain
Danny Leon..........................Chaplain
George A. Negrete...............Chaplain
Aquil F. Basheer..................Chaplain
Tim Werle............................Chaplain

Hershy Z. Ten.......................Chaplain
Roger Fowble.....................Chaplain
Mark R. Woolf.....................Chaplain
Jesus Pasos.........................Chaplain
Craig Poulson.....................Chaplain

TELEPHONES
Fire-Relief ...............................................................(323) 259-5200
Relief Association Toll Free Number .........................(800) 244-3439
Relief Medical Plan ................................................. (866) 995-2372
Fax Number ..............................................................(323) 259-5290
LAFRA MANAGEMENT
Todd Layfer Executive Director..............................(323) 259-5243
Becky Valverde Human Resources Administrator.....(323) 259-5247
Liberty Unciano Controller/Treasurer...................(323) 259-5225
Bob Dillon Operations Manager..............................(323) 259-5233
Marlene Casillas Development & Marketing Director(323) 259-5217
Ana Salazar Member Services Coordinator.............(323) 259-5223
HealthSCOPE Benefits

Claims & Benefit Information...................................(866) 99-LAFRA

THE FIREMENS GRAPEVINE (USPS 191-060) is published monthly by the Los Angeles Firemens
Relief Association, 815 Colorado Blvd. 4th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90041. Annual $24 Subscription
included with Association membership; Non-members: $36. Single issues $3 postpaid. Back issues $6
postpaid. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to: THE FIREMENS GRAPEVINE Magazine, P.O. BOX 41903, Los Angeles, CA 90041.
Printed by Collective Color, Los Angeles CA. For Classified and Display Advertising rates please call (323)
259-5200, ext. 231, 232 or 260. All editorial matter must be received by the Editor eight weeks prior to the
month of publication. The opinions expressed herein are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect
the official views of the Los Angeles City Fire Department or the Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association.

4 October 2014

Hello again
As we move into fall I want to remind you to check your
mailbox of a couple of things. In October, we will once again
be mailing Open Enrollment information for the LAFRA Medical Plan. A little bit of an infomercial here . . . just a reminder
that the LAFRA Medical Plan provides excellent services and
designs our benefits by paying particular attention to the needs of
our membership. In order to continue to meet that objective, you
will also be receiving information from us regarding changes in
the processing of your pharmaceutical benefits. Please open each
individual piece of mail - do not throw them away! LAFRA is
required to send this information to each individual member. Be
aware that although this is the official notification, these changes
dont take effect until next year. We will keep you informed as
this develops.

You will also be receiving in the mail Election and By-law
change information. This is because it time to elect Trustees for
Group 3. In this months Grapevine you will see the announcement for the elections with the necessary time lines. Your LAFRA
Trustees are responsible for stating and accomplishing the goals
and objectives of your organization. As of this writing we have
three active members interested in running for the active Trustee
positions.

The current Board nominated Robert Steinbacher for VicePresident and Juan Albarran for President. Bob and I are both
glad to stay on into the next year.

The by-law change revolves around giving the President
the ability to select members as trustees. This is only to be done
when we fail to have enough active or pension candidates for an
election.

On September 3rd, the 2014 Over the Line Tournament
was held by at Santa Monica beach. Everyone had a great time.
Billy Bringas and his crew did a great job in providing just
the right ratio of fun vs. competition. Billy is soon retiring and
LAFRA would like to thank Billy for all of his positive energy.
Billy finds time every year for the Over the Line event, the Annual Lane Kemper Softball tournament, as well as other LAFRA
events.

On October 22, 2014, the last Mayo Classic surfing
event is to be held. Ray Mayo is retiring and needs to focus on

his retirement plans and adventures. Bring your board and an appetite! If you want to be involved in a fun and well attended camaraderie event, this is it.

Rays continued support of the Widows and Orphans Fund
is exemplary. In recognition of this, Ray Mayo has been selected
by the Board as our Open House Honoree for December 6, 2014.
Everyone is invited to gather at the LAFRA offices and thank Ray
for his dedication to both LAFRA and the LAFD!

Lastly, but most importantly, on September 3rd, the staff
and Board presented Irma Mondragon, our executive secretary,
with a small token of our appreciation for her ten years of service
to LAFRA. Irma is a vital part of the day to day operations of
your organization. Her calm demeanor is exactly what is needed
as we get closer and closer to our monthly Board and Committee
meetings. Thank you Irma.
Take care of each other.

Juan Albarran
(323) 259-5200
president@lafra.org

Irma Mondragon honored for 10 years of service to LAFRA members

October 2014 5

fficially, it may be
fall, but it felt like a
perfect summer day
on the sand in Santa Monica
during the Firemens Overthe-Line Tournament. The
unique sport, which mixes
elements of softball and . . .
um . . . playing hooky from
school, makes for a perfect
way to raise money for your
Widows, Orphans & Disabled
Firemens Fund.

6 October 2014

For organizer Engineer Bill Bringas,
the playful spirit of the activity is the whole
point. He said, Its just a fun thing to do.
(Hes not the only one who feels that way.
Thousands pack the beach in San Diego for the
annual over-the-line world championship.)

And thanks to the firemens event sponsors, such as Subway in Westwood and Karen
Paek from Foresters, funds raised can go directly to the charity. Bill said, All the money that we get from registration and the shirt
[sales] goes straight to Widows & Orphans.

Captain I Chris Villavicencio has
played in the tournament every year and also
participates in other over-the-line competitions
in Southern California. For him, the Firemens
Over-the-Line Tournament is a great way to
spend the day without some of the rigors of a
regular softball game. He said, Its the same
thing with a bat and ball, but a different technique, different scoring, different attire.

In fact, most came to the sport via softball. Apparatus Operator Russ Barnes has also

played each year of the firemens tournament.

He enjoys the relaxed vide offered by the beach
sport and his team takes full advantage of it in
an effort to nab the coveted Best Theme and
Best Team Name prizes. He said, Our team
is always out here and were usually wearing
something goofy.

This year, the team called K-Towns
Finest walked away with the winners trophy
and bragging rights. Theyll be back next time
to defend their title.

Apparatus Operator Sean Millett,
wholl take over coordinating the event after
Bill retires, plans on adding another annual
date in the spring at one of the areas southern
beaches. He hopes that will help boost participation for future events because he thinks a lot
of firefighters are simply missing a great opportunity. You live in Southern California playing [softball] on the beach, he said, is there
anything better than that?

October 2014 7

ho said
there
wasnt
a Hook and Ladder Enduro
this year? Just because the
article is a little late doesnt
mean it didnt happen! And
it was as good or better than
in years past.

Again this year we had over 500 participants in six classes. We set up two courses:
one for the go fast motorcycle crowd and one
easier course for the families. One of the things
we noticed this year was all the new side by
side cars or Razors. Seems like SOD or DROP

8 October 2014

must be good because

everyone seemed to have
one!

The start line
looked like the 405
freeway at rush hour.
There were cars everywhere. The
only hiccup came
when the local authorities told us at
the last minute that we
could only use named
California City streets to
run our course on. Some
very nice helmet plaques
came out, a few T-shirts,
and a donation to the local Desert Incident Response Team
(D.I.R.T) and the race was on!
The only other issue that arose was the
lowland gorilla that escaped from the local Cal City zoo. He/she was spotted at the
top of the hill climb at the very start of the A
course. He/she was reported to be helping/hin-

dering /humping the riders as they attempted

to gain the summit. There were unsubstantiated
rumors that he/she was seen at Teters Trailer
later in the day eating free hotdogs by the fistful.
Speaking of Teters Trailer we want to thank all
those responsible for making it happen again
this year including Greg and Suzi Stone, John
and Karen Nowell, Shelly McKowen, Steve
Berkery and daughter Megan, Steve Sutliff,
and of course Judy Teter. If I missed someone
sorry, and thanks for your help.

Craig White, Mike Raden and Brad
Grossman set up both courses during the week
preceding the event. Over 50 miles on two
courses were marked, flagged, staked, arrowed,
chalked and painted. That was just so they
could find their way home from the bar! John
Tohill and his erection team did a great job with
the start and finish line structures. Rumor has it
next year we will have new and improved start/
finish lines?

We want to thank all of our sponsor
who donated generously for our silent auction
and raffle. Over half of our money collected
comes from the silent auction ($5k) and raffle

2014 HOOK AND LADDER

ENDURO WINNERS
CLASS ONE A 52:00 min.
1. 2X Wade White 52:22 +22
2. 19X Dave Rowley 51:35 +25
3.24X Chris Bennet 52:51 +51
CLASS ONE B 70:00 min.
1. 236X Jim Como 70:17 +17
2. 219X Jay Freeman 70:30 +30
3. 215X Mark Williams 70:40 +40
CLASS ONE C 80:00 min.
1. 422X Robert Vilabui 79:20 +40
2. 406X Rob Arciero
79:00 +60
3. 415X Robert Lytle
82:54 +2:54

($6k). Thank all of you for buying the tickets

and bidding at the auction. Speaking of buying
tickets - Tim Wuerfel decided, at the last minute, he should buy a couple of tickets. Bought
the last few tickets remaining on the roll and
he won the $800 Stand Up Paddleboard! Better
late than never, eh Tim?

We want to thank Mike Kiedrowski,
two-time world motocross champion, for handing out the trophies. We also had with us for the
first time Ryan Arciero and family. Ryan represents three generations of on/off road racing.
He is currently driving the #19 Herbst trophy
truck in the SCORE and Best of the Desert series. Shortly after our event he won the Vintage
Division in the NORRA Mexican 1000, a fourday, 1300 mile race in Baja Mexico. We would
also like to thank Brad Cameron of Renthal.
He has donated all the sprockets we use for the
trophies. So this year we presented him with
a thank you plaque made out of what else? A
Renthal sprocket.

Thanks again to all of you who made
this another successful year. Hope to see you
next year on Saturday, March 21, 2015.

DADS AND KIDS 60:00 min.

1. 503X Chris Carpenter 60:36 +36
2. 535X Callahan 61:07 +1:07
3. 546X Teto Soto 62:22 +2:22
POWDER PUFF 53:00 min.
1. 600X Krissy Raden 53:01 +01
2. 607X Faith Hall 53:29 +29
3. 632X Henry Munuoz 53:29 +29
PICNIC CLASS 90:00 min.
1. 743X Arnado family 90:28 +28
2. 775X Sanchez family 89:30 +30
3. 755X Lite family 90:44 +44
VINTAGE #538 Vic Kim 75years old
riding a 1987 M/C = 102 years.
YOUNGEST RIDER 5 years old Name
unknown

2014 HOOK AND LADDER SPONSOR LIST

Andy Gump
Arciero Racing
Baja Designs
Banzai Brothers
Racing
Brad Cameron,
Renthal
Brian Hishinuma
C & D Motosports
Chief Officers
Association
EVS
Farmer John
Fickewirth Benefit
Consultant
Firemans First
Credit Union
Gold Lee, L.M.W.S.
& Lee
Greg and Suzi Stone
Hewitt Financial
Group
Hook and Ladder
Winery
Huston Herman
Jason Knight, Fire
Axe Inc.
Jason Torrey-Payne,
Firehouse Financial

John and Karen

Nowell
Kawasaki
Leatt
Malcom Smith
Racing
Matt Lundgren
Rivalry Clothing
Maxima
Mechanics Wear
Miller, Kaplan,
Arase
Pit Pro
PJI
Randy Hill, Kings
Fish House
Robert Vowels
Rocky Mountain
ATV / MC
Ryan Villapoto
SUP Atx The Outdoor
Recreation Group
Toyota Racing
Travis Lamm, Tuck
erRocky & MSR
UFLAC
Val Surf
Worx Industrial
Solutions Corp.

October 2014 9

n July 14, 2014, ten eager teenagers

arrived at LAX from Berlin, Germany.
They were here to immerse themselves
into American culture and the homes of Los Angeles City Fire families. These boys and girls,
the Next Generation, were all children of
Berlin Fire Department members. The youthful representatives of the Berliner Feuerwehr,
were under the watchful guidance of Captain
Frank Kante and Captain Julika Wrenger of the
Berlin FD.

After a one day rest period in Los Angeles, they were treated to a pancake breakfast
put on by the LAFD Historical Society at the
fire museum in Hollywood. There they were
greeted by the museum staffers: Frank Borden,
Don Dodd, Thomas Brennan, James Finn and
Walt Jaeger. These retired members were absolutely spot-on with the breakfast preparation
and a welcoming orientation for the group.

Councilmember Tom LaBonge was
also in attendance to welcome the children, and
to welcome the eight families that volunteered
to host the Germans in their California homes.
Chaplain George Negrete was also there to offer his support and to greet each one of the visitors. The LAFD was represented by Captain
Jaime Moore from the PIOs office. Accompanying him was LAFD Intern, Diarlen Leon,

10 October 2014

who was very instrumental in securing the families that hosted each visitor. A huge task for an
intern, but performed with a priceless touch of
class.

After the introduction and welcome,
the visitors were matched with our very own
LAFD family. This was one of the warmest
moments ever. You would think that these ten
teenagers had finally discovered their relatives
from Germany. I have nothing but the greatest
respect and gratitude for the LAFD members
that decided to bring these kids home. They
and their families opened their homes to make
a dream come true for the German visitors

for two weeks. It is my pleasure to recognize:

Jim and Alexandra Prabhu from 37s, Shannon
Keith, and Wendy Saffo from 48s, Nathan and
Rebecca Sweet from 29s, James and Monique
Sharlein from 92s, Bennett and Suzann Rogers from 5s, Brian and Katy Jones from 33s
(triplejones), Frank and Lisette Larez from
29s, and Craig and Victoria White from 88s.
Prior to leaving the museum, the entire group
boarded a chartered Starline Tour bus and took
a one hour tour of Hollywood and the Sunset
Strip, sponsored by the councilmans office.

These families had the capacity to take
the teens to discover the wonders of California including Disneyland, Magic Mountain,
Lake Tahoe, San Pedro, Lake Arrowhead, just
to name a few places, and of course, shopping,
shopping, shopping - all things that we do every day. The kids were ecstatic.

On the 24th of July, all of the families were invited to the residence of Dr. Bernd
Fisher, the Consulate General of Germany at
Los Angeles, for a reception and welcome by
Dr. Fisher. There the families were all awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation from the
office of Councilman Tom LaBonge, and cosigned by Mayor Eric Garcetti. A big thank you
goes out to Dave Wagner and Juliette Brandolino from The Firemens Grapevine magazine,

Todd Leitz from MySafeLA, and Karen Wagener from The LAFD Foundation. All of these
individuals had a hand in the planning phases
of the exchange process and Todd Leitz also
hosted one of the chaperones in his home for
the two week stay. Kudos to all of these fine
people for their participation and support.

The relationships that were created
from this exchange will live forever. The
American families are now part of the German
families, thanks to the fire service. Next year,
we hope to do another exchange and this time,
we will send our children to Berlin to stay with
Berliner Fire families.

Stay tuned and get involved.

Paid Advertisements:

October 2014 11

Operational Question: The 1 handline

has become the automatic line of choice for most
companies on nearly all structure fires. With respect to SFDs, do you agree with this line of
thinking or is a 1 handline still a practical option?
CII Randy Yslas, FS48-B: The advantage of a 1 over that of a 1 is
primarily due to the added gpm. This
increased volume is a safety factor that
cannot be denied. If nozzle reaction
from the 1 becomes too difficult,
gating it down or adjusting the
stream pattern can help minimize
it. Benefits such as tighter bends
without kinking, less friction
when pulling, and withstanding
higher temperatures are design
features built into the 1 hose.

