301
STATION
With its upcoming transition from a
contract-for-service arrangement to full annexation into the San
Bernardino County Fire District, the city of Hesperia in the high
desert agreed to bulldoze old Fire Station 301, which has sat
vacant for several years. The clearing of the property will help
make way for the county’s plans to construct a new station on
that same land.
AMBULANCE OPERATOR/
PARAMEDIC NICK ROBERTS
STORIES
Limited Term Firefighter in 2015
Nick recalls while returning from a call at 2am, to
Captain Tony Villarino—with a shirt covering his head—
waiting in the wings near the condemned station and
then jumping out to chase him and Limited Term Fire-
fighter Kyle Norton. Nick especially recalls the screams
of Kyle as he was being chased...Later, Chief Norton
visited the station where his son Kyle was precepting
a paramedic intern. Chief began testing the student
on the dosages of various medications. Somehow the
quiz changed gears, and then turned into an hour-long
USA geography test...Chief Norton would take the crew
out and do zombie hikes, where you’d wear a safety
vest and one person would start as a zombie and tag
another, turning them into a zombie.
By Rich Huntling
The loss of this station is bittersweet. We spoke with several Local 935
members and Hesperia Fire veterans about their memories of this station
and the times they shared with crew members there.
BATTALION CHIEF DOUG NELSON
Paid Call Firefighter from 1991-2002 for Hesperia, hired to full-time suppression position in 2002. Did his second half of probation in 2003–04 at 301.
Doug remembers being a kid playing for the Junior All American Football League and coming to Station 301 every year to pick up pads and helmets from the shed out back,
a structure which eventually became storage for the Advanced Life Support gear. “It was always called the “old guy station,” he recalls. “The FFPM off the engine would
staff an ambulance at Station 304 for eight hours of the day during high call volume times.”
CAPTAIN BOB MACK
Stationed from 1997-2004.
Bob remembers that the old dining table from 301’s is now at 304’s—it was originally a desk from the Hesperia Library and is well over 100 years old...Meanwhile, there
was a suggestion box on the wall near the dining table that was moved, but the hole in the wall remained from the drywall anchor. Crews would get popsicles, and after
they finished them would sign the sticks and put them in the hole. Before the station was demolished, Bob was able to open up that wall; he found hundreds of the signed
popsicle sticks.
He recalls that while one of the firefighters was on a strike team, another moved his new Mustang out front with a for sale sign and at a highly discounted price—the guy
selling his Mustang got endless calls because of it.
ENGINEER MIKE BELL (RETIRED)
ENGINEER SKY RODRIGUEZ
Hesperia fire explorer from 15-18 years old, reserve from
18-19, stationed as a career firefighter for several years
in his 20s.
Sky remembers (then firefighter) Kenny White falling
through the roof while dry-walling the old building...He
also recalls ride-outs as an explorer on the ambulance with
the legendary team of (then firefighter/paramedics) John
McGarvey and Ron Shackleford. Other than that, 301 was not
his favorite ride-out station, due to having to sleep in the
day room with one of the firefighters, who usually snored.
Sky had some money after being hired full-time (after not
having much growing up) and bought his first ever new
vehicle, a pickup truck. So he drove it over to 301 to show
off the new car and goes inside to bring his friends out for
a look. Meanwhile, firefighter/Paramedic Zack Taylor was
bathing a dog he had adopted following a medical call. When
Sky and crew came back out, they found Zack’s dog—soaking
wet—and sitting in the driver’s seat.
Bob also remembers the all-too-common auto extrications and bad car accidents on Main Street and Balsam Ave...Meanwhile, his favorite strike team was with then-captain
(now assistant chief) Jeff Birchfield in 1993 when they were sent to Malibu.
ENGINEER RYAN VACCARO
CAPTAIN RICH LENTINE
Stationed from 1984-90 as a firefighter and 1990-92 as an engineer.
Rich recalls that there was a BBQ pit in the back where they’d have the annual family Christmas party and BBQ pork and goat. Rich Lupton would bring in the pig, and Monte
Floyd would bring the goats...PCF Bob Cloherty lived across the street, a retired guy, and he had a bar in his house...Chiefs would often be found with Cloherty during the
day, so much so that Desert Comm [the high desert dispatch] referred to it as Station 3 (Hesperia only had two stations at the time).”
The crews were often busy, with many sleepless nights, Rich remembers. So, as an engineer following an especially busy night, he would go underneath the engine after
l unch for a visual inspection. The first hour was very productive, but the second hour turned into a safety-nap. Fortunately, the door to the apparatus bay would often creak,
so he had warning for when a captain came out looking for him.
There was only one fuel stop for the city, so crews would anticipate this by having an abundant supply of water balloons at the ready for when the other engine had to refuel.
With engines not having air conditioning, this would actually be a welcome occurrence...They’d often pull the units out of the bay to create a makeshift hand-ball court.
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FIREWIRE • Summer 2018
Fire explorer from 1992-95, stationed as a career firefighter/
paramedic in early 2000s.
Ryan has a lot of varied memories of old 301. During one
of his first days as an explorer he responded to a lightning
strike at Hesperia Lakes where seven people were struck at
once and had to be airlifted out...He also remembers being
on the water tender with Engineer Ted Sisk while responding
to Fifth and Willow Streets on a vegetation response when
they hit a dip and actually got airborne—forever cementing
the nickname “Air Ted” on Engineer Sisk...He recalls that the
crews would have Old Spice battles, where they’d run around
the station grounds trying to spray one another with the
potent cologne.
Hired in 1978 with five other younger guys who knew
each other through high school when they opened
Station 302.
Mike recalls that the station was originally a residential
structure; when the district made it into a firehouse,
the guys called it the “fifty year-old house.”
Mike says his first days at 301 were during a time that
dispatch was housed out of the building as well. He
would get experience working on the engine during the
day and then move over to dispatch and work until the
next morning.
He also remembers that 301 housed one of the first
ambulances in the high desert—and having to staff the
ambulance with one person on the engine.
While going to a strike team to Los Angeles County,
they rode on the tailboard down the hill from Crest
Forest, and froze driving through the night..Mike also
loved all the Christmas parties that they’d have with
everyone’s family, using the fire-pit BBQ...When the
department got a Telesquirt truck they’d park it in
the back; the power lines were lower than the vertical
clearance, so someone would get up top and use a
broom to lift the wires up as it passed underneath..
During the summer months, before there was a front
porch, the crew would sit on the front lawn and interact
with the community.
CAPTAIN MIKE LEONARD
Started in 1975 as a volunteer and hired full-time
in 1978, became a captain in 1981. Served for many
years as a Hesperia city council member.
Mike’s favorite strike team memory out of 301 was
a trip the Manor Fire in the Kennedy Meadows on
the backside of the Sequoia National Forrest—his
crew was Engineer Monte Floyd and Firefighter/
Paramedic Rob Cisneros, who was affectionately
call the Fire Cub...Was at the station when Chief
Hartwig did his paramedic internship...Mike also
states that now-Division 5 Assistant Chief Ron
Walls was his probationary Firefighter/Paramedic—
and was late for his first shift. Leonard coined the
nickname “The Late Great Ron Walls from that
day...The second Monday of each month, a group of
retired Hesperia guys get together for a breakfast,
including former Chief Robert Dick.
Firefighter/Paramedic Richard Huntling is FIRE-
WIRE’s go-to guy for fire station profiles. Also check
out his article in this issue highlighting Station 49
in Fawnskin—is the place haunted or not?
Summer 2018 • FIREWIRE
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