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LBFD Heroes: Stories from the Fire Lines Event 2009
By frhayes | March 9, 2009
On Sunday, March 8, 2009 members from the community came to the “Heroes: stories from the fire lines” event hosted by the Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) and Council Member Patrick O’Donnell. There they heard firefighters talk about heroic and even humorous stories from their experiences as a LBFD member.
Some of the stories that were told included Justin Bartlow and Bob Eldridge (LBFD Retired) re-living the “Gale Avenue Fire” that occurred on the West side of the city. Firefighter Bartlow at the time remembered a 70-foot wall of flames rising in the distance as he approached Gale Avenue, and firefighter Eldridge described the challenges of battling a blaze atop a river of oil.
Another interesting story revolved around how the LBFD became world renowned due the story of Sam the fire pole sliding cat. It seems that one-day Sam got into the second story “pole hole” which the firefighters used to get down to the fire truck, to respond quickly to fires. With a little prompting from the firefighters, Sam gripped the pole and slid down to the first floor like an “old pro”. Due to this unique talent a children’s book was written about Sam, and to the attendees surprise a woman in the crowd listening to the story stated that “I grew up reading that story, I loved it” (she however did not reveal her age). Sam the cat was also profiled in the long running publication of “Ripley’s believe it or not”
There were antique apparatus provided by the LBFD Museum, as well as current “in service” rigs staffed by individuals that gave visitors an “up close and personal” tour and insight on how this equipment was used in the past, and how it is used today to protect the community.
Also in attendance was the Search and Rescue team proudly displaying their station and rigs. The LBFD Fire Ambassadors had the fire safety house on scene to help educate children and their families on how to get out of a burning building safely. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) provided valuable information on disaster preparedness and how to acquire CERT training to help your family and neighbors in the event of a major disaster.
LBFD members from Local 372 were on hand to cook hot dogs and provide drinks, and Members from the Boy Scouts helped with parking and other duties. It is estimated that approximately 500 people took advantage of this great opportunity to hear some great stories, talk with some of the local firefighters, and to see the past and present capabilities of the LBFD.
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