One benefit of the 125 gpm
nozzle is that it does not incorporate a cumbersome pistol grip.
The 1 pistol grip can, however, be
used as a handle or a hook when pulling. To me, SAFETY is the determining
factor. If a member selects a 1 thinking the 125 gpm nozzle will provide
adequate volume and he/she is wrong,
they would have little recourse - either
retreat or become overwhelmed. For this
reason alone I choose the 1 over a 1.

n this edition of KTW Captains Yslas,

Ferrari and Espinosa offer their thoughts on
the deployment of 1 vs 1 handlines,
as well as how to maintain credibility when one
does not possess a wide array of operational experience. Each of their responses are based on
a wealth of knowledge and experience, and can
serve as a primer in discussing similar issues
within your respective fire stations.

12 October 2014

CI Nick Ferrari, FS47-A: The 1 is

a viable option when battling fires in
SFDs. If properly managed, the 1
handline will provide adequate volume
to suppress fires in most small to medium size SFDs.
Equally important as HL selection is
a members knowledge and manipulative skill of the various HL themselves.
Every member is responsible for identifying the appropriate HL based principally on
fire load, involvement and potential. It does not
matter which HL is chosen if the selection criteria is flawed and/or you cannot manipulate it
effectively.

Bottom line - there is no one size fits
all solution. Members defaulting to a 1
who then become ineffective because of the

increased nozzle reaction must realize the

added volume is now pointless. The 1 has
historically been used on one-roomers and attic
fires with great success. With small to medium
size SFDs the 1 HL will provide sufficient
volume, is easily maneuvered and will afford
ample firepower if used properly.
CI Frank Espinosa, FS16- A: In my opinion a
1 is an option at some SFD fires. I feel there
are too many variables to dictate absolutes with
respect to HL selection such as: building size
and height, distance from apparatus, involvement, fire loads, etc. Most often, I want my
FFs to assess and decide when they arrive onscene.

A critical component in remaining flexible is an ongoing assessment of the fireground.
My crew may initially consider deploying a
1 and by the time they don their BAs and
run to the transverse bed, conditions have
changed that now dictate a 1. FFs must be
able to think on their feet to be most effective.

In many instances its not the volume
difference of the two HLs, but rather a members ability to safely and effectively ID, locate
and define the fire area that determines success.
While for many small to medium SFDs a 1
is practical, its overall effectiveness is dependent on a FFs ability to deploy and operate the
handline and NOT the line itself.

Leadership Question: As an officer, how do I stay

credible and legitimate with my command when
I dont have the operational experience and general knowledge as many of our seasoned officer?
Ferrari: In the absence of experience and with
a diminishing pool of seasoned officers to learn
from, it is incumbent upon all of us to seek
out training and take advantage of every opportunity to apply what is learned. You must
immerse yourself into every aspect of your position while also identifying the capabilities of
your members.

Early on I learned a valuable lesson
when supervising engineers, as I was not a
rated member myself. Just as they must trust
me as their officer, I too must trust their judgment in a position I never held. This is NOT a
blind trust, but rather a mutual trust founded in
a solid working relationship.


Many of the traits we need to succeed
are no different than those we look for in recruits. You must work hard while demonstrating integrity, consistency and passion. Its
imperative you lead by example and instill department value standards onto your commands.
Lastly, continue learning your craft and strive
to become a credible source and mentor to all
members.

Create a Legacy

Yslas: Credibility and legitimacy are not synonymous with operational experience and
knowledge. There is only one way to gain
experience and knowledge and that is self-explanatory in the words themselves.

The way to gain credibility and legitimacy is through hard work, humility and
honesty. Dont try to be someone youre not.
Instead, grow with your crew through training
on basics and performing the basics youve
trained on. Be consistent in managing your
crew so they know what to expect.

Finally, be courageous and lead from
the front. Do not be afraid to make unpopular
decisions as long as they are in the best interest of your crew, and NOT yourself. Credibility
and legitimacy are character traits not obtained
through experience and knowledge - they are
earned through dedication, determination and
diligence.
Espinosa: Maintaining credibility boils down
to being honest both with my command and
myself. I never want to paint a false picture
in regards to my knowledge, as my crew will
see right through that faade. You must strive
to be in a constant state of learning in an effort
to improve so you may best safeguard those
around you.

Truthfully assess your personal qualifications and focus on improving in areas you
are most deficient. Do not be afraid to critique
yourself, and more importantly share those lessons with your crew. This is something I constantly try to do as it strengthens my skills and
builds trust with my command.

Your stated expectations mean NOTHING if you do not abide by them. Always place
the needs of your crew before yours, even when
its inconvenient for you to do so. Remember;
your crew is constantly evaluating you, so lead
by example and strive to always do the right
thing.

The Eternal Flame Society is a special group of firefighters, family, friends and
supporters who have included a gift to the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemens
Fund in their Estate Plans.
Theyre visionary and uncommonly dedicated. Their kindness has helped our
firefighter families overcome unexpected challenges for more than a century.
We invite you to join these dedicated individuals helping to secure the future of
your firefighter family. With your help, the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemens
Funds second century will be as extraordinary as its first.
Planned gift arrangements include:
Bequest through a will
Gift through a living trust or other non-charitable trust
Gift of life insurance, real estate or other assets
Beneficiary designation in retirement plans

Next month in KTW: Captains Eric Thompson,

Mark Martinez and Ken Willahan will discuss
(1) how to redirect a multi-truck ventilation
operation when the actions of two teams differ, and (2) how to address members looking
to promote prior to being ready to take on that
particular position.
Disclaimer:The views expressed here do not
necessarily reflect those of LAFRA or the LAFD

For information call

Marlene Casillas, Relief Association Development & Marketing Director, at

(323) 259-5217 or email me at MCasillas@LAFRA.org
October 2014 13

lection time again is bearing down upon us. Elections are

a very important aspect for the life and health of your Relief Association. It is now time to nominate members of the
Association for the offices of six Active Trustees and one Pension
Trustee positions.
There will be six (6) Active Trustees elected at-large by Active
members and one (1) Pension Trustee, elected by Pension members,
for three year terms. If more than six actives run, the six with the
most votes will elected. If more than one pensioner runs, the one
with most votes will be elected. If no more than six active members
and no more than one pension member runs, there will be a white
ballot declared by the Board and those running will be deemed
elected.

As stated in the Bylaws, Article VII, Chapter I, Section 7136, The

Trustees shall attend all meetings of the Board, unless excused,
visit the sick and injured members in their respective districts,
report upon all matters coming within their scope of assignments and
responsibilities, and perform such other duties as may be assigned
to them by the Board.

The Trustees are the elected representatives of the membership of

the Association, who are responsible to their constituency and to
the Association as a whole. A conscientious effort must be made
by each Trustee to be knowledgeable of the Associations By-Laws
and their responsibilities to the members of the Association. The
Association is governed, and its business conducted by the Board
of Trustees. Dissemination of information relative to the Association and to its membership is conducted primarily by the Trustees.
Conversely, opinions, requests and suggestions are channeled to the
Board, through the Trustees. A close liaison with the membership is
paramount to the performance of the duties of a Trustee.
Nominations are open October 1 through October 15, and will
close at the end of the business day on October 15, 2014.
Only members of the Association in good standing may serve as
an Officeror Trustee. The commitment of a Trustee position is for
three years.
Please Mail, FAX or Email a letter in the following format, with
a recent picture of yourself and a short statement/bio, by close of
business on October 15, 2014.

I, _______________________________________, do hereby submit my name as a

candidate for the position of Active or Pension (circle one) Trustee on the Board
of Trustees of the Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association.

The letter is valid for the General Election of 2014. Mail or FAX to:
ANDREW KULJIS, SECRETARY
Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association
815 Colorado Blvd, 4th floor, Los Angeles CA 90041 FAX (323) 259-5204 AKULJIS@LAFRA.ORG

14 October 2014

n August 20, 2014, Fire Station 26 honored 25-year-old Purple Heart recipient Richard Carson, an Army Combat
Medic, for his brave service in the Zhari district of Afghanistan. While clearing a building
on a patrol, one of Carsons platoon members
stepped on an anti-personnel land mine and
was killed. Richard miraculously survived, but
unfortunately caught most of the shrapnel from
the blast. He lost large portions of his right calf
muscle and his right thigh, and both ear drums
were blown out. Richards hand was severely
injured requiring multiple surgeries to restore
as much function as possible. To date, he has
had 20 surgeries, most of them on his right
hand.

In addition to his physical injuries, he
suffers from PTSD, and has been given a service dog as a companion. Despite all the challenges he has faced and overcome, Richard
continues working to help others. He has estab-

lished a career as an LVN for a nursing facility, and is currently in school working toward
obtaining his bachelors degree in nursing.

During the course of the evening, the
Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, presented Specialist Richard Carson with
a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the
City of Los Angeles. Councilmember Herb
Wesson, Jr. attended to represent the 10th District. Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas and many of the
command staff were also present. Retired U.S.
General David H. Petraeus sent an inscribed
photograph to Richard expressing his gratitude
and admiration for his courage on the battlefield. Lastly, he was presented with his own
Fire Helmet Plaque by the crew at Fire Station
26, a fitting tribute since Richard had always
strived to serve as a firefighter.

Battalion 11 Chief Steve Ruda served
as master of ceremony, and long time friend
Andy Crawford from Fire Station 104 served

as a host family upon Richards arrival from

Spokane, Washington.

Richard said that he was humbled to be
chosen by the firefighters at 26s, and honored
that so many special guests and dignitaries
were present that evening. But the account of
Richards service and bravery will be forever
engrained in those who had the privilege of
meeting him that night. He will continue to be
an inspiring reminder of why we serve, and the
bravery that is essential to do so.

October 2014 15


Heres a story out of FS 10 - After extinguishing a structure fire at a three-story apartment building, Firefighter Steve Ortiz escorted
a family back into their small apartment so the
mother of six children could gather some of the

kids clothes for school the next day. Once inside he noticed the mother searching through
trash bags filled with neatly folded childrens
clothes. They did not even have dressers for
furniture. Troubled by this, Steve set out to
locate some furniture for this family in need.
After searching for six months he was able to
get some beautiful dressers and other items donated. The entire crew from FS 10 delivered the

FS 10 goes the extra mile

Task Force 3 joined hundreds of visitors of all ages,

other LAFD companies and allied agencies on August
16, 2014 for the 130th anniversary celebration of the
Plaza Firehouse, the LAFDs first fire station.

16 October 2014

furniture to the family of eight. As you could

imagine, the family was very touched and
grateful. Steve Ortiz was definitely not seeking
attention, but his deed was recognized by the
fire chief and commissioners in August. Hopefully this small yet powerful story will encourage us all to follow his example and go the extra mile to help others in need.

On 8/26/4, LF 35 was first on scene at

a greater alarm fire on Vermont Ave.
Photo by Rick McClure, EPN

On 08/14/14 Battalion 10 firefighters responded to a M.C.I. in the

16600 block of Ventura Blvd.

Greetings from the 6th Battalion. Not
much coming out of the stations down here,
though we do keep busy with the docks down
here. We always have to have Haz-Mat drills
because of the possibilities of leaks from containers. FF/PM Mike Meza from 112s keeps
his station on their toes with his drills all
the time. Remember the old Boy Scout motto,
Be Prepared, or was it, Dont leave the fuel
pump unattended? I cant remember which
one it was.

On the serious side, if you use social
media, and monitor the Union and/or Credit
Unions pages, you may have noticed a plea for
donations to the Fire Family Foundation. One
of our own, FF/PM Valerie Roberts at 112s is
fighting a long-term NIOD illness and could
use your help. Please make donations at https://
www.firefamilyfoundation.org and/or give her
a call and see if she needs some physical help like a ride to the store. In todays world of too
much SOD, you can spare a few dollars.

Well, until next time.

Photo by Steve Gentry

harborrats6@yahoo.com

October 2014 17

18 October 2014

Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association Medical Plan may

cover this examination. Contact your plan provider to verify.
Paid Advertisement:

Task Force 39 assisted Fire

3 with a one year old burn
victim on 8/11/14.
Photo by Steve Gentry

Eight companies handled

this structure fire on 9/7/14
at 6539 Gaviota Ave.
Photo by Steve Gentry

October 2014 19

On 8/23/14, firefighters extricated

the driver of an auto that rolled
over on the 5 Fwy.
Photo by Rick McClure, EPN

On 8/18/14, a car crashed into the

Little Caesars in 98s district.
Photo by Mike Meadows

20 October 2014

24s and 77s assist a driver on 8/9/14.

Photo by David DeMulle, The Foothills Paper

Engine 24 and RA 891 tend to injuries on 8/6/14.

Photo by David DeMulle, The Foothills Paper

Engine 24 and Glendale 28 attack an auto fire on 8/6/14.

Photo by David DeMulle, The Foothills Paper

October 2014 21

ANDORRA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

is a Registered Investment Advisor providing independent

investment management and financial planning services.

WHAT WE DO
We are investment counselors and
wealth managers.
As a Registered Investment Advisor, we utilize Charles Schwabs
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through the citys Deferred Compensation Plan. This allows our
clients to keep their funds within
the citys Deferred Compensation
Plan while having an independent
advisor oversee their assets.
For more information on using a financial advisor on Charles Schwabs
institutional platform, please visit:
www.riastandsforyou.com

OUR GOAL

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22 October 2014

CHOOSING A FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Our interests are clearly aligned with our clients, prudently
growing your assets. We gladly accept the role of acting as a fiduciary. When choosing an investment advisor make sure that the
individual or firm you are considering will accept the fiduciary
designation and is a Registered Investment Advisor
Total Independence We are client focused and completely
independent, which means we do not have an interest in advocating a particular broker or investment companys products. We
actively seek out investments from a very broad opportunity set
that will best serve our clients interest.
We do not suffer from what industry observers have dubbed
agency issues. These issues arise when the investment advisors
interests are not aligned with those of their clients. Being independent means we are not beholden to an overgrown financial
firm that is incentivized to sell its own products to clients.
For more information on choosing an investment advisor, visit:
www.sec.gov/investor/pubs.invadisers.htm

CONTACT KURT STABEL, ACTIVE LAFD MEMBER

Kurt is the founder of Andorra Investment Management, Inc. and a
graduate of USC with a B.S. in business. He annually attends numerous
conferences on financial management, has previously managed over
$600 million in client assets for another investment advisor, is the
past elected police & fire representative board member for L.A. Citys
Deferred Compensation Plan and has served on the board of many
charitable organizations.
Office Address:
Office Phone:
Office Fax:

5941 Naples Plaza

Long Beach, CA 90803
562.433.1400
Email:
562.683.2683
Web:

kurt@ai-mgmt.com
www.ai-mgmt.com


Greetings from the Battalion that never
sleeps!

A year has come and gone and so has
the title for the Lane Kemper Softball Tournament Champions. It didnt have to travel far as
it went from last years champions FS 46 all
the way over to this years champions FS 33.
Fortunately some of the members who werent
allowed to play in some of the games (championship game) were again able to participate
in the picture event. Thanks to all who participated in the tournament and thanks for keeping
it in Battalion 13! See you out there again next
year and good luck to all!

