A BALCONY VIEW: Giving thanks to our heroes

By Gary Huerta – Published: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 9:34 PM PDT

It seems an obvious statement, but worth writing. In the midst of a massive fire that continues to consume our forest and threaten our homes, we’ve been blessed by the presence of hundreds of heroes. Most of them do not call the Crescenta Valley home. Nevertheless, their mission is to make sure we can.

Tragically, two of them will not be returning to their homes after we’ve had the chance to return to ours.

On Sunday, the unthinkable happened.

Two of our heroes were lost. Capt. Tedmund Hall, 47, and Specialist Arnaldo Quinones, 35, were killed when their vehicle crashed down a 700-foot embankment in the Angeles National Forest.

Hall was with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for 26 years, Quinones for eight years.

They lost their lives near the community of Acton. But specifically, they gave their lives for all of us. I don’t think that’s an overstatement in any way.

Together, those two men served more than three decades. We’ll never know how many people they helped. We’ll never know how many people actually thanked them. But I think it’s safe to say that everyone reading this owes them and their immediate families a debt of gratitude.

Mike Dietrich, the U.S. Forest Service’s incident commander, told CNN, “My No. 1 priority is our firefighters’ safety.”

If only there were actually some way to guarantee the safety of these people.

But the reality every firefighter lives with is that there are no guarantees. Their passion and desire pushes them to save property and lives of which they have no real investment of their own.

And now, with the fire raging on for what looks like several more days, more and more of these heroic individuals are flooding the region. They’re coming from all over the country now to fight, to battle, to win. If the smoke doesn’t take your breath away, their bravery certainly does.

On the fourth anniversary of 9/11, I made brownies with my kids and together we took them to the fire station nearest our home. We walked into the firehouse to deliver the goodies, handed the plate over to one of the firemen and said, “Thanks for everything.”

The fireman looked at me, smiled at my kids and shook my hand. As we left, Zoe, my 4-year-old daughter, questioned me.

“Why did we give that man our brownies?” she asked.

“They were never for us,” I told her. “We were making them so that they would know how much we appreciate what they do.”

“What do they do?” she responded.

“They do the things most people are too scared to do. They go to places where people need help when they’re in trouble and they risk their lives making others feel safer.”

“Why?” Zoe asked.

“Honestly, I can’t tell you. They’re special humans. I don’t have that special kind of courage and determination. Not everybody does. That kind of person deserves special recognition.”

Zoe thought about it for a moment.

“Like yummy brownies,” she said.

As I set off to write this column, I didn’t want to talk about our community.

It felt selfish considering the sacrifices others are making to preserve it. Instead, I wanted to express my respect and gratitude to those individuals.

And so this time around, instead of a plate of brownies, I’d like to thank every firefighter on behalf of my family and on behalf of the Crescenta Valley. Because that’s what I think needs to be said again and again.

And to the loved ones of Hall and Quinones, I offer my deepest condolences for the loss of your loved ones.

They lived as heroes among us. And that is how they shall be memorialized.