Always at the ready

Suzie Harrison

On a mild-weathered Southern California afternoon, the need for a

volunteer fire department may go unnoticed, but the goal of the

Emerald Bay Fire Department Station 11 is to always be prepared.

The department is seeking six recruits to join the team, but

they’re not looking for just anybody. The recruit must be ready for a

serious endeavor. Joining means a commitment to hard work and

dedication. On the up side, other volunteers say their involvement

has changed their lives -- some members have served as long as 21

years.

“To qualify, you need to live within a five minute distance of

Emerald Bay,” said Station Captain Senior Reserve Officer David

Skarman.

Of course, living in Emerald Bay would be even more convenient,

but the current crew lives in North Laguna.

“We are not career firefighters, we get paid minimum pay [$5] for

responding on a call,” Skarman said. “It’s a reserve fire house and

we all respond within a three-minute period of time. We’re paged out

and within three minutes the unit is out the door. We have staff here

or within a three-minute radius 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We are responsible for every function from cleaning toilets to

structural fires to helping with injuries,” Skarman said. “We are

responsible for everything ... medical aid, chemical calls, weapons

of mass destruction and for all the back country rescue at Crystal

Cove.”

Skarman said Station 11 is also responsible for the unincorporated

areas of Laguna Beach between Emerald Bay and Newport Coast.

“Everyone is highly trained,” Skarman said. “Station 11 is the

most functional of the reserve houses for Orange County, based on

community interaction and involvement and our responses to

emergencies. We are graded on getting out of here and gauged in

response time.”

Emerald Bay has maintained the response times of a full house

engine company by taking a serious stance on how the station is run,

Skarman said.

“We’re looking for community-minded individuals who want an

opportunity to get involved, want a lot of camaraderie and to get

involved in people’s lives,” Skarman said. “Everyone has to go

through an abbreviated academy, interview process, show interest in

the program, participate in drill nights and community events, pass a

physical exam and background check.”

One of the hardest aspects for potential recruits is passing the

physical-agility test. Skarman said it’s nine minutes of pure hell

and includes running with a fire hose, pulling it up many flights of

stairs -- which he describes as the feeling of pulling a car. Other

tasks are carrying a 50-pound apparatus up eight flights of stairs,

and carrying water and hoses up ladders.

Skarman was enthusiastic to give a tour of the station. The

station has been there since 1951, but the volunteer group was

founded in 1936.

“It has a huge history of volunteerism and community,” Skarman

said. “The upstairs was used as a community center in 1951. It’s the

only fire station that allowed its fire house to be used as a

community center, and we continue to do things up here.”

Right now they are working on their haunted prison for the

neighborhood kids for Halloween. Other times it’s used for movie

night, plays and concerts.

Skarman shared a picture of one of the first fire crews back in

the 1950s.

Captain Jim Waddell has been with the Emerald Bay Fire Department

for 21 years.

Waddell said one of the highlights has been the successful role in

containing the fires that started on Oct. 27, 1993.

“We were involved from the very start of the fire.” Waddell said.

“We stayed out there for five days from the initial fire to the mop

up stage.”

Waddell said he likes the close community contact with Emerald Bay

residents.

“You get to know a lot of people by name,” Waddell said. “When

you’re on scene pulling up to a situation when a husband or wife is

in need of emergency care, there is instant reassurance we are there

to help. We always go beyond making sure the significant other is

being taken care of from transporting them to the hospital to

following up the next day.”

“There is constant follow up going beyond the call of duty,”

Waddell said. “We treat everyone like family. It’s very rewarding.”

For more information, call Emerald Bay Fire Department at (949)

494-6933.