As Im sure that most of you around the
Battalion know, every major holiday either a
huge catered dinner or a gift card with funds to
buy a huge dinner usually shows up. Now since
these things dont just magically appear, theres
obviously some planning involved and thats
where Battalion 13s Honorary Chief Angela
Evans steps in. In addition to the great meals,
shes also been at the forefront of getting exercise equipment and other needs at our various
stations. Recently Honorary Chief Evans and
her staff was invited over to FS 64 for a luncheon in their honor. After a quick welcome,
everybody gathered around the kitchen table to
get to know each other and enjoy some great
pulled pork sandwiches with all the trimmings
thanks to Engineer Garcia, the chef-du-jour.
This luncheon allowed members to give our
Battalion sponsors a true taste of what station
life really is, including a few runs during lunch
for authenticities sake. It also gave the crew
an opportunity to thank our Honorary Chief
Angela Evans, her staff, and the Crenshaw
Christian Center on behalf of all Battalion 13
members for all of the support throughout the
years. Thank you for supporting the Battalion
that never sleeps and we are forever grateful for
all that you do for us!

As most of you have seen by now, we
now have another helmet. So along with our
genius plan of the three-boot system, threeglove system, two sets of turnouts system (only
if you came on after 2006 - now most of those
are out of date anyway), we now have the twohelmet system. Great - more stuff to store on an
already over-packed apparatus. And when are
we supposed to wear these? Wires down like
DWP? The campaign brush fires we have
on the freeway? At least theyre shaped like a
target for when the helicopters do water drops
on the freeway? And it only took a month and
two tries to figure out that we decided to do our
numbering system different than every other
department in the world who also wears these
helmets . . . i.e. CALFire, US Forest Service,
BLM. You know, Brush Firefighting Agencies.

It may seem like money well spent until you

open your eyes, realize that not every idea is a
good idea, and that the money could have probably been used on something else that we actually use everyday . . . like one of the three boots
in the system . . . just sayin

Theres a new House Dues Sheriff
in town! Over at 57s, the old house dues guy
left, so somebody had to step up and become
the new house dues guy! This is not a small
task to take over, especially since the last
house dues guy did such a great job. After assessing the needs and wants of the station, the
new house dues guy made his way to the store
and purchased the items that were written on
the list. Most of them anyways. The next shift
he brought the goods in and as the guys were
putting them away, everybody seemed happy.
Various spices including Ancho chili powder check . . . an unusually large amount of
cereals-check . . . ice cream drumsticks for the
world-check . . . salad dressings to fit everyones needs check . . . nope . . . Apparently
one of the popular dressings at 57s is Thousand Island but since FF Moffatt doesnt personally care for the dressing, he refused to buy
it for house dues. I guess his personal house
dues motto is, All for one and one for only

what I like. The good news is that if the guys

are still hungry because they dont have enough
house dues items, they can always head over to
$4 - errrrr - $4.50 Burger Just the story I
heard.

Over at 64s theres been word of a new
trend in the water replenishment department.
With the weather being so warm lately, usually
someone will brew some iced tea or make a big
batch of Gatorade to really quench the thirst.
Recently one of the guys brought in some veggies from his garden to be used for cooking.
This included an assortment of cucumbers and
squash to choose from. Not all of them were
used for the meal, so one of the guys became
fairly inventive and made a twist on normal
water by cutting up some cucumber slices and
adding it to the water. As the saying goes with
firefighters, if one is good, then a ton is better.
So after adding one cucumber, he added another, and another, and another until someone finally came into the kitchen and asked him why
he was adding squash to the water? After a few
minutes of debate and a full verification process by everyone within earshot, FF Newton
realized his error and . . . left the jug full of cucumber, squash, ice, and water. I hear the local
spas are looking into this as the newest trend of

Task Force 33 extricated a victim from an overturned vehicle

at Broadway and Gage on 8/10/14.
Photos by Jeff Zimmerman

October 2014 23

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24 October 2014

TO SIGN UP CONTACT:

RAY MAYO 310.782.4949 EMAIL MOKIMAYO2@AOL.COM

DAVE ZAR FS49 : PETE XENIOS
WILD BILL JAMES FS64 : JIM TSAROFSKI
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DONT FORGET TO TELL

THE RETIRED GUYS!

cleansing. And just for clarification, cucumbers

arent usually spiky and yellow -just sayin.

Over at 46s, they say theres an epidemic of babies going on. Some say there
might be something in the water, but I think
its because its a Battalion full of younger individuals. Im pretty sure that Battalion 6 isnt
having this same epidemic. Congratulations
to FF/PM Jose Paz and his wife Sandra, who
welcomed their first son Ezra Manuel Paz on
July 30th at 7lbs 15oz and 21 long. Not to be
outdone, FF Brad Ibanez and his wife Amanda
brought a new baby boy into the world on August 16th at 5lbs 4oz and 18.25 long. Congrats
to both families and good luck at home.

This months shout-out goes to Captain Caceres from FS 33. While Captain Caceres has been assigned all over the city at busy
stations, it was no surprise that he took a FF
spot one day at FS 9. Instead of pulling rank
and demanding to be on the fire side, he
jumped on his spot on RA 809 and allowed one
of the in-house guys to stay on his fire side.
Nice work and thanks for not pulling the typical RHIP. Keep up the good work!

One last bit of good news, I hear that
Captain Hill has returned to duty! Its good
news because his injury is better and hes able
to return to full duty. Also good news because

Baby Ibanez

Im sure stories are soon bound to be in the

hopper...

Finally, Im sure that youve heard
about the Cold Water Challenge fundraiser
that started off for Fallen Firefighter Funds
and now has transitioned to ALS awareness.
Recently, the LAFD came out with a policy
regarding the goodwill and nature that is what
the fire service is all about - helping others.
The new policy states that we SHALL NOT
do this challenge while on-duty, in uniform, or
on City property. The reason given is that we
may not be able to respond to calls and that it
may be perceived as horseplay. Is this any different than if we were in the shower or in the
restroom when the tones went off? Or eating
dinner or working out? And Im pretty sure that
donating to any cause will never be perceived
as horseplay. Anyways, I hope that everybody
continues this trend of donating to any cause by
pouring ice cold water over your head, walking
for a cure, or fundraising for charity, just make
sure you do it off duty. You wouldnt want to
give anybody the perception that we firefighters do good things........

OK, thats all Ive got! Keep taking
care of one another. Stay safe and remember
that 2+2 makes sense, play nice, know your audience, get a cool nickname, figure out which

formula to use before the media gets ahold of

it, you get out what you put in, FI-1, read
the label, if youre tired sleep in, when in need
of a driver call an already overworked 800 to
do your job, watch out for irony, dont fumble
Tradition, take 1st relief so you can go back to
sleep, never Stand By, check boxes for politics always beat common sense, when you have
the opportunity to do the right thing, take the
EIT spot instead!, a # makes everything seem
much nicer, if it rains and you dont feel like doing your job, just journalize it, when you need
to go to the DMV, wear your uniform, when
on-scene of a traffic accident, wait 45 minutes
to ask if everybody is ok and see where that
gets you!, show up late to your own ceremony,
a bad idea is still a BAD idea, water drops for
all brush, call out an already overworked 800
to keep your shield available, answer only a
text instead of a phone call if what youre about
to do is the wrong thing, house dues gets what
house dues wants, cucumber and squash is the
newest trend in water, and finally, beware of
your perception even if youre doing a good
thing. Glad to see that some of you are following my advice!

Keep sending your stories to:
wattsfire@gmail.com

Ezra Manuel Paz

CT:

OM

S49
S48
S6 3
S88

FS 64 with Chief Angela Evans

Lane Kemper Softball Champs

October 2014 25

TF 87 rights a wrong way driver at Balboa and Plummer. Photo by Greg Doyle

Paid Advertisement:
Firefighters responded to a collision in the Newhall Pass that took
two lives on August 22, 2014. Photo by Greg Doyle

26 October 2014

Paid Advertisement:

Brooklyn Sierra Landis, with mom, FF/PM Jenifer from FS 70-C.

Sweet Brooklyn was born on 8/1/14, weighing 7lb 12 oz and 20 long.

Companies extinguished a fire in one unit

on Napa St on 8/4/14. Photo by Greg Doyle

On 8/28/14, companies worked a Major Emergency fire in an apartment building at 5330 Lindley Ave in Encino. Photos by Chris Conkle

Send your stories and photos directly to your Battalion News writer
or to the editor at editor@lafra.org

October 2014 27

Paid Advertisement:

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1-866-213-8686 HondaofLosAngeles.com
28 October 2014

y computer crashed. More specifically, my hard drive died and to

make things worse, the computer
guy I took it to told me he couldnt recover any
of my data. He also assumed that I had backed
up all my files and important information. I
had not. So I had to take my dead hard drive
to a company that specialized in data recovery.
They told me if the recovery process was impossible then no fee would be charged. However, if the data was recovered then I would be
charged $300. Its times like this when I wish I
had sat in the correct TV chair, to have absorb
all the essential knowledge, wisdom and skills
needed for the CII promotional interview.

So, after waitin five agonizin days, I
was notified that all my data had been successfully recovered. Whew, that was close.

So whats worse - inflamed hemorrhoids or a broken computer? Id rather have
the hemorrhoids. Like it or not, Im attached to
my computer. Not havin the ability to do my
bankin was the hard part and like a drug, I actually went through withdrawals, with severe
periods of anxiety, migraine headaches and depression. Of course you should have seen me
when our microwave died. How in the heck do
I make my instant coffee?

Finally, my computer seemed to be
workin fine, except for my email. After talkin
for 20 minutes with someone in Malaysia and
getting nowhere, I called my computer guy
who told me I probably signed in to my email
with the wrong user name. I then signed on
with the correct information and bingo, I was
made whole again.

You know, I spent way more time than
I wanted, but when I finally got everythin workin again I felt like I had come out of rehab.
My headaches disappeared, my appetite returned, my blood pressure went back down and
I actually walked around with a smile on my
face.

I dont have nine lives and if this ever
happens again, well, I may not survive. You
know, Im goin to contact the Relief Association and get the insurance code so if this does
happen again I can file a medical claim!

COWBOY HUMOR
A few minutes before the
church services started the
congregation was seated in
their pews and talkin.
Suddenly, Satan appeared
at the front of the church.
Everyone started screamin
and runnin for the entrance,
tramplin each other in a
frantic effort to get away from the evil incarnate.

Soon the church was empty except for
one elderly cowboy who sat calmly in his pew
without movin, seemingly oblivious to the fact
that Gods ultimate enemy was in his presence.

So Satan walked up to the man and
said, Do you know who I am?

The old cowboy replied, Yep, sure
do.

Arent you afraid of me? Satan asked.

Nope, sure aint said the cowboy.

Dont you realize I can kill you with
one word? asked Satan.

Dont doubt it for a minute, returned
the old cowboy, in an even tone.

Dont you know I can cause you profound, horrifyin agony for all eternity? persisted Satan.

Yep, was the calm reply.

And you are still not afraid? asked
Satan.

Nope, said the old cowboy.

More than a little perturbed, Satan
asked, Why arent you afraid of me?

The old cowboy calmly replied, Been
married to you sister for 48 years.
KEEP SMILIN!
AC
choppedup@att.net

On August 16, 2014, family,
friends and members of the LARFPA attended a celebration of life for LARFPA
board member Richard Green in North
Hills. Speaking on behalf of the Board of
Directors and membership, Director William O Gartland expressed the boards
sincere feelings of loss, and gratitude for
Richards many years of service to the citizens of Los Angeles, and then to the retired
firefighters and police officers.

Richard (Dick) Green

Born: July 12, 1923 - July 27, 2014 E.O.W.

October 2014 29

STRUCTURE FIRE
North Hollywood

Photos by Mike Meadows

It took nearly 120 firefighters less than an

hour to fully control flames that consumed
Hy-Grade Food Supply in 7400 block of
Fulton Avenue on August 15, 2014.

30 October 2014

GARAGE FIRE
Mission Hills

Photos by Rick McClure, EPN

On August 24, 2014, companies found a garage on the alley behind

11251 Haskell Ave well involved. One adult male was burned while
trying to fight the fire. The cause was under investigation.

October 2014 31

BRUSH FIRE
Van Nuys

Photos by Mike Meadows & Greg Doyle

More than 125 firefighters battled

a brush fire that erupted within
the Sepulveda basin on August
22, 2014, scorching 30 acres. A
10 mph southerly wind began
blowing embers, creating several
spot fires. Firefighters attacked
the flames with hose-lines and
hand tools, in nearly 90 degree
weather. Multiple helicopters, including the Erickson Air-Crane,
performed precise water drops.

32 October 2014

STRUCTURE FIRE
South Los Angeles

Photos by Jeff Zimmerman, EPN

An assignment was dispatched to

98th and Figueroa for a fire in a
75x75 foot commercial building
in the early morning hours of August 18, 2014. Fire was confined
to one of three units - a liquor
store. Firefighters found the fire
in the rear of the store in the mezzanine area.

October 2014 33

or those of you that dont know, when

an LAFD firefighter is injured, the entire
department and their families become involved. I heard stories through the years about
our fire family but I never truly understood
what it meant until my husband, Justin Lusk
from FS 21, was injured on duty.

It was like most weekdays in the Lusk
household. Coffee brewed while my 6 year
old slept beside me as she often did when my
husband was at work. My phone on my bedside table buzzed. I saw the blocked number
and thought another early work call. This can
wait until after my shower. I was eight months
pregnant and more tired than usual due to our
recent move.

Little did I know I would miss five
more calls in the next few minutes. Then our
landline started ringing and I knew in an instant
something was wrong. I answered immediately
and the voice on the other end was familiar and
strange at the same time.

Im OK said my husband in a distant,
raspy voice. Something was very wrong. The
next voice I heard was that of an EMS Captain
who explained that my worst fear had come to
pass. The roof collapsed during a structure fire
and my husband went down with it. He was in
the ICU.

Time stood still as the captain informed
me of the details. My husband was badly
burned and I needed to come to the hospital.
He arranged transportation for which I was so
grateful because I was in a state of shock. I left
my daughter with my mom and began the journey from Camarillo to downtown LA in morning rush hour traffic. The EMS Captain who
drove helped me stay calm by sharing stories
and making small talk.

When we arrived he escorted me to
the ICU. As the elevator doors opened I was
overwhelmed by a sea of uniforms. So many
unfamiliar faces standing by to show their support. Hands reached out to shake mine and eyes
of sympathy looked upon me. Inside my husband was all wrapped in gauze - his hands were
covered completely. We hugged tightly and I
thanked God he was alive.

I then began to meet some of the LAFD
personnel that would become our guardian
angels during this difficult time. A chaplain
for LAFD reached out his warm hand and ex-

34 October 2014

plained that he was there to help us and to communicate with all those who would be stopping
by. I had no idea how many people would visit
that day and in the following days.

I stood by my husbands side as firefighters citywide shuffled in and out of his
room. They offered support and listened to his
tale of survival. The most impactful visit was
that of his own shift and captain. They had
just fought a ferocious structure fire, narrowly
escaping their own injuries and witnessed my
husbands fall. Anyone in their right mind

Then our landline

started ringing and
I knew in an instant
something was wrong.

would expect them to go home to their families. Instead, they were visiting us. As I reached
out to hug his captain I could smell the smoke
of the fire. When I looked at his crew of brothers I could see the toll this experience took on
them. It meant so much to me that they were
there, and to my husband as well. He lit up
when they walked into his room - they were
bonded in this crisis.

The help we received from the EMS
Captain and chaplain was a gift I will never
forget. I remember thinking to myself, how
do people get through a crisis like this when
theyre not part of the LAFD? Who is there to
help ask questions, to bring in a chair when you
need it because youve been standing at the
bedside so long, or give a hug and tell you it
will be alright when the fear takes over? We
received all this and more.

To my surprise, my husband was released from the hospital that night covered
in Mepilex and gauze. With a script for pain
medication in hand, I was trying to figure out
how to get us home and where to fill the script.
That is until the men from his station told me
that they would drive my husbands truck home
while my husband and I were chauffeured in
the 800. They even stopped at a pharmacy to
fill his medication for the night.

