Not every story has an unhappy ending

DANETTE GOULET

Following my disillusionment last week after my car was broken into,

I thought it fitting to share stories from the other side of the

spectrum.

Now, I’ll admit I have a soft spot for firefighters (really, what

woman doesn’t?) but two of the most touching stories of I’ve heard

were about the actions of firefighters here in Huntington Beach.

One of those two stories was celebrated Tuesday at the city’s 32nd

annual Public Safety Awards luncheon.

In April, firefighters Darrin Witt, Gary Finney, Berkeley Northrop

and George Shinrock were heading back to the station after a call

when they noticed a car, driven by an elderly woman, that was giving

off an odor that smelled like brakes or oil burning. They followed

her into a strip mall and informed her that they thought something

might be wrong with her car’s engine. She handed over her keys and

went into the strip mall to have her hair done.

The crew found that she had been driving with the parking brake on

and released it, and that oil had spilled on the engine, which they

wiped clean.

But they also noticed that she was driving with a small, skinny

spare tire that was almost flat. They began to change the tire, but

discovered that the spare tire was damaged beyond repair. Rather than

tell her what she needed to do, as one might expect, the crew drove

up Beach Boulevard to the “Big-O” tire store to buy her a new tire.

They explained the situation to the manager with other patrons

listening in. The other customers moved the crew to the front of the

line and everyone chipped in to pay for the new tire.

The manager sold the tire at cost, mounted and balanced the tire

for free, and provided a card to give to the lady stating that

“Big-O” would service her car for free.

Their actions brought the woman to tears. Their selfless actions

also inspired others to give freely and selflessly.

Another touching story, not celebrated at Tuesday’s luncheon,

comes from Fire Station No. 8 on Heil Avenue.

On Aug. 27, Capt. Mike Perry, Engineer Chico Sanchez and

firefighter/paramedics John Legg and Bryan Russell responded to a

call for a diabetic woman. After treating her for low blood sugar,

the crew told her to eat something in order to sustain her blood

sugar levels. She informed them that she did not have any food as she

gets Meals on Wheels, and they had already delivered her food for the

day. The crew looked in her cabinets and her refrigerator and saw

that indeed there was nothing at all to eat in the house. After

leaving her home, they discussed the situation and agreed that

something needed to be done to assist her. Perry, treasurer of the

Huntington Beach Firefighters Assn., made the decision to purchase

$75 worth of food for the woman. The crew delivered the food to her

and tidied up her refrigerator and cabinets.

If these stories didn’t renew my faith in humanity some of the

others celebrated at the public safety awards ceremony certainly

would have. Stories like the 66-year-old fisherman, Albert Kim, who

leapt into the water fully clothed to save a drowning girl, or the

story firefighter/paramedic Chad Stewart who, while off duty, tried

to pull someone from a burning vehicle and saved the lives of several

others trying to help before nitrous canisters in the car exploded

are enough to make one realize that there are good people out there

doing good things.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at [email protected].