Steven Cuevas
October 26, 2007
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At noon Friday, firefighters across Southern California put aside their shovels and hoses to pause for a moment of silence. They were marking the one-year anniversary of the Esperanza Fire near Banning. The arson-caused blaze claimed the lives of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters. KPCC's Steven Cuevas found that Engine 57 was never far from the minds of those battling flames in the San Bernardino Mountains this week.
Steven Cuevas: It's easy to miss if you're not looking for it: A turquoise green memorial shield, the same color of the fire trucks it's painted on.
Chon Bribiescas: You'll probably see on these vehicles in front, they've got it usually on the side of their window right there. But you'll see it on all the Forest Service fire vehicles.
Cuevas: What does it say?
Bribiescas: It says, "In memory of 57." Engine 57.
[Sound of truck moving, radio dispatch crackling]
Cuevas: Chon Bribiescas of the U.S. Forest Service in Big Bear Valley talked about his colleagues this week while he headed to the fire line near Running Springs.