The following day I received a call from
my husbands captain. He informed me that he
was concerned about my husbands injuries
and had made an appointment at the Grossman Burn Center. We learned at Grossman that
he had 3rd degree burns that required surgery.
My husband spent the next 10 days there going through debriding treatments, skin graft
surgeries and hyperbaric chamber sessions all
the while LAFD always making sure we were
taken care of. Let me just say that there are
definitely angels working at Grossman as well.

LAFRA helped me and my daughter
stay in comfort at a nearby hotel so we didnt
have to commute daily to the hospital. We
continued to receive visits day and night from
members of the LAFD. Every visitor seemed to
come bearing gifts. It was Thanksgiving week
and we even had a huge Thanksgiving feast
brought to the hospital. There was enough food
to feed all the nurses as well.

As the days passed I was asked several
times by members at 21s what we needed.

When they found out about the state of the

babys room, they told me they were forming
a work party. They asked me to pick paint colors. Shortly after my husband returned home
the first work party arrived. The A shift arrived fresh off their shift and they came ready
to work. Doors were removed and primer and
paint went up in both my daughters room and
the babys room. Christmas lights were hung
and an enormous Christmas tree was erected in
our living room. They even strung the lights for
us. My heart leapt with joy at the thought of my
daughter having some normalcy for Christmas.

The job was so great it couldnt be
done in one day, so the B shift came to finish
the job. Doors were put back, rods and curtains
hung, and then the babys crib was put together.
Theres nothing more comforting to a pregnant
woman than seeing her babys room prepped
and ready. They even washed our vehicles and
organized our garage.

Before my husbands injury he had begun a project of building a changing table, but
it sat in our garage unfinished. 21s took it back
to the station and put the finishing touches on
it. My husband and I were overwhelmed with
the outreach we received and the time and hard
work everybody put into helping our family.

Just when I thought we couldnt possibly receive more help, I was informed that
our friend at 21s started a web page for us on
Take Them a Meal. People were signing up
to bring us dinners. The list filled up so quickly
that we had someone coming every night for a
month. Each night we met people who wanted
to help us. Words cant express what it feels
like to meet a stranger who just drove for an
hour to bring you a meal that they cooked for
you at home. These meals were elaborate and
mouthwatering good. And with each new meal,
and hand shake or hug we had a deeper faith in
God and humanity - there were days when my
husband and I were brought to tears.

One day my doorbell rang and there
before me stood a member of LAFD and his
family with huge boxes of diapers, baby wash,
diaper cream, gift cards and homemade cards
his daughters made for my husband. It felt like
guardian angels were visiting daily bringing
gifts to help our family.

With each visit we healed more as a
family and our hearts opened wider with the
generosity that streamed in. Some firefighters
again arrived at our house with a recliner from
the station. They knew my husband couldnt
sleep in his bed due to his injuries. It touched us
deeply and my husband slept in his chair every
night.

Men came from other stations as well.
We couldnt get over their generosity and
goodwill especially during such a busy time
of year. You might expect people to be caught
up in holiday plans and shopping. Instead they
were thinking of us and coming up with ways
to help our family.

Miraculously my husband made a full
recovery and regained full use of his hands. The
friends and members of LAFD transformed our
worst days into days filled with awe and lightheartedness. We wanted to share this experience with everyone in the department to pay
homage to these outstanding people and also
to remind everyone of the great power there is
in the brother and sisterhood within the department.

We can move mountains together. We
can overcome the worst adversities and come
out stronger than before. Ive seen the greatness of this department with my own eyes. Its
because of this that I can sleep at night with my
husband back on duty facing the same dangers.
We would welcome the opportunity to give
back to someone in need the way the people in
the department gave to us. We promise to pay it
forward and we thank you from the bottom of
our hearts.

I leave you with a thought to carry with
you. Remember to hug your loved ones every
day and dont sweat the small stuff. We never
know what may come with each new shift and
in a few seconds everything can change. We
pray for you all to remain safe and we wish you
all a life as blessed as ours.

October 2014 35

Paid Advertisement

36 October 2014

ecently several websites

and individuals have been
putting out information concerning the case entitled Fry v. City of Los Angeles. Fry is the case brought against the City
of Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Retired Fire
and Police Association (LARFPA) and four of
its members. (The case has been identified as
Fry by the courts because that is the last name
of the first individual specifically named in the
lawsuit.) The information presented here will
serve to better and more accurately explain the
current status of the case.

LARFPA brought suit against the City
challenging two ordinances passed by the City
Council in 2011 impacting the retiree nonMedicare health subsidy (retiree health subsidy) administered by the Los Angeles Fire
and Police Pension System. On July 28, 2014,
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joanne
ODonnell handed down a ruling on Fry.

Judge ODonnell ruled that the ordinance implementing a freeze of the retiree
health subsidy for members not agreeing to
pay an additional two percent in pension contributions was an illegal impairment of a vested
pension benefit under state law. In her ruling, ODonnell stated that a writ would issue
against the City on this issue. (A writ is an order requiring the losing party to take an action.
In this case the order would be to overturn the
freeze.)

The City tried to defend the freeze by
pointing to the opt-in window the City offered during which time members in Tiers 1

through 5 could
buy back an unfrozen
retiree health subsidy by making an
additional two-percent pension contribution.
Judge ODonnell ruled that the opt-in offer
did not save the freeze because the opportunity
to buy back a vested right did not offer members any new advantage to offset the impact
of the freeze. However, the judge said that she
would not order the City to pay back the 2%
contributions already made. Instead, she referred that part of the case to a different court.
The other court will decide whether the City
has to refund the two percent contributions already collected from members who opted in.

Judge ODonnell also stated in her ruling that the retiree health subsidy was indeed
a vested pension benefit, as the LARFPA has
publically stated from the beginning.

Finally, the judge refused to order the
City to guarantee future increases in the retiree
health subsidy. Instead she stated the discretion
to provide future increases would remain with
the Board of Fire and Police Pension Commissioners.

As of August 28, 2014, Judge
ODonnell has not issued the actual writ. The
LARFPA, through its attorney, has asked Judge

ODonnell to issue a writ that does

two things: (1) directs
the Board of Fire and Police Pension
Commissioners to set future retirement health
subsidy levels without regard to the invalid
freeze ordinance, and (2) stops the City from
continuing to collect two percent salary contributions from members who opted in. The City
and the Pension Department have filed papers
stating that only the first itemsetting future
subsidy levels without regard to the freeze-should be included in any writ. Once a writ
issues, the City can appeal it to a higher court.

Once a writ issues, the LARFPA will
notify our members immediately.

The Los Angeles Retired Fire and Police Association is made up of dues paying
retired members and active members with 20
or more years of service. The LARFPA is the
only organization dedicated to protecting the
pension rights and benefits of both active and
retired members of the Los Angeles Fire and
Police Pension System.

October 2014 37

At the Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association, we are committed

to bringing you health care and other benefits that you can count
on. We are dedicated to providing excellent service and design our
benefits by focusing on the needs of our members.
Coverage is available nationwide through our extensive PPO network
or use any service provider
Preventive care is covered at 100%
All co-pays are waived during the first 30 days following a covered
accident or injury
Long-Term Care Coverage for qualifying participants

Sign Up During Open Enrollment

In October

Look for enrollment details in the mail.

FOR MORE INFORMATION call 323.259.5200 x222 or x223

Visit us at www.lafra.org

38 October 2014

Los Angeles City Firefighters Golf Club

2015 Golf Club Membership

This information notice is directed to prospective new members, active or retired L.
A. City firefighters, who would like to join our golf club. Applications for membership will
be accepted from September 1st through December 1st, 2014. The dues for the membership are $75.00 per year. This will entitle the member to participate in all LAFD Golf Club
functions, which includes two to three one-day tournaments per month, two major tournaments (the Memorial Club Championship in April and the Partners Championship at the
Singing Hills at Sycuan Resort in September, and four Southern California Firefighters
Golf Association major tournaments (Palm Springs in March, Primm Resort (Nevada) in
May, Lake Tahoe in August, and Pebble Beach in November). It will also establish a handicap index with the Southern California Golf Association.

To apply, please send a check for $75.00 made out to the LAFD Golf Club. Or
register at our website at: http://www.lafdgc.com

Click on the new member link and fill out the application. The information will
be forwarded to me for processing. If you decide to use regular mail please include a
short note with your present assignment, home address, phone number, email address, your
member number and club name (if a member of another club), and any scorecards from the
last six months to establish a starting handicap. Mail this information to:
Noel Murchet
16301 Gentry Lane
Huntington Beach, Ca. 92647
Cell Phone #714-330-3477
Email:murchet@earthlink.net

n August 28th, Randy Souza and Gary Klasse put on the annual
partners tournament at Los Serranos Golf Course in Chino Hills.
We had 48 players in three flights on the South course which was
a great tune up for the Singing Hills Tournament that Noel Murchet put
on September 16-18. The weather was great and the scores were low. A
good time was had by everybody.
PRIZE MONEY
PAYOUT FOR A FLIGHT
1ST PLACE NET - $100 - Dan Costa & Paul Gamez - 62
2ND PLACE NET - $75 Todd Tsujimura & Larry Kemp - 63
3RD PLACE NET - $50 Ray Peralta & Buzz Clark - 64
4TH PLACE NET - $25 Tim Crass & Randy Ryan - 65
PAYOUT FOR B FLIGHT
1ST PLACE NET - $100 Tom Teora & Micky Diaz - 60
2ND PLACE NET - $75* - Brad Grossman & Mike Monroy - 62
3RD PLACE GROSS - $50 Raul Cabrera & Bruce Bickly - 62
4TH PLACE GROSS - $25 Dave Baiz & Mike Alba - 64
PAYOUT FOR B FLIGHT
1ST PLACE NET - $100* Ruben Gonzalez & Robert Espinoza - 52
2ND PLACE NET - $75 Barry Hedberg & Glen Prine - 52
3RD PLACE GROSS - $50* - Terry Depacht & Mike Neu -59
*ALL PLAYOFFS WERE ON THE SCORECARDS BACK 9

October 2014 39

40 October 2014

by Mike Mastro, President/CEO

Firefighters First Credit Union

am often asked what the difference is between a bank and a credit union. The answer is that they provide many of the same
products and services, but they are philosophically different.

A bank is a for-profit institution owned
by investors (stockholders) and they try to maximize profitability for those investors. A credit
union is a not-for-profit institution owned by its
members that works to improve their members
financial lives.

There is a difference between being an
investor (stockholder) and being a member.
Stockholders of a bank can be large or small,
but either way they want the highest rate of
return for their investment. Members own the
credit union and have a stake in its success. So
you not only receive the credit unions legendary service built on the pillars of honesty, integrity, and trust, but you also have the opportunity to receive the competitive rates on loans,
and yields on savings accounts. Members also
have a say in the leadership of the credit union
as they vote for the Board of Directors.

While the core similarity between
banks and credit unions is to provide financial
products and services to help you save and
borrow money, they also offer a host of convenience services so that you have access to
your accounts. Yet, a major philosophical difference remains. At banks, the profits go back
to stockholders, and at credit unions, the profits
go back to its members.

Unique among financial institutions,
Firefighters First rewards its members with Ex-

traordinary Dividend Bonuses (on savings) and

Interest Refunds (on loans). At the discretion of
the Board, a year-end payout is based on your
relationship with us. The more you bank with
us, the greater the reward. Last year, Firefighters First members received more than $3 million in CASH-BACK.

Example 1: You pay $4,000 in interest
for the year on a loan you have with the Credit
Union. Based on 2013 Interest Refund payouts,
you would have received a refund of 6.5% or
$260 of that interest.

Example 2: You have $100,000 in
a share certificate and it earns a 2% yield or
$2,000. Based on 2013 Extraordinary Dividend
Bonus payouts, you would have received an
additional 43% of the $2,000 already earned or
an extra $860.

When was the last time you heard of
a bank doing that? You havent! Because they
dont.

We offer a broad array of products and
services to meet your banking needs. We have
a business services program that is second to
none. We offer commercial and business loans,
business Visa accounts, and more. We have investment counseling and investment purchasing. We also have insurance services at reasonable costs and rates as well. Plus, we have a
virtually no-fee approach. Free ATMs and very
little in terms of service charges that banks
would typically charge.

Why? We do it because you are a member/owner. Our Board of Directors and management team strongly believe in the idea of

member owners, not just in words but also in

action and deeds. We call our members our Fire
Family its really the foundation of what we
do here at the Credit Union.

At the end of the day, credit unions
were founded on the philosophy of people
helping people. Credit union membership is
an exceptional deal that the big banks cant offer. At Firefighters First, we are proud to carry
on the tradition of firefighters helping firefighters. Through our exclusive membership, we
want to be there for you and all of your financial needs, the same way you are there for all of
us. To learn more about the Credit Union, visit
us online at www.firefightersfirstcu.org, stop
by a local office, or call us at (800) 231-1626.
Well be glad to help.
The more business we do
together as a Fire Family,
the greater the financial reward
will be for all of us.
Have a safe month!

Mike Mastro
Material provided is for your information and convenience only. For
specific legal advice, consult with a qualified professional. Your credit
card issuer can also provide you with disclosure information for any
included benefits.

October 2014 41

Yearly vision exams can

reveal a lot about your health
With the Relief PPO Medical Plan, its only a $10
co-pay when you use in-network VSP providers

Schedule your appointment today

Locate a provider at vsp.com or (800) 877-7195

*Plan coverage as of 7-1-14; all benefits subject to change.

Paid Advertisements:

42 October 2014

Visit FiremensRelief.org for more info

n 8/31/2014 my husband, Capt. Raul

Miranda retired from the LAFD with
over 33 years of service. When I found
out that he would only be working 12 hours on
his last day, I began to plan something special
to celebrate his last shift.

If you know Raul, you know what a
great guy he is, so I wanted that day to be memorable. I decided to surprise him with a party
bus filled with twenty of his firefighter friends.

After a nice prime rib dinner (his favorite) prepared by his crew, the party bus arrived. He
was so surprised and told me later it was a day
he will never forget.

Special thank you to the on-duty crew
at 28s, especially Dan Mehterian for helping
me coordinate the surprise, and to Bob Conti
for taking great photos. Thanks also to Capt.
Joe Flores for early relief that day and to Metro
Fire for the retirement announcements.

To all our friends and family who
joined us on the bus, I cant thank you enough.
You truly made the day memorable for Raul.
He loved his LAFD career.

After 23 years of marriage I love him
more than the day I married him. Im going to
really enjoy having my husband home every
day. Im looking forward to this new chapter in
our lives.

Thank you LAFD.

October 2014 43

t was a balmy evening up on the hill, the

Sunday before Labor Day last. Perfect for
a last shift rounding out a 34 year career.
Perfect for a last firehouse meal might as well
invite your family and your good friends and
co-workers. It turned out to be quite a crowd
that gathered at FS 109 to munch on tacos and
well wish Gary Zieger into retirement.

Gib Martin, the emcee for the festivities, walked to the podium without any help
- which was really quite a feat considering he
had his first bionic knee installed just a few
weeks prior. Gary readily acknowledges that he
refused recruitment to 109s until Gib sat him
down for a fatherly, heart-to-heart tongue lashing.

Dennis Mendenhall was the first to
present he handled the retirement badge on
behalf of LAFRA. Dennis was the A/Zero at
old 66s when Gary came through on his rookie
rotation.

