96
STATION
By Rich Huntling
Station 96 sits just off Rim of the World Highway—and just a good skipping-stone throw from
the shores of Big Bear Lake—providing premiere fire services to the community of Fawnskin.
San Bernardino County Fire has been staffing this station since the County Service Area 38
transition from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in June of 1999.
With roughly 400 permanent residents, Fawnskin has been a fixture in the Bear
Valley community since the turn of the 19th century. Earlier, in the 1800s, this
area would serve as a stagecoach stop for the many gold-seeking miners that
would continue their travels northbound to the gold-rich Holcomb Valley.
With the original route of the Rim of the World Highway, Fawnskin was in conten-
tion for being the epicenter of tourist activity in the Bear Valley area. However,
in 1925 another route over the Bear Valley Dam allowed easy access into the city
of Big Bear Lake, thus greatly decreasing the attraction of Fawnskin.
The jewel of the community was for a long time the Fawnskin Lodge, originally
built in 1917 and housing numerous local businesses, restaurants and the hotel.
Many locals believe this now-abandoned lodge is home to ghosts that have
remained to guard the structure—and sometimes venture into the nearby fire
station, as some Local 935 members may attest.
One such story takes place on a snowy Thanksgiving day in 2015 when Captain
Kellie Hoverman and Firefighter/Paramedic Daniel Carmichael were both upstairs
and heard a distinct knocking on the front door. They went down to check, but
opened the door to find no one there. They searched the area to make sure no
one needed help but were bewildered to find not a single footprint in the fresh
snow. Or, consider the case of Captain Jeremy Hanson, who awoke suddenly
during a Fawnskin night to have the feeling as though someone was holding him
down on his bunk. He brushed this off, thinking it was just a vivid dream, but
later heard Engineer Al Pluma share a similar experience. And then there are the
apparatus bay snow chains. People swear that regardless if the bay doors are
closed, and all airflow is cut-off, they can hear the snow chains rattling inside
their cabinet.
Apparitions notwithstanding, staffing issues have previously been so common
at this station that crews probably would have welcomed a ghost or two aboard
the engine. After the transition to County Fire, the station was staffed with just
two daily professionals: a captain on one of the three platoons and a “captain-
eer” (engineer with captain duties) on the other two shifts, each coupled with
a firefighter.
Augmenting this staffing for many years was a paid-call company, which served
its community with distinction bu t was ultimately not sustainable with County
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FIREWIRE • Summer 2018
Fire and Local 935’s vision for a fully-professional service for the area. PCF
staffing ended for 96 in 2015.
After the County Service Area 70 transition, staffing changed to a captain on all
three platoons and a firefighter. Throughout the years, the firefighter position
has changed from being a limited-term firefighter, to a full-timer, to even a short
stint of having one full-timer and one LT. For a year there was a captain and
engineer/paramedic. Only within the last year has the staffing moved to the
SBCoFD standard of a captain, engineer and firefighter/paramedic on each shift.
These three members are responsible for keeping a large fleet of emergency
vehicles ready to respond. They include a 2012 International 4x4 type 2/3 engine
(soon to be replaced by Station 94’s previous front-line 4x4 KME type 1), a 2015
Ford Type 6 brush patrol, a water tender, a snow cat (soon to be replaced by a
new Prinoth Trooper snow cat), a 24-foot CWS pontoon fireboat, a 1998 Case 1840
loader, and a Ford utility truck. This array of apparatus allows the crew of Station
96 to respond to any emergency in their response area.
With their vast response area, responses can be memorable for the crews of
Station 96. One such example is when Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Balteria was
stationed there during the snow-filled winter of 2015-2016. Matt recalls being
called out for a family stranded on the snowed-out roads. Responding in Snow
Cat 96, he was able to rescue the family unharmed and drive them to safety and
warmth. Engineer Steve Story recalls working overtime with a captain, also on
overtime, and getting dispatched to a boat fire. The two drove to Captain John’s
Fawn Harbor and Marina (where Fireboat 96 is stored) and were able to locate,
isolate and contain the fire to the boat of origin.
The current crews at Station 96 stand ready to respond to any and all emer-
gencies that this unique area requires. They will continue to provide premiere
fire services to the community, and also support the devoted members of the
community with events such as the annual tree lighting ceremony, Old Miner’s
Day, the Doo Dah Parade and the town’s chili cook-off.
Firefighter/Paramedic Rich Huntling is currently assigned to Station 78 in Fontana.
See also his article on Station 301 in this issue.
Summer 2018 • FIREWIRE
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