Feed the firefighters

Deepa Bharath

Holt Fundament was all set for his fire house tour Thursday night.

The 5-year-old Tiger Cub Scout from Newport Coast had his little

fireman’s hat on as he sat up to watch a short documentary showing a

day in the life of a firefighter in the conference room of the fire

station on Ridge Park Drive.

“I thought the big fire was pretty awesome,” he said, referring to

video of the Laguna Beach brush fire of 1993 that charred 17,000

acres and engulfed 366 homes.

Newport Beach Fire Capt. Jerry Strom talked to the scouts after

the show, emphasizing the importance of not playing with matches.

“One little match can do what you saw on the video,” he said.

As a thank you to the firefighters, the children and their parents

visited them at the Newport Coast station and gave them a catered

dinner of filet mignon, Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, fudge

brownies and cookies.

“It’s just our way of showing our appreciation for our

firefighters,” parent Art Sprake said. “They’re very much part of our

community and we greatly appreciate the work they do.”

It’s also a time for the children to learn about fire safety and

have some fun. On the agenda was a game of basketball and a few

minutes in fantasy land, as the youngsters tried on the suits and

boots.

“I don’t know who is more excited -- the kids or the parents,” den

leader Peter Catranis said as he watched other parents eagerly walk

around with cameras and camcorders, recording the memorable evening.

James Sprake, 6, said he was impressed by how firemen acted in the

Laguna fire.

“No one got hurt,” he said. “It was good, what they were doing.

They help people.”

Strom said this kind of event always means a lot to him.

“I’ve been with this department for 38 years,” he said. “And I’ve

been in this station a year. This is a new community for us, but

we’ve been very pleased with the response here. The community here is

very generous and very thankful.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].