Bob Milhauser was the TFC at 72s
when Gary finally made it out to the Valley.
He presented the UFLAC axe plaque and an
old style helmet shield that he purloined a few
years back. Rick Denning, the other half of the
dynamic-duo command team, got up later and
presented everyone with words of appreciation
for the years spent in the front seat with Gary.

Rich Williams said that he first met
Gary in Fire Science class at Valley College and then didnt see him again until years later
on-scene of a fire. He later recruited Gary to
107s, and then promptly abandoned him there
for greener pastures. Rich also forked over the
City Certificate of Appreciation and the 30 year
pin.

Ray Hoffman stood in as rep for the
CSFA and then Bruce Teasdale came up to
thumb through Garys PRB. Bruce told of the
many times he had to remind Gary that, even
though Gary was a couple of heads taller than
everyone, the captain was still in charge. He
also spoke of, as did a few others, how much
he and the crew appreciated the stellar effort
Gary put into his famous Lemon Chicken every
single time he cooked.

The guys from 109s came up to bestow
a retirement gift upon their over-sized chauffer.
Steve Schrobsdorf explained that Gary already
had every tool known to modern man, so they
had to get creative. They thought about a new
chicken recipe book but decided instead on a
scope to help him improve his plinking skills.

44 October 2014

Garys daughters, Karen and Kelly
(wife of Sean Welch at FS 91) took their turns
at the podium, reminiscing about holidays at
the firehouse and all the other cool things that
go along with being a firemans kid. They gave
dad (with the help of grand-daughter Taralynn) a painting of a fire helmet and a replica
of a turn-of-the 20th century leather fire helmet
made by Sam Brown (who generously advertises every month in the Grapevine but says he
never gets any calls from the ad).

Gary was the final speaker for the
evening. He graciously thanked everyone for
showing up for his dinner, and for showing him
camaraderie and respect over his long career.
But I will leave you with a list that wife Barbara presented to her husband as part of her
loving tribute just a few minutes prior. These
are a few of the ten reasons why she is happy
that Gary is retiring:
9. His alarm clock will no longer go off at
4:50 am.
7. No more calls from Gary at the firehouse saying, Its going to rain, so go to Home
Depot and get the biggest tarp you can find and
cover that construction hole in the roof.
6. Cant wait to add Gary to the home
cooking rotation (I guess Barb actually likes
his Lemon Chicken!)
5. Hell be home for all the holidays.
1. Now at the end of each day when she
shuts off the porch light and walks down the
hall to go to sleep Gary will be there too!
Gary and Barbara wishing you a long, happy
and healthy retirement!

RAUL MIRANDA, Captain I, FS 28-A

JORGE OSTROVSKY, Firefighter/Paramedic, FS 69-A

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2014

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2014

The Odyssey Restaurant

15600 Odyssey Drive, Granada Hills CA

Jorges house
3947 Crownhaven Court, Newbury Park CA

Social Hour: 11:30 AM

Dinner: 6:00 PM

Luncheon: 12:30 PM

$40 per person includes tax, tip & gift

No cost - Taco Wagon

Call FS 28 - (818) 368-3568 or

Terry - (805) 230-0033 (call or text)
RSVP by October 3, 2014

Call FS 69 - (310) 575-8569 to get on the list

DANIEL MATTERA, Captain I, FS 109-C

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014
Old FIre Station 27s Fire Museum
1355 North Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood CA
Social Hour: 11:30 AM

Luncheon: 12:30 PM

Taco Bar, Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks

$10 per person includes tax, tip & gift
Call FS 109 - (310) 476-0272 or
sschrobs@frontiernet.net

phone:
(800) 244-3439

mail:
P.O. Box 41903
Los Angeles CA
90041

visit:
www.LAFRA.org

Paid Advertisements:

October 2014 45

Send your letters & comments to the editor at: editor@lafra.org

Dear LAFRA:
In July of 1976, as I sat in the classroom
of Drill Tower 89, I realized that I was
undertaking a very difficult challenge. I
knew it would take a new mindset and
one of our drill tower instructors, Captain
Ron McIntyre - who also retired out of FS
92-C, helped to start us all off in the right
direction. I remember that he suggested that
we look to our left, and then to our right.
He then told us that one day we might have
to save the life of the person sitting next
to us, or attend their funeral. At the age of
21 I couldnt imagine that one day I would
give the eulogy of my friend, Engineer Stu
Dick Premmer.

thinking of something that only God would

know. Dick was the epitome of what anyone
who represented the Los Angeles City Fire
Department should be. His abilities to
adjust to any and all situations on the fire
scene and within the station were huge.
His professionalism and leadership were
unparalleled because Stu let his actions
speak for themselves. I will never forget
the number of times, as I was on E-258 or
E-292, and looked up the supply line and
saw Dick working his magic to perfection.
So, as all of us move on and slowly forget
about Stu Premmer, maybe, just maybe we
will remember one thing about Stu that
made him so special . . . I have many!
Engine 58 from 258 . . . great job!!
Sincerely,
Larry Wilson, LAFD retired
Dear Art Sorrentino,

For 30 years plus Stu and I worked

together, lived together, and fought fire
together. He was soft spoken, with a smile
that left you with the impression that he was

46 October 2014

Congratulations on an outstanding finish

at this years Firemans Olympics (Sept
issue, Trap & Skeet, page 37).
I was pressured to send this by the so
called few that didnt want me to name
their names (standard firemen stirring the
pot) but wanted to set the record straight.

I was very fortunate in my early years on

the department to also shoot for the LA
City Shooting Team with some outstanding
shooters: The Bickley brothers, John Miller,
Jay Turner, Ron Christie, Larry Miller,
Al Gore and others as well. In 95 I was
able to win gold in individual skeet singles
and silver in doubles skeet, gold in overall
shooter, silver in trap singles, and bronze in
trap handy cap.
The reason for this email is that Larry
Miller past away a few years back. He
was Ron Christies engineer at FS 86 for
many years. Ron and Larry were the best
of friends off the job, as well as shooting
partners. I know his wife, Donna Miller,
and Ron still get the Grapevine and this will
bring back many memories of great times
we all had while traveling and shooting
together.
You see, Larry Miller was my father-inlaw. Larry saw me shooting at Oak Tree
one night 25 years ago and I was tied for
first place. I had to have a shoot off for
the win. Larry came and asked if I needed
more ammo. After I won, he asked where I
worked (I had a LAFD shirt on) and if I was
dating anyone? I gave him a crazy look and
said no. He gave me his daughters number
and told me to call her . . . long story short,
I married her two years later (he probably
never saw that coming). Larry was not only
my father-in-law but my teammate on the
shooting team - and also one of the nicest
men you would ever meet, period! Larrys
greatest one liner to me was you are not
that good kid, so dont quit your day job!
Your story struck a cord because after the
95 Olympics Larry just kept shaking his
head saying, Five freaking medals, really?

You are just one lucky kid! Dont get a

big head or anything. And when we got
home the excuses started to fly. I would
have beat him but it was too windy, sun
was in my eyes, bad re-loads and there was
no bacon left for my bacon cheese burger
when I ordered my lunch!
Larry had a heart of gold and he left us
way before his time. Sometimes the untold
stories of people are the true winners. The
five medals in 95 are more Larrys than
mine. They remind me to be a better person
- as Larry was.

celebrated the Corps birthday on November

10th at Crash Corrigans Steakhouse in
Thousand Oaks. The restaurant was packed
full of Marines and the birthday cake was
cut with a saber while we all sang the
Marine hymn.
Please give my special thanks to all who
knew Dean and cared for him. He felt proud
and honored to be part of the LAFD family.

Bill Siemantel
Firefighter, FS 99

Widows, Orphans
Firemens Fund

To the Los Angeles Firemens Relief

Association:
Please accept this donation to the
Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firemens
Fund in memory of O. Dean Mendenhall.
I want to thank you for the American flag
presented to our family at his service. Dean
treasured our flag and flew it daily on his
16-foot flagpole. Thank you also to the FS
37 firefighters who assembled in front of the
truck by the chapel at the Conejo Mountain
Memorial Park in Camarillo. Dean would
have appreciated this beyond words.
After appointment to engineer, Dean
had reached his dream. As he would say,
I dig driving the rig. He spent 32 years
of service with honor and felt fortunate to
be a part of a great group of friends on the
LAFD.
Dean met many of his hunting and
fishing buddies in the department. He
had wonderful memories of hunting trips
to different states. Camping out was his
favorite thing, living in the rough, enjoying
nature. It was said he was a mans man.
Dean was a U.S. Marine for four years
and was in combat in Korea aboard the
USS Macon. He was dedicated to the
Marine Corps until his last days. We always

Chris Mendenhall
Newbury Park, CA
and

Disabled

Please accept this donation in memory

of Donald R. Beaver. Donald devoted a
tremendous amount of time and energy
towards working for firefighters benefits
both on the LAFD and throughout the
state. He was a tireless worker devoting his
knowledge and talents to the Los Angeles
Firemens Credit Union, the Los Angeles
Firefighters Association and the California
State Firemens Association. He was
recognized for his outstanding devotion
to the fire service when he was elected
LAFDs Fireman of the Year in 1977. We
have been dear friends with Donald and his
wife Chris for over 45 years and we miss
him tremendously.
Phil and Marcia McKay
Las Vegas, NV
Dear LAFRA,
Daniel J. McMahon, my husband of 55
years, was hired on to the LAFD in 1961.
He worked on the A platoon, Engine and
Truck No. 17 as his first house. As he put
it, I was wet for six months I HAD A
GREAT TIME! We had three children
who were happy growing up as part of this
firemens family.

Unfortunately Dan passed on in July,

2014. He always told me, if anything ever
happened to him, to call the LAFRA for
help. He was so right. My family and I
appreciate the help and support given the
day of the funeral a beautiful bouquet of
flowers was sent to the church, an encase
flag with the inscription on red metal, and
John played the bagpipes before and after
the celebration mass this was such an
honor to Dan. Andy Kuljis, who arranged
all the above, also contacted the appropriate
people of the Department to send forms to
me so that all I had to do was fill them in
and mail them back. I would have never
known where to start.
Dan was a strong man who suffered with
throat cancer and its affects for 24 years.
He had a positive attitude, wonderful smile,
great sense of humor and strong faith in
God through it all. He was loved so much
by all our family and friends and missed
beyond words.
Please accept this donation to the
Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firemens
Fund in memory of Daniel J. McMahon.
We love the LAFRA,
Margaret McMahon and family
Vista, CA
To: Firemens Relief Association
We are mailing the enclosed donation in
memory of Robert Patterson who died last
week at his home near Sheridan, Oregon.
He worked as a fireman in Los Angeles for
twenty years and held fond memories of his
years there. His family told us that he would
prefer a donation to your organization
rather than flowers at his funeral.
Sincerely,
Vernon and Joan Wheeler
Salem, OR

October 2014 47

2014 FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR

On December 3, 2014, the Los Angeles City Firefighters Association will vote on this years 2014 Firefighter of the Year.
This honor of distinction and recognition is given to a member of any rank, who, not by any single act, has distinguished him/
herself as one of outstanding character, dedication, and loyalty to the Department, the Fire Service, and to the citizens of the
community.
To be eligible for consideration, nominees must have been an active LAFD member for at least one day during the
nominating year, and a member of the California State Firefighters Association/Los Angeles City Firefighters Association.

Candidates will be judged on an overall career and life that exemplifies the best qualities of those who are honored to be part
of the fire service.

If you know of such a person, and would like to nominate him/her for this prestigious award, submit your application NO
LATER than December 1, 2014, to any one of the nominating committee members listed below. The nomination must include the
nominees name, rank, assignment and a statement of why the member should receive the award. Photos and other documentation
may also be submitted.

Please attend the Los Angeles City Firefighters Association meeting on December 3, 2014 at 0830 Hours, Fire Station
59 Training classroom, 11505 Olympic Blvd. and present your nomination IN PERSON. All Los Angeles City Firefighters
Association members are welcome, and encouraged to attend the meeting and presentations, and to show support for the
individuals being nominated.

Presentations may be subject to time limits depending on the number of nominations received in order to provide fairness to
all nominees. These time limits will be announced prior to the start of the December 3, 2014 membership meeting and will be
strictly enforced. The nominee cannot be present during the meeting.

The election will be held in closed executive session following the nominations, and only members of the Los Angeles City
Firefighters Association Board will vote.

REMINDER, APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1, 2014.

Following personal notification of the winner by the Vice President, public announcement will be made by Department teletype.

2014 FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR NOMINATING COMMITTEE

James S. Dolan, (562) 400-1298

48 October 2014

George James, (661) 433-4679

Adam VanGerpen, (818) 486-9939

MEMBERS
Thomas M. Burroughs, Firefighter III.
Appointed May 15, 1977.
Retired on a service pension April 28, 2012 from FS 114-B.
Passed away August 5, 2014.
Robert W. Karger, Fireman.
Appointed July 12, 1949.
Retired on a service pension January 31, 1971 from FS 9.
Passed away August 12, 2014.
Robert D. Patterson, Firefighter II.
Appointed February 20, 1960.
Retired on a service pension February 25, 1980 from FS 108-A.
Passed away August 14, 2014.
Daryl D. Rohloff, Fireman.
Appointed July 2, 1956.
Retired on a service pension July 5, 1976 from FS 80-A.
Passed away August 18, 2014.
Richard W. Matthes, Captain II.
Appointed November 4, 1973.
Retired on a disability pension October 11, 2007 from FS 69-B.
Passed away September 1, 2014.
Robert E. Dingwall, Captain.
Appointed March 10, 1962.
Retired on a service pension June 28, 1990 from FS 85-A.
Passed away September 8, 2014.

FAMILY
Marjorie Hauck, surviving spouse of Joseph E. Hauck, passed away July 28, 2014.
Joel A. Slater, surviving spouse of Herbert A. Slafter, passed away August 5, 2014.
Beverly J. Harris, spouse of F. E. Harris, passed away August 14, 2014.
Jacqueline M. Freeman, spouse of Jerold D. Freeman, passed away August 16, 2014.
Rose L. Israel, spouse of Gordon L. Israel Jr., passed away August 19, 2014.
Shana M. Beach, spouse of James W. Beach Jr., passed away August 26, 2014.
Dorothy M. Francik, spouse of Eugene M. Francik, passed away August 29, 2014.

October 2014 49

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50 October 2014

Submitted by Frank Borden Director of Operations, LAFDHS

LAFD History - LAFD Fallen Firefighters Memorial

ctober is a very big and important

month for the Historical Society, active and retired LAFD members, their
families and friends and all those who appreciate, remember and pay tribute to our fallen
firefighters. Our Memorial is the Departments
first Memorial to its fallen firefighters in its
128-year history. The LAFD Annual Memorial ceremony to its fallen firefighters will
take place on Saturday, October 11th this year.
It will be a day for all those in attendance to
remember those members of our department
who gave their lives in the service to the people
of Los Angeles. There are 264 names of those
who made the ultimate sacrifice engraved into
the granite wall on the monument with three
more of our deceased members to be added.
We will be there for the families and friends
of the fallen, to comfort and support them as
members of our big extended family.

The stories of two of the members from
old Fire Station 27 who died while battling
fires will be told this month in their memory.
The information is from our LAFD Memorial
Book. Captain Michael Carter was a decorated
U.S. Army veteran from World War I when he
joined the LAFD in 1925. On June 9. 1950,
Captain Carter, with Engine 27, responded to a
structure fire at the Alco Research Corporation
at 1107 No. El Centro Ave. It was a recording
company in Hollywood. He collapsed while he
was directing his company during firefighting
operations and died from cardiac arrest. He was
55 years old. Rescue 27 was called and members worked over him for some time without
avail.

