Firefighters Quest for Burn Survivors
Firefighters Quest for Burn Survivors
Firefighters Quest for Burn Survivors
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The Santa Barbara <strong>Quest</strong> Rally took a<br />
step back in time in 2011, traveling from the south coast and<br />
finishing with a classic Santa Maria style BBQ prepared by<br />
only those who do it best: the Santa Maria Fire Department.<br />
The last time <strong>Quest</strong> traveled this direction was when it all<br />
began in Santa Barbara County 14 years ago. The morning<br />
started off with an incredible turnout from the Carpinteria/<br />
Summerland Fire Department. Met by our outstanding CHP<br />
motor escort, we headed off to the Montecito Fire<br />
Department. Met by another great turnout of department<br />
personnel, this was the first time in three years we have<br />
stopped in Montecito. The last two years they have met us at<br />
our final BBQ stop hosted by the Santa Barbara City Fire<br />
Department.<br />
Led by CHP motors we then traveled along the Santa<br />
Barbara coastline enroute to one of our favorite stops of the<br />
day, the Santa Barbara Harbor. There we met the Harbor<br />
Patrol <strong>for</strong> a scenic cruise through the harbor to show off their<br />
fire boat’s capabilities. Traveling up Santa Barbara city’s main<br />
drag, State Street, we gathered plenty of looks from local<br />
shoppers and tourists as we headed to Santa Barbara City<br />
Fire’s Headquarters Station in the heart of the city. Once<br />
again, we were overwhelmed by the turnout of personnel who<br />
came out to support this great cause.<br />
After filling our bellies with pastries, we were on the road<br />
again to the County’s main communication hub, the Santa<br />
Barbara County Dispatch Center. They are responsible <strong>for</strong><br />
receiving all 9-1-1 calls and dispatching the Santa Barbara<br />
County Fire Department, Guadalupe Fire Department, County<br />
Sheriff Department and AMR Paramedic Ambulances countywide.<br />
Trying to keep our voices down is always difficult as<br />
dispatchers continue to receive and dispatch calls throughout<br />
our stop.<br />
From there, we headed north up the freeway along the<br />
Santa Barbara coast to our next stop at Lompoc City Fire<br />
Department Station 1. Another favorite stop on our leg of the<br />
Rally, this two story headquarters station has a slide rather<br />
than a pole that everyone seems to enjoy taking a ride on. No<br />
one seems to be able to pass up the opportunity to take a<br />
ride.<br />
As we said goodbye and thanks to our CHP motors from<br />
Santa Barbara and hello to our new escort, a CHP unit from<br />
our Buellton Division, we passed right through the middle of<br />
Lompoc to get to our next stop at Santa Barbara County Fire<br />
Department’s newest station, Station 51, in Lompoc. This<br />
modern, combined station with the Santa Barbara County<br />
Sheriff Department provided a great backdrop <strong>for</strong> the check<br />
presentation photo. Back on the road with engines from<br />
Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire, and<br />
Lompoc City Fire led the way with the <strong>Quest</strong> Rally Support<br />
Team on to Guadalupe Fire Department. Once again, we<br />
were met with a great turnout of department personnel. For<br />
the first time, Guadalupe was able to travel with the Rally,<br />
leading the procession behind our CHP escort to our final<br />
destination, Santa Maria Fire Station 4. Enroute to Santa<br />
Maria, we were met by the Ventura <strong>Quest</strong> Rally who had<br />
traveled all the way up to San Luis Obispo County to meet up<br />
with Greg Leptich <strong>for</strong> another incredible donation on behalf of<br />
his Central Coast Golf Tournament crews. He certainly sets<br />
the bar high <strong>for</strong> all of us each year. He topped all donations<br />
with $18,000. Thanks, Greg!<br />
The Santa Maria Style BBQ luncheon was led by Santa<br />
Maria Fire’s own and recently retired, Dennis Szczepanski.<br />
Dennis and his crew helped to finish off another great year <strong>for</strong><br />
all involved in this great charity event. This was my 14 th year<br />
as the Santa Barbara County <strong>Quest</strong> Coordinator and I can<br />
honestly say I was overwhelmed by every department’s<br />
support and turnout from it’s personnel. A special thanks<br />
goes out to Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara City<br />
Fire and Lompoc City Fire <strong>for</strong> their support of <strong>Quest</strong> by<br />
providing Engines to travel throughout the procession the<br />
whole day. We truly do believe in the <strong>Quest</strong> mission to help<br />
burn survivors and those hospitals and organizations who<br />
help survivors in their times of need. It was an honor to be<br />
involved with such a great group of people. Thanks again.<br />
Howard Orr<br />
Captain/ Paramedic<br />
Santa Barbara County Fire Department<br />
Santa Barbara County <strong>Quest</strong> Area Coordinator
Change language