HUNTINGTON BEACH : Retiring Fire Chief to Be Honored Today

Fire Chief Raymond C. Picard, a recent award recipient for leading the emergency response to the Feb. 7 oil spill, will be honored today during a ceremony celebrating his upcoming retirement.

Picard, who will retire Dec. 26 after 23 years as the city’s fire chief, has received an outstanding services award from Gov. George Deukmejian and the California Emergency Services Assn. for his role in the spill response.

Beginning on the night of the disaster, in which the tanker American Trader dumped almost 400,000 gallons of oil into the ocean about 1 1/2 miles off the Huntington Beach coast, Picard oversaw the efforts of several local fire departments and other emergency-response agencies.

He also coordinated much of the spill’s cleanup, including the organization of hundreds of volunteers who scrubbed and nursed birds and other wildlife blackened by the spill.

Earlier this year, the Coast Guard presented citations to Picard, Huntington Beach Mayor Thomas J. Mays and Newport Beach Fire Chief James Reed for their leadership during the disaster.

Picard’s retirement celebration will take place from 1 p.m. to midnight at the Waterfront Hilton on Pacific Coast Highway at Huntington Street. The public is invited.

The event will begin with an informal gathering from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Golden West Room, to be attended by Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder and fire chiefs from throughout Orange County. A video compilation of award presentations to Picard will follow at 6 p.m.

The evening events will be held in the Grand Ballroom, beginning with dinner at 7:30 and the main program, including a look at Picard’s fire service career, at 8:30 p.m.

There is a $40 charge for the dinner, but all other events are free.