Captain Carter was described by his
superiors as one of the finest officers in the
department. He was survived by his wife Sue,
two daughters - Mary Kearns and Theresa Koenig, and two sons - Thomas and John. He also
had five brothers. His family has visited new
Fire Station 27 and our Museum & Memorial
for a special plaque presentation to commemorate Captain Carter.

Fireman James (Jimmy) Hassan assigned to Engine Company 27 A died from
the collapse of a roof at a fire in the County
at 7518 Santa Monica Blvd. on December 11,
1958. Jimmy was the acting captain that night
and was with his engine company inside the

building operating a hose line when the roof

collapsed, pinning him under the burning debris. The collapse also trapped fireman Gerry
Baird and injured other firefighters who were
rescued. By the time the firemen could remove
the heavy beams from Jimmy, he had died. Retired fireman Frank Manwarren was at the fire
along with Don Anthony who recently passed
away. Frank, who is a regular at the Museum,
said that that was a very difficult time for all
those assigned to 27s. He said that Jimmy was
a fun loving, great guy and well-liked by all.
Jimmy had 10 years on the department, was 33
years old, a native of Los Angeles and a U.S.
Navy veteran from World War II. He was remembered in a touching poem written by his
friend Deputy Chief Charles Bahme.

Deputy Chief Chuck Bahme wrote the
following poem about his close friend Jim.
This is an excerpt from My Friend Jim.

Tireless, and always thoughtful he often volunteered to work for other members, and
to be acting captain. And so it was, that fatal
night, responding to his last alarm as Engine
Company Captain, Engine Company 27, he
was sent outside the city. When Jim arrived
upon the scene, no county crews were there.
He helped his men lay hose lines to the blazing carpet warehouse. Into the smoke, choking
furnace, with heat intense, and rafters burning,
Jims nozzle spewed its hissing spray

Fireman Michael Carter, Truck 9.

on flaming tongues around him. Unquenched

by spray or scalding steam, the snakes of fire
hissed louder, consuming floor joists overhead,
supporting mezzanine. Heavy carpets soaked
with water warped the wooden timbers, with
creaky, cracking, crunching noise, the balcony
crashed under. Jim yelled Get out! to men
behind, shutting down his nozzle, they dropped
the hose and scurried back, escaping just in
time. But not Jim! Vulnerable to bashing beam,
No way could he survive. As his broken helmet
told it all Dead at thirty five.

I wasnt there, but I was called, and
of this fact Im certain, Jim bravely fought the
final fire til Fate brought down the curtain.
Devastated and despairing, his death was such
a blow, I dreaded going to his home to let his
family know. Mournful messenger of sorrow, I
slowly drove to see a stunned grieving wife and
child, whod, heard it on TV. (News reporters, I
hear tell, had seen Jims name spelled out upon
his crushed and broken helmet, retrieved from
where it fell) A roaring flood broke loose within
my bursting heart. Blending with their flowing tears, I let my rivers start. In the frequency
hereafter- in this lifes afterglow, Ill bet Jim is
teasing devils, helping Peter run the show! For
in this new dimension, Jims not fighting fire,
but making dates with angels, and signing in
the choir.

Captain Michael Carter after he

collapsed from
a heart 2014
attack. 51
October


The birthday event was put on by El
Pueblo Historical Monument, El Pueblo Park
Assoc. and the Box 15 Club. It was well attended and the LAFD Historical Society brought its
1984 Seagrave engine (old Engine 266) and
our Vice President Don Dodd did an excellent
living history presentation of the early days of
the LAFD. Don was dressed in a vintage LAFD
uniform and brought along some LAFD memorabilia of the late 1800s. He also wore our
Original 38s Engine Badge.
Volunteer Engine Co. No. 1 at the
Plaza Fire Station, circa 1884 .

Dinner at Old 27s in 1957. Jimmy Hassan is at the front table third from
the left with the big smile. My father Stan is next to Jimmy on his right.
Across in the suit is Deputy Chief Charles Bahme.

My father Stanley, who was a Captain
at 27s worked with Jimmy and spoke highly
of him. All the members at 27s appreciated
his humor and capabilities. At the time of his
death, Fireman Hassan was survived by his
wife Elizabeth and daughter Lyn who was
seven years old at the time. Lyn and the family
have been strong supporters of the Memorial
and have attended many of the LAFD Memorial Ceremonies.

Fireman James (Jimmy) Hassan and Chief

Bahme next to the Chiefs 1948 Buick.

Mrs. Lynn Hassan speaking at last years LAFD memorial ceremony.

Don Dodd ready to tell the stories of the

volunteer LAFD in the Pico House.

Upon the death of Fireman Ercil G. Morse

of Truck 5 at an incident on April 7, 1924,
LAFD Chief Engineer Ralph J. Scott wrote
the following letter to his mother:

There are times when words fail to
convey the depths of brotherly feeling, when
in this dangerous service of ours, some man is
called upon to pay the extreme penalty which
this work exacts. There is not a man in the department whose heart does not go out in sympathy to those left behind, for not one of us
knows that the next alarm of fire may be the
last call for him.
The Plaza Fire Station Turned 130

We participated in the 130th birthday
celebration for the old Plaza Fire Station in

52 October 2014

downtown LA. This is one of the oldest parts

of the city and the fire station was the first volunteer fire station opened in 1884 with Engine
Company No. 1. LA Engine Co. No. 1 was the
first volunteer company organized November
1869, effective September 1871, disbanded
Spring 1874 as Thirty Eights Engine Co. 1
(The first permanent volunteer company also
known as Original 38s Engine. Their first
station was located at Spring St. near Franklin,
and in 1884 moved to 26 Plaza St. (The Plaza
Fire Station). Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas was
one of the speakers (maybe one of his first public events as chief) and the LAFD brought apparatus for display along with fire engines from
other surrounding fire departments.

Old Fireboat 2 - A Feature in the Port of LA

Tall Ships Festival

We are thankful to the Port of LA for inviting us to open the tent that houses the Ralph
J. Scott fireboat for the Tall Ships Festival
held in August. Our volunteers worked for five
days straight for 12 hours each day to help
raise funds for the restoration of the boat, let
people know about its 78 years of service history and what we are doing to preserve it. We
had thousands of people come through the tent
and many made donations and participated in
our raffle. We also sold many of our gift shop
items. Did you know that a gallon of marine
paint costs $360? We are going to need a lot of
paint for the boat and this event helped us in
purchasing supplies and equipment needed to
do the job.


We had a few people interested in volunteering to help us restore the boat. I hope
they show up on Friday mornings. We have a
variety of jobs going on simultaneously, but
we are focused on working on the tower from
the top down. This is tedious and difficult work
by first using rattlers to remove the many coats
of paint and rust down to bare metal. One of
the interesting attractions during the event was
a demonstration of the rattler tool by Gordon
Briggs and Kevin Corcoran.

We had our 1995 Hummer Brush Patrol
rig parked out in front which brought many
people for photo ops. Many Middle East military veterans were very interested in the rig.

Thanks to our hard working volunteers,
the support from the members at Fire Station
112 and the Port of LA for making this such a
successful event for us and the Old Fireboat.
The Boat will be 89 years old October 20th.

Some of the crowd in the tent

to see the Ralph J. Scott.

LAFDHS Planned Events 2014

November
-Tour Group Harbor Fire Museum, Wed.
Nov. 5 at 2:30 pm
-Marine Corps Birthday at Museum 27, Mon.
11/10 at 0800
December
-Hollywood Christmas Parade- December
TBD
-HS Annual Holiday Party, Sat. 12/13

The Worlds largest Rubber Duck at the

dock with some of the tall ships.

All of our LAFDHS members, guests and

friends are invited to attend our monthly Meetings at the Museum.

Calendar for October 2014

The Hollywood Museum is
located in Old Fire Station 27 at
1355 No. Cahuenga, Hollywood,
CA 90028. The Harbor Museum is
located in San Pedro City Hall at
638 S. Beacon St., San Pedro CA
90731.

Anyone interested in joining our great cause by becoming a
member, or volunteering to work,
or make a donation of money or
an LAFD item may contact us by
mail:
LAFDHS Museum & Memorial
1355 No. Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323 464 2727. But remember we are currently staffed part
time, so leave a message and we
will return your call. The fax number is 323-464-7401. Our E-mail
is: LAFDHS27@aol.com. Web
site at www.lafdmuseum.org. If
you want to look at some great
LAFD history check www.lafire.
com. and check the LAFD web
site for information and events at
www.LAFD.org. We look forward
to hearing from you and seeing
you at the Museum.
The Los Angeles Fire Department
Historical Society is a non-profit
501 (C) (3) organization.
PRESERVE, EDUCATE,
MEMORIALIZE
October 2014 53

LOS ANGELES FIREMENS RELIEF ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

August 6, 2014
CALL TO ORDER
President Juan Albarran called the meeting of the
Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Firemens
Relief Association to order at 10:22a.m.
ROLL CALL
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Juan Albarran, President
Robert Steinbacher, Vice President
Andrew Kuljis, Secretary
Trustee James Coburn
Trustee Jeff Cawdrey
Trustee Tyler Tomich
Trustee Chris Hart
Trustee Francisco Hernandez
Trustee Steve Ruda
Trustee Chris Stine
Trustee Steve Tufts
Trustee David Ortiz
Trustee Doak Smith
Trustee Mark Akahoshi
Trustee Barry Hedberg Pension
Trustee Tim Larson Pension
Todd Layfer - Executive Director
MEMBERS ABSENT:
Trustee David Lowe Pension (Excused)
Trustee Gene Bednarchik (Excused)
Trustee Craig White (Excused)
Trustee David Peters (Excused)
Trustee Steven Domanski (Excused)
Trustee Steve Berkery (Excused)
Trustee Rick Godinez (Excused)
GUESTS:
Dennis Mendenhall, Retired
David Wagner, Grapevine Editor
Bob Olsen, L.A. Retired Fire & Police Assoc.
Bill Quinn, L.A. Retired Fire & Police Assoc.
Tom Stires, Retired
INVOCATION & Flag Salute
Steve Ruda led the invocation. Doak Smith led the
flag salute.
RATIFICATION OF MINUTES
Juan Albarran entertained a motion to ratify and
dispense with the reading of the minutes of the Board
of Trustees meeting held July 9, 2014. Tim Larson
so moved. Mark Akahoshi seconded. There was no
further discussion or objections.
Motion carried to ratify and dispense with the
reading of the minutes of the Board of Trustees held
July 9, 2014.
PRESIDENT REPORT
1) Juan Albarran presented a Member Service Award
plaque to Wayne Sherman for his 25 years of service
to LAFRA.

54 October 2014

2) Juan Albarran reported on the status of the 7470

Figueroa building and indicated that the plans were
close to being finalized. He also indicated that they
have been reviewing the I.T. needs for the office.
He reported that they are ending their property
management agreement with Morlin Management
as of August 31st and we will manage the building
ourselves.
3) Juan Albarran indicated that we have been talking
with Ray Cirranna from the Pensions Department
regarding the MOU agreement. He stated that Dawna
Gray with Bradawn is reviewing the agreement as
well as attorney Bob Macaulay to determine how it
impacts LAFRA.
4) Juan Albarran asked the Trustees if any of them
would be interested in running for President or Vice
President for 2015. He stated that they will now
accept nominations.
Bob Steinbacher motioned to nominate Juan Albarran
for President for 2015. Barry Hedberg seconded.
There was no discussion or objections.
Motion carried to nominate Juan Albarran for
President for 2015.
Barry Hedberg motioned to nominate Bob
Steinbacher as Vice President for 2015. Frank
Hernandez seconded. There was no discussion or
objections.
Motion carried to nominate Bob Steinbacher for
Vice President for 2015.
VICE PRESIDENT REPORT
1) Bob Steinbacher asked if any Trustees would be
able attend the Sacramento Memorial. He stated that
Matthew McKnight will be placed on the memorial
wall. He indicated that they would provide support to
his family on October 11th.
2) Bob Steinbacher encouraged the Trustees to book
their flights for the Annual IFEBP Conference in
Boston. He stated that all Trustees are booked at the
Marriott.
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE REPORT

Todd Layfer indicated that the following actions

for approval will be subject to completion of due
diligence which will be an on-site visit to the new
investment managers.
Juan Albarran presented the following motions.
The committee recommends and I so move to
authorize the transfer of funds from Stralem & Co.
to Fiduciary subject to completion of due diligence.
There was no discussion or objections.
Motion carried to authorize the transfer of funds
from Stralem & Co. to Fiduciary Management Inc.
subject to completion of due diligence.
The committee recommends and I so move to transfer
funds from the London Company and split into two
separate funds, Neumeier Poma 50% and Silvercrest
SCV50%. This will also be subject to an onsite
visit of both managers. There was no discussion or
objections.
Motion carried to transfer funds from the London
Company and split into two separate funds to
Neumeier Poma and Silvercrest SCV.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT
1) Todd Layfer informed that the Get Together
foundation held a concert on July 3rd at the Canyon
Club and donated the proceeds to the WODFF in the
amount of $8,055.
2) Todd Layfer reported on the status of the Golf
Tournament and indicated that so far they have $93K
in sponsorship funds. He stated that they have 29
new sponsors for the event. He reported that they
currently have 120 golfers.
3) Todd Layfer informed the Board that they will
have a property tax audit from the L.A. County Tax
Assessor on Monday, August 11th. He indicated that
they usually audit LAFRA every four to five years.
4) Todd Layfer informed that they have received
the latest capital call from RCP for $100K due on
August 12th. He indicated that they have a $2 million
commitment with RCP and stated that with this latest
call, they will be at 58% funded.

Juan Albarran introduced Mike Breller of Beacon

Pointe to present the 2nd Quarter Investments
Performance Review.

ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE REPORT

Mike Breller reported that the investment portfolio

had a stellar 2nd quarter with 4% to 5% returns across
the board. He mentioned that the REITs did very well
but Fixed Income securities have flattened out some.
He stated that Emerging Markets have been showing
stronger returns with 15% for the 6 month period. He
reviewed the overall market performance and how it
affected the industry as well as the portfolio.

The committee recommends and I so move to pay

the usual and customary bills in the amount of
$958,727.13. There was no discussion or objections.

Jeff Cawdrey presented the following motions.

Motion carried to pay the usual and customary bills

in the amount of $958,727.13.
The committee recommends and I so move to pay
the professional fees in the amount of $100,257.20.
There was no discussion or objections.

Motion carried to pay the professional fees in the

amount of $100,257.20.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve up to $12K annually for chaplain expenses.
There was no discussion or objections.
Motion carried to approve up to $12K annually for
chaplain expenses.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve $720 to purchase a foursome for the Craig
Alder Charity Golf Tournament. There was no
discussion or objections.
Motion carried to approve $720 to purchase a
foursome of golf for the Craig Alder Charity Golf
Tournament.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve $220 for airfare for the Wounded Warrior
being honored at USC. There was no discussion or
objections.
Motion carried to approve $220 for airfare for the
Wounded Warrior being honored at USC.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve $5K in start-up money for the Mayo Classic
event on October 22nd. There was no discussion or
objections.
Motion carried to approve $5K in start-up money
for the Mayo Classic event on October 22nd.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve up to $500 for a memorial plaque for
Matthew McKnight. There was no discussion or
objections.
Motion carried to approve up to $500 for a memorial
plaque for Matthew McKnight.
MEDICAL COMMITTEE REPORT
Barry Hedberg presented the following motion.
The committee recommends and I so move to accept
the applications to the Medical Plan. There was no
discussion and no objections.
Motion carried to accept all applications to the
Medical Plan.
The committee recommends and I so move to approve
the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) contract with
Express Scripts for a 3-year period starting January 1,
2015. There was no discussion or objections.
Motion carried to approve PBM contract with
Express Scripts for a 3-year period.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve the agreement with Medical Imaging Center
of Southern California to provide body scans for
LAFRA Medical Plan members. There was no
discussion or objections.
Motion carried to approve the agreement with
Medical Imaging Center of Southern California.

