Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Everybody Loves a Big Red Fire Engine!


Pasadena firefighters and paramedics were out in force shortly before 1 p.m. yesterday when a big rig jack-knifed on the 210 Freeway near the Lake Avenue exit. There was a 20-gallon diesel fuel spill, an overturned vehicle with a person trapped inside, and another person trapped in a separate car. There were four injuries but thankfully everybody will survive. Officers from the Pasadena Police Department and the California Highway Patrol were on hand as well to lend their expertise to coordinating traffic during the incident, and Caltrans assisted with the hazmat cleanup. It's what we train for!

On Saturday the community came to Fire Stations 38 and 39 in District 6 for the dedication of shiny new fire engines.


People of all ages took a turn in the driver's seat.



Two long-retired former Pasadena firefighters, whose names I'm ashamed I didn't get, were at the Station 39 ceremony.


And here's our youngest future firefighter!



Look who was in town and came to Station 38 -- Bernard Melekian, Pasadena's former police chief who now heads up the federal COPS office for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. City Manager Michael Beck is on the left.


Kent Shocknek, a local resident, stopped by. Fire Chief Dennis Downs is on the left.



Drop by any Pasadena fire station one of these days and say hello to the men and women who help keep us safe every day!

Many thanks to the Pasadena Fire Department for the top photo.

3 comments:

Petrea Burchard said...

They are fab. I'm glad I missed out on this accident, though.

Pasadena Adjacent said...

I've been to the Fire Station at the Top of Ave 64. I needed a reference for a LA city fire station project I was working on. The fellow was very obliging.

pasadenapio said...

All of our fire stations are distinctive in their own ways, from size to architecture to placement in neighborhoods.

Shortly after I arrived here to take the PIO job, I went on a variety of ridealongs -- with a police officer, a police helicopter pilot, a code enforcement officer, you name it.

But my favorite was a paramedic ridealong I did with a rescue ambulance out of Station 31 on South Fair Oaks on a Saturday night. I hung out with the firefighters/paramedics all night long at the station -- even had a firehouse dinner. The alarm went off four or five times overnight and off we flew, to the rescue!