Final Salute For Two Fallen LACoFD Firefighters

Yesterday I had the honor to attend a moving ceremony hosted by the Los Angeles County Fire Department at Dodger's Stadium for Captain Ted Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones. Capt. Hall and Firefighter Specialist Quinones where killed during the fire fight at the Station Fire, a wildfire in the nearby Angeles National Forest on August 30th. Both Hall and Quinones where from Camp 16 and where trying to find a safe route off the mountain for their crews when their truck tragically fell off a cliff killing them both. They both where remembered as true firefighters who loved the job and died protecting their crews. The memorial was attended by Vice President Biden and Gov. Schwarzenegger along with many other officials, families, and firefighters from around the country. The memorial included traditional firefighter honors of taps, bagpipers, and a ringing of the last alarm of 5-5-5. The service concluded with a flyover from helicopters in a missing man formation. The memorial was a wonderful tribute to these brave men who are a loss to the fire service and who will not be forgotten.

Station Fire

(view of Station Fire from space)

I got back yesterday from several days working on the Station Fire at the Angeles National Forest just outside of Los Angeles. I was serving as a captain on one of the hundreds of engines that are trying to put a stop to the fire that has grown to over 219 square miles (140,000 acres) in size.

Fire Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall

Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones

Tragically, two firefighter have been killed in the line of duty trying to control this huge blaze. On Sunday, August 30th, Fire Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones, both from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, where killed when their emergency response vehicle went over the side and fell 800 feet into a steep canyon during fire suppression activities protecting Camp 16 in the City of Palmdale.

The fire is at 22% containment so a lot of work is still to be done. So far 92 structures have been destroyed of which 62 where residential homes. Let us all hope for a quick end to the Station Fire and no further injuries or deaths.

To my fellow firefighters, be safe out there.