RELIEF COMMITTEE REPORT

James Coburn presented the following motion.

situations. He also indicated that they will try to

create some type of memorial for members on their
social media sites.

The committee recommends and I so move to pay:

SECRETARYS REPORT

The Sick & Injury benefits in the amount of

$18,922.97,
The Estate Planning benefit in the amount of $10,180,
The Life & Accident Withdrawals in the amount of
$2,544
The Relief Death Benefits in the amount of $31,500.

Andy Kuljis reported that they have received a lot of

donations lately. He also asked the Trustees to remind
the members of the $600 Estate Planning Benefit
available to them.

There was no discussion or objections.

Chris Hart asked if they should consider increasing

the Estate Planning Benefit. Bob Steinbacher
indicated that there were several members who were
unaware that the Relief provided that benefit. Juan
Albarran indicated that they would need to discuss
the issue further in committee.

Motion carried to pay the above Relief benefits.

James Coburn read the names of members who
recently passed and asked for a moment of silence
from the Board.
MEMORIALS
Timothy A. Walgren
Ervin R. Woody
Mario J. Lara
Charles L. Mc Cown
John S. Christopher
Arthur R. Parker
Carleton J. Phillip
ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE
James Coburn presented the following motions.
The committee recommends and I so move to accept
the donations in the amount of $355,990.35 to the
Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemens Fund. There
was no discussion or objections.
Motion carried to accept the donations in the
amount of $355,990.35 to the Widows, Orphans &
Disabled Firemens Fund.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve the financial assistance applications for
surviving spouses, active and retired members. There
was no discussion or objections.
Motion carried to approve the financial assistance
applications for surviving spouses, active and
retired members.
EMERGENCY ADVANCEMENTS
James Coburn presented the following motion.
The committee recommends and I so move to
approve the emergency advancement applications for
active and retired members. There was no discussion
or objections.
Motion carried to approve the emergency
advancement applications for active and retired
members.
GRAPEVINE/WEB REPORT

OLD BUSINESS

SETTING OF DATES
1) Over the Line Tournament September 3rd
2) L.A. Kings Hockey Fest September 14th
3) Colorado Springs Memorial
September 18th 21st
4) LAFD Invitational Golf Tournament
September 22nd
5) SIIA Conference Arizona October 5 - 7
6) IFEBP Annual Conference (Boston)
October 12th 15th
7) Mayo Classic October 22nd
8) LAFRA Open House December 6th
RETIREMENT DINNERS

1) Robert Ruffino August 28th LAFD
Historical Museum
2) Richard Watson August 30th Spring Lake
Club House
3) Bassiano Peters Jr. August 30th Marriott
Hotel Marina del Rey
4) Gary Zieger August 31st Fire Station 109
5) Ed Tapia September 6th Castle
Catering Pasadena
6) Matthew Powell September 13th
Dalmatian Amer. Club
7) Jim Eberle & Dave Rowley September 26th
94th Aero Squadron
8) Jorge Ostrovsky October 4th Jorges House
9) Raul Miranda October 18th The
Odyssey Restaurant
ADJOURNMENT
Juan Albarran entertained a motion to adjourn in
honor of Tom Burroughs. Doak Smith moved. Tim
Larson seconded. There was no discussion and no
objections.
Motion carried to adjourn in honor of Tom
Burroughs. The Board of Trustees meeting
adjourned at 12:16 a.m.

Juan Albarran, President

Chris Hart referred to the website and mentioned that

they will have a section called Kitchen Table Wisdom
that will include suggestions and input on different

October 2014 55

Donations to Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemens Fund

September 2014

LA RETIRED FIRE AND POLICE BENEVOLENT

ASSOCIATION
ALVINA C. BAKULA in memory of my husband
Captain Edward C. Bakula
C. RIZER/PLAINS ALL AMERICAN PIPELINE L.P. in gratitude
to Fire Station 50 Battalion 2
CHRIS MENDENHALL in memory of O. Dean Mendenhall
LENA F. BEGLEY in memory of my husband Vern Begley
MARGARET L. MCMAHON in memory of my husband
Daniel J. McMahon

HELEN L. SCHULZ
RICHARD E. FOX in memory of Tom Burroughs
RICHARD C. SULLIVAN in memory of Beverly Harris
CHARLES MACKIE
FIRE STATION NO. 9 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund
AT & T EMPLOYEE GIVING CAMPAIGN
JAMES E. GILLUM from the Simi Valley Breakfast Club
RICHARD E. ALLEN in memory of Betty Maxwell

FIRE STATION NO. 26 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund

CHRISTOPHER G. VENUTI in memory of Matt McKnight

LINDA ECKOLS

LINDA M. SCUDERI in memory of Matthew McKnight

MITCHELL S. MC KNIGHT in memory of my brother

Matt McKnight

ROBERT ROSARIO for accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge

MARGARET E. BONESTEEL in memory of Retired Assistant

Chief Joseph Lockwood
FIRE STATION NO. 33 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund
VALLEY RECRUIT TRAINING ACADEMY from Drill Tower 81
Class 13-1

JOANNE C. WHEELER
GORDON W. CALDWELL in memory of Grace Lavina Holloway
VINCE & MICHELLE MARZO in memory of Carol Reed
wife of retired Captain Ed Reed
MARY SCHEID

FIRE STATION NO. 85 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund

GLENDA L. PAULSEN

PHILIP J. MC KAY in memory of Donald R. Beaver

MARVIN J. DREILING

HELEN L. SCHULZ

BLANCHE HOFFMAN in memory of Gertrude Kubernick

JOHN J. ADAMS in memory of Joe Lockwood

FIRE STATION NO. 94 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund

MARCIA L. MORROW in memory of Leroy Nyquist

FIRE STATION NO. 89 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund

DENNIS L. MENDENHALL in memory of Tom Burroughs

RICHARD C. PEARSON/UNITED WAY INC.

CHRISTINE M. BRUMBAUGH in memory of my husband

Mike Brumbaugh

FIRE STATION NO. 39 from the Fire Extinguisher Fund

JOHN VERDONE in memory of our beloved grandson

Primo John Verdone

ARCHER MORGAN

FRANCES MORIN in memory of my husband

Capt. Arthur D. Morin

EDWARD L. REED in memory of Kay Wilinksi

THOMAS PEARSON in memory of Donald R. Beaver

MARIAN L. PEACOCK in memory of my husband
Kenneth Dick Peacock

BRUCE C. FRASHURE in memory of Karin Bassett

RICHARD PEARSON C/O UNITED WAY

YOUR CAUSE LLC TRUSTEE FOR JC PENNEY
BUD BUDSELL in memory of Carol Reed

ROBERT P. LUTZ in memory of Don Beaver

CATHY FINCK in memory of Floyd Dolley

PAUL J. KISICKI in honor of Joel Slafter & Helb Slafter

GREGORY E. NEWLAND in memory of Donald Beaver

ANN VAUGHN in memory of Chuck Breazeal

ROB L. SCOTT in memory of Lane Kemper

DANIEL LEON

WADE A. WHITE in memory of William White

GEORGE GARY

ALBERT LUNA

JOHN ADAMS

ALFRED D. BREKKE

JOHN J. ADAMS

RODNEY R. FELIX

JOHN W. POTTER

JOHN M. LAY

56 October 2014

CLASSIFIEDS
For advertising information, please contact:
Eric Santiago - (323) 259-5231 - eric@lafra.org
Dave Wagner - editor@lafra.org

MERCHANDISE
FOR SALE
2000 20-FOOT BAYLINER CAPRI
BOWRIDER BOAT. 350 short block
engine, very low hours, due to
husbands illness, excellent condition,
always stored in garage. $10,000. Jill
Johns (805) 490-8196.
2004 30 AIRSTREAM LAND
YACHT. Fully loaded, immaculate
inside and out! No slideouts. 8.1L
Vortec gasoline engine. 45,500 miles.
Alison Transmission. 4000 lb. towbar
with Brake Buddy. Includes Onan
Generator. 2 A/C - Heaters. Oak
cabinetry with Corian countertops.
Fridge/Freezer, micro-wave, 3 burner
stove/oven. 2 TVs. Winterized. Twin
XL beds. Sleeps 4.$38,500.00 obo.
Contact: Larry (I Swear I Didnt Work
On it!) Jarvis - 661-212-1154
FIAT COLLECTORS. Check this out.
1977 Fiat X19 Bertone convertible
stored for years. New tires less than
80,000 miles looks and runs good.
Needs smog, pump and bracket for
California driving. $4500 OBO. (760)
878-2269 (Independence CA). Leave
message. Sorry no agents.
PROJECT CARS. 1940 Ford 2-door
and 4-door sedans. 1939 deluxe
2-door sedan. 1941 Ford 123 inch
wheelbase railway express agency
truck. 1954 mercury hardtop, 1957
Ford hardtop. 1961 T-Bird convertible.
Miscellaneous parts and sheet metal.
Contact Jim McPherson LAFD retired
(805) 501-8102 or email
jimmymac567@charter.net

REAL ESTATE
FOR SALE
GREAT GOLF COURSE LOT. Golf
cart, Park model, fully furnished.
Patio, palm trees, winter paradise,
55+ RV park. 120 miles east of Palm
Springs on I-10. LAFD widow - needs
to sell. (541) 643-5634. $69,000.
GREAT HOME in gated neighborhood on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. Located in a gated neighborhood, has a dock in place on deep
water. Home features five bedrooms
and five bathrooms with master on
main. Kitchen has granite countertops
and stainless steel appliances. There
are two decks on that is screened in.
There is an additional 2300 square

feet in basement partially finished.

Easy walk to lake. $649,900. 105
Chapelwood Drive, Anderson, South
Carolina. www.callelizabeth.com

SERVICES

in Old Towne Orange. Questions or

consultation: (949)648-7875
susanpurrington@gmail.com
CRAIG SANFORD HEATING & AIR
- Free estimates, residential, commercial. Great rates for LAFD and
LAPD. Toll free (877) 891-1414, (661)
298-3070, FAX (661) 298-3069. State
License No. 527114
FIRE FAMILY ESTATE SALES Call
us when a loved one passes, moves
to a nursing facility or downsizes. Our
professional staff can handle every
aspect of estate liquidation. We have
worked with many fire families and
are here to help. Rebecca Martin,
LAFD wife (818) 216-3637 www.
firefamilyestatesales.com

911 CALL ELIZABETH

WILLAHAN (LAFD wife) for any real
estate needs. Donation to fire-related
organizations and/or help with some
escrow fees with every closed sale!
Specializing in Orange County, parts
of Los Angeles/Riverside Counties.
Lender information available. Century
21 Award, BRE #00966984. (949)
293-2401

FIREMAN DESIGN LANDSCAPE

INC. A complete landscape service
A-Z. Sod irrigation / stamped concrete
/ driveways / patio cover / low voltage
lighting / artificial turf / rockscapes /
walls. FREE landscape design. Free
estimates. Serving all Southern CA.
Eric Mendoza 96-B (760) 221-1912.
Call or text. CA Lic # 807078.
Bonded & insured
www.firemanlandscape.com

ALTERNATIVE & TRADITIONAL

Termite & Pest Control - ECOLA
Ecological Solutions. Smart choices,
simple solutions. Problem solved.
Call for FREE termite estimate or pest
quotes over the phone - escrow and
inspections excluded. Fireman wife
Sue Fries - Termite Lady.
(818) 652-7171.
termitelady@ecolatermite.com

FIREMAN WHOLESALE NURSERY

& ROCK YARD. All your landscape
materials @ wholesale prices. Trees
/ plants / decorative rock / boulders /
firewood / sod / artificial turf. Delivery
available. Located in Victorville CA.
(760) 243-9500
www.firemanwholesalenursery.
com Your 1 stop shop!

BUSY BEAVER TREE AND LANDSCAPE. Tree trimming and removal,

stumpgrinding, and firewood sales.
Mixed firewood, eucalyptus and oak.
Delivery available or pick up. Licensed and insured. Dwayne Kastor,
FS 63-B - (818) 535-6368.
CALIFORNIA FIREARMS
DEALER - DOJRS background
checks, FFL transfers, handgun
safety certificate, consignment sales,
gun registration and personal transfers. Personal firearms instructor,
tactical casualty management and
gunsmithing. All handguns and long
guns must be listed on the California
DOJ for sale roster. Call Bill Evans active LAFD (714) 330-9825 email:
firehousegunz@gmail.com
COMPLETE DRYWALL SERVICE.
New construction and remodel.
Acoustic ceiling removal. Spray texture and hand textures. Greg Avery
(805) 320-8311 or Mark Avery (805)
551-6041.
COUNSELING SERVICES. Licensed
Clinical Psychologist Dr. Susan Purrington specializes in anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, eating disorders, spiritual or personal growth,
marital conflict, family of origin issues.
Find a supportive and confidential
place for healing and growth. Located

GARAGE DOOR INSTALLATION

& SERVICE. Garage doors and openers. Need to replace your broken
springs? or does your door need
repair, even replaced? We do it all
from new product to repairing old. Call
(661) 860-4563 Grassroots Garage
Doors, Inc. Lic# 950020. Son of 35
year veteran fireman.
REAL ESTATE SERVICES. Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Moorpark,
Simi Valley, Camarillo, Ventura and
the San Fernando Valley. Homes,
lots, commercial and investment
properties. Over 20 years experience.
Please call me with your real estate
questions and also request your activity reports for your area. Mike Rhodes
- Prudential California Realty. Realtor
- BRE License 0177388. LAFD
retired. Cell (805) 501-6044. Email:
2MikeRhodes@gmail.com
TAX ALERT FOR FIREFIGHTERS.
Dont lose thousands of dollars during
your professional career to taxes!
Let HEWITT FINANCIAL GROUP
prepare your tax return. We specialize
in tax preparation and financial planning for firefighters. We offer a FREE
REVIEW of your last three years of
tax returns. Call us today at (800)
573-4829 or visit us at
www.hewittfinancial.com

WINDOWS & PATIO DOORS - vinyl

replacement windows & Patio doors. I
also carry aluminum, wood and entry
door systems. Rick Brandelli, Capt.
LACoFD, FS 8-C (800) 667-6676.
www.GeeWindows.com

VACATION
RENTALS
BIG BEAR CABIN - All season,
restful views from decks. Two story,
sleeps 6, half mile to lake, two plus
miles to slopes. Fireplace/Wood,
cable TV/DVD/VCR. Full kitchen,
completely furnished except linens.
Pets ok. $100/$110 (two day minimum). $550/$650 a week, Beep or
Donna Schaffer 1+(760) 723-1475.
www.schaffercabin.com
BIG BEAR CABIN. 2 bedroom, 2
bath, 2 story. Sleeps 6-8. About 6
miles from ski slopes & lake. Fireplace/
wood, cable, full kitchen - furnished.
$100 per night M - Th. $110 per night
F-Sun. Weekly available. Sheri (909)
851-1094 or (760) 948-2844.
BIG BEAR LAKES FINEST- Deluxe
lakeside townhouse, 2 bedrooms,
3 baths, 2 cable TVs, HBO, DVD,
WiFi, 2 wood burning fireplaces,
laundry room, tennis court, indoor
pool, sauna, spa, boat dock. Fully
equipped, including all linens. Sleeps
6. 310-541-8311 or email: nmbigbear@gmail.com
BIG BEAR CABIN - Sugarloaf - Cozy
upgraded 2 bedroom cabin. Sleeps
8. Fireplace, deck, Wifi - internet and
cable TV. On a large lot with sled hill.
Fully furnished except linens. $125
Winter $100 summer. Details and
availability, Call/text/email Jessica
(949) 874-5294
sugarloafcabin@cox.net sugarloafcabin.com
CARPINTERIA BEACH CONDO.
2 bedroom, 2 bath. Three blocks
to beach, five blocks to downtown.
Sleeps 8 - Monthly rentals only - completely furnished - cable + WiFi. (vrbo.
com - 603800 - search). Jill Johns
(805) 490-8196.
CATALINA BEACH
COTTAGE - 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, one
block to beach, view, fully equipped
housekeeping unit. Marci (818) 3476783 or Clarence (310) 510-2721.
DESERT CONDOS, RANCHO
MIRAGE (near Palm Springs). 2 bed,
2 bath. Fully furnished condo, TV,
internet, pools and spas. Gated community from $115/night. 3 bed from
$125/night. No smoking. Barbara
(626) 798-2484.
FABULOUS CAYUCOS
BEACH CONDO. 180-degree ocean
front view, 1 bedroom, 1 1/4 bath,
living room, sofa bed, outdoor patio
ocean front view. Morro Bay/ Hearst

October 2014 57

Castle, Central California Area. Steps

to beach and fishing pier. Nearby public golf & tennis. Weekly or monthly.
Contact Sondra (818) 985-9066.
JUNE LAKE CABIN - 2BR/2BA
cabin with Carson Peak view. Close
to fishing & skiing. Furnished, wood
deck, equipped kitchen, wood burning
stove, tree swing, cable /DVD/phone.
Garage/ample parking. $95/night
plus cleaning fee. Email for pictures.
Jeff Easton 93-A (805) 217-5602.
junebound@gmail.com
LAKE ARROWHEAD BLUE JAY
CABIN. Charming 2-story with creek,
large deck, two baths, complete kitchen, TV/VCR/DVD, fireplace, washer
& dryer. Walk to Blue Jay Village.
Sleeps 8. $90/night. NO PETS! Bruce
or Sue Froude, (805) 498-8542.
LAKE HAVASU LANDING-Waterfront, steps to the water. Boat mooring out front, off-road desert behind
house. 3 bed/3 bath, fully furnished w/
linens. Direct TV/DVR, BBQ, Casino,
Grocery/Meat Market, Launch Ramp,
Marina with Boat House, Gated Community. No pets/smoking. $350 Dan
Cook 310 418 1577.
LAKE HAVASU BEAUTY FOR
RENT - 3 bdrm, 2 bath, 1600 sq.ft.
Fully furnished with all amenitiesLaundry & BBQ. 13,000 sq.ft. lot. 3
car boat-deep garage. 3 miles from
launch ramp. Close to downtown
shops & restaurants. View of the lake.
Quiet street in good neighborhood.
No pets. No smoking. Snowbird rates.
Call Mike (661) 510-6246
LAKE NACIMIENTO. Oak Shores
gated community. 3 bedroom, 2 1/2
bath, large loft. 3minute drive to main
marina in Oak Shores. Large flat
driveway. Fully equipped kitchen,
BBQ, washer/dryer, TV/DVD. No
cable. No pets/smoking. $185/night.
3 night minimum. Call Ben (805)
444-2264.
MAMMOTH - 1 bedroom Summit
condo, sleeps 6. Convenient underground garage parking. Jacuzzis,
gym (pool/tennis in summertime),
shuttle right outside! Across from
Eagle Lodge, Winter $110 per night,
Summer $80 per night plus $65
cleaning fee and 13% tax. All linens
included. Drew or Nancy Oliphant
(661) 513-2000 or email: mammoth241@aol.com
MAMMOTH CONDO. 1 Bed/ 1.25
Bath sierra manors condo. In town,
on shuttle route. Sleeps 4 easily. Pets
OK. Fully furnished with new furniture/
HDTV/WIFI Woodburning fireplace.
Hot Tub, sauna, W/D in complex. Reduced rates for FFs starting @100/nt
oldtownmammothcondo.ownernetworks.com
mammothmtncondo@yahoo.com
Ryan (310) 717 8483 for more info/
rates

58 October 2014

MAMMOTH CONDO. 2 bedroom, 2

bath, sleeps 6. Near Canyon Lodge.
Newly remodeled recreation room
with pool and spa. Laundy facilities,
condo has been beautifully remodeled. Photos available on website.
Winter - $300 per night, Summer
- $150 per night. $150 cleaning fee.
Call for holiday terms and pricing.
Joseph Angiuli (626) 497-5083.
www.discoveryfour.com
MAMMOTH CONDO - CHAMONIX.
2 bedroom & large loft, 3 full baths,
sleeps 8. 5 minute walk to Canyon
Lodge. Fully furnished, TVs, VCR/
DVD, pool, spa, rec room, sauna, linens included. Winter $175 weekdays,
$195-weekends/holidays; summer
$125, plus cleaning. No smoking; no
pets. Craig Yoder (909) 948-3659.
MAMMOTH CONDO Cozy 2 bedrooms, 2 bath. Fully furnished, WIFI,
3 TVs, pool, spa, walk to shuttle, Old
Mammoth area. Winter $115, Summer $90, plus cleaning fee $139 and
14% city tax. Includes linens. No pets,
no smoking. Call (310) 540-4648.
MAMMOTH CONDO - 2 bdrm, 2
bath, 2 TVs, phone, garage, pool,
jacuzzi, fully furnished - exept linens.
Near shuttle/chair 15. Winter $125/
night. Weekends and Holidays $110
midweek. Summer $95/night. $495/
week. No smoking. No pets. Jim
Johnson (818) 992-7564, FS 80C.
MAMMOTH CONDO AT MAMMOTH
ESTATES, 4BR/3BA, sleeps 10, fully
furnished, 2 TVs, DVDs, WiFi, towels/
linens, fireplace. Full kitchen. Walk to
Gondola Village and shuttle. Complex
has pool, spa, sauna, laundry. Winter
$335/night, Summer $215/night, plus
cleaning. Includes city bed tax. No
pets, no smoking. Dory Jones (310)
918-0631 or Kelly Corcoran (310)
619-5355
MAMMOTH CONDO rental. Large
2bed/2bath winterset condo. Fully furnished, across from Vons, on shuttle
route, easily sleeps 8. Hot tub, heated
pool, sauna, full size in unit W/D
HDTV/WiFi throughout, woodburning
fireplace, pets OK FIREFIGHTER
DISCOUNTS, rates from $150/night
facebook.com/mammothmtncondo@yahoo.com
Ryan @ (310) 717-8483
MAMMOTH CONDO - Sierra Manors
Sleeps 7. 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath. Fully
furnished except linens. 2 TVs/VCR/
DVD, stereo/CD. Dishwasher, microwave, sauna, jacuzzi, pool. No smoking/No Pets. Shuttle at door. Winter
$155/night, Summer $100/night, Plus
$80 cleaning fee and City Bed Tax.
Brian & Karen Salvage LAFD Retired
(805) 499-7752.
MAMMOTH LAKES - One bedroom,
extremely charming wildflower condo.
Full amenities, close to shuttle.
Antiques, art, satellite TV, fireplace.
Sleeps 4. Winter $110, Summer $85

plus cleaning fees. Call Bill Clark

(818) 371-6722
Email: shakesong@aol.com
MAMMOTH SKI & RACQUET:
Studio/loft, 2 bath, king bed, sleeps 4.
Full kitchen, TV, VCR, DVD. Garage
parking. Walk to Canyon Lodge. Ski
back wall. 2 night minimum. Winter
$100/nite, $126 Fri, Sat & Holidays.
Summer $50/nite. Plus $95 cleaning
& linens. Jeff & Lisa Moir. LAFD Air
Ops (661) 254-5788.
MAMMOTH SKI & RACQUET: Walk
to Canyon Lodge. Studio loft sleeps
4. Queen beds, full kitchen, 2 baths,
garage parking, TV, VCR, DVD.
Winter Sun-Thurs $100.nite; Fri & Sat
$115/nite plus cleaning fee $100. Non
smoking complex. Joel Parker, LAFD
retired.
email: cat25sailor@juno.com or
(213) 399-6534.
MARIPOSA/GOLD COUNTRY. North
entrance to Yosemite. 2 bedrooms, 1
bath, sleeps 6. Newly built. Complete
kitchen, washer & dryer, wi-fi, satellite
TV. Seasonal rates. www.thecottageonevergreenlane.com
Call 888-977-1006
MAUI BEACH FRONT CONDO ON
NAPILI BAY - 50 from water. Studios
and 1 bedroom. Luxury furnishings +
full kitchen. All the amenities! Mauis
best snorkeling/beach. All island
activities & Kapalua within 4 minutes.
5-day minimum, from $150 per night
(regularly $310/night). Call Sherrie or Bill for info/reservations (805)
530-0007 or email: pmimaui@aol.
com or visit:
www.napilibaymaui.com
MAMMOTH CONDO NEXT TO THE
GONDOLA VILLAGE Fully furnished, three bedroom, two bath with
towels and linens, newly remodeled
kitchen, internet and cable TV, pool
and Jacuzzi. Walk to the gondola,
shops, restaurants and ski in on
the new comeback trail. Parking at
the front door. Winter: $250/night.
Summer $150/night. Holidays $300/
night. Cleaning is included. Call Mike
Whitehouse, Retired, 805-987-6122,
email: btkwhitey@yahoo.com
or Bruce Galien, Retired, 661-6457448, email: luvbaja2@aol.com
MAUI CONDO 1 AND 2 BEDROOMS. Centrally located on beautiful Maalaea Bay. Excellent swimming
and snorkeling; white sandy beach.
Minutes from golf, tennis, fishing,
shopping, airport and resort areas.
Marsha Smith or Jeanne McJannet. Toll free (800) 367-6084. www.
maalaeabay.com
MAUIS MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH
- Napili Bay. Beautiful furnished condo
that sleeps 4. Lanai/balcony, full kitchen, king bed, flat screen TVs/DVD,
ACs free WiFi (internet), complimentary maid service, complimentary coffee every morning and breakfast on

Fridays. Special firefighters discount

- Best value in West Maui! Nice pool
& BBQ area - Close to beach! (800)
336-2185 www.napilivillage.com
Don Sprenger - retired LAFD (949)
548-5659
MONTANA ROCKY MT. FRONT
GETAWAY - 80 miles south of Glacier
Natl Park, in the foothills of the
Rockies, mountain and canyon views.
1,000s of miles of trailheads, fishing,
etc. 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, dining,
living, kitchen & washer/dryer. SatTV,
wireless internet. $125.00 night +
cleaning. Call Dan (805) 279-8143 or
www.VRBO.com (#494959)
PALACE RESORTS ALL INCLUSIVE. Cancun, Riviera Maya, Isla
Mujeres, Cozumel - Exclusive
member service and treatment. Visit
palaceresorts.com to view various
resorts and amenities. Price is for one
week, two persons, any day travel
and includes airport transportation,
massages and two tours. Price varies
by season. John @ (626) 757-5341
or jgonzlz@hotmail.com
PALM DESERT-3 bed/2bath, one
level. New re-model, fully furnished w/
linens. Cable TV/DVR, Private Patio,
BBQ, Laundry, Garage, Gated Community, two (Pools, Jacuzzis, Tennis
Courts). Near College of the Desert.
$175 Dan Cook 310 418 1577.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE Romantic
Chalet Family getaway. 3 bed/2 bath
plus loft. Sleeps 810. Cable TV,
washer/dryer, microwave, woodburning stove. 7 minutes to casinos and
Heavenly. Located in Tahoe Paradise.
$105 per night plus cleaning. Call
Shawn or Rose Agnew at (661) 2509907 or (661) 476-6288.

VACATION
VEHICLES
MOTOR HOMES FOR RENT:
Several 2006 Class A 32 Foot Motor
Homes, with Double Slide Outs, Fully
Loaded, Free Housekeeping Kit,
Camping Kit, Discount Prices Starting
at $150.00 to $180.00 per night. Serving family & friends of LAPD , LASD,
IPD, OXPD, OX Fire, LA CO., LA City,
Ski Clubs ask for our 25% off weekly
rental rates. Visit us at www.so-calrv.
com or call 661-714-7689 or 661297-2398. ALSO AVAILABLE BIG
BEAR CABINS, 3 bedroom 2 bath
with pool tables & spas. PLEASE
CALL FOR MORE DETAILS.

WANTED
WANTED. 10 people to try 3 day
weight loss trial this week. Lose fat,
gain muscle, boost energy. Feel
great. Call or text Craig for details.
(805) 746-4511

For advertising information, please contact:

Eric Santiago - (323) 259-5231 - eric@lafra.org
or visit our website at www.lafra.org/advertising

Deal direct with authorized Factory Dealers

Offering members of the Los Angeles Fire Department
Courteous, Ethical, and Special Consideration in the purchase of your new car.

GALPIN FORD

#1 Volume Ford Dealer in the world for 20

consecutive years!

Lincoln / Mercury / Honda / Mazda /

Volvo / Ford / Jaguar / Lotus / Aston
Martin / Spyker / Galpin Auto Sports
For special pricing contact
Terry MillerFleet Sales & Leasing
15505 Roscoe Blvd
North Hills CA 91343
818-797-3800 l www.galpin.com
1.800.GO.GALPIN

HAMER TOYOTA, INC.

Camry / Celica / Corolla / Tundra
Tacoma / Sienna / Supra / Solara
11041 Sepulveda Blvd
Mission Hills CA
Ask for Steve DensonFleet Mgr
steve@hamertoyota.com
818-365-9621
Specializing in hassle-free car buying

HONDA OF HOLLYWOOD
Honda - Sales and Leasing
Large Selection of Used Vehicles
6511 Santa Monica Blvd
Hollywood CA
Ask for Dave Erickson
323-466-3251 l Fax: 323-462-0187
DaveE@hondaofhollywood.com

GOUDY HONDA
Auto Leasing & Fleet Sales Since 1989
Fastest Growing Dealer in the Nation
1400 W Main St, Alhambra CA 91801
Eddie WangFleet & Lease Mgr
626-300-4222 l 800-423-1114

October 2014 59

REGISTER ONLINE AT RALPHS.COM. Sign in or follow the steps to create for a free account
(Youll need a Ralphs Rewards card OR Alternate ID if you dont have one, you can also register for a card once logged in)

Click My Account
Click Edit Community Rewards

In the Find Your Organization eld,

enter 84853 and select Widows, Orphans
& Disabled Firemens Fund from the list
Click Save
Buy groceries and use your Ralphs Rewards
card at checkout
Ralphs Donates
WE THANK YOU!
Important Information About Your Sign-Ups!!
If you have trouble signing up, you can either download a
form or call Angelica Patino at (323) 259-5235 for a copy
of the form that you can take to the store.

REMEMBER TO RE-REGISTER EVERY

SEPTEMBER!

60 October 2014

Task Force 20 in the plug buggy, heading to the scene of a major emergency to make
relief in July of 1975. Submitted by Art and Cathy Skubik. This was Arts third shift in
the field.
Left to right: FF Richard L. Acton, Eng Roger J. Fiala, FF Earl Dawkins, FF William R. Massey,
FF Art Skubik, FF Brian B. Berenger, Eng Donald L. Bain, Eng Mario L. Janesin
October 2014 61

Los Angeles Firemens Relief Association

815 Colorado Blvd FL 4
Los Angeles CA 90041-1745

th

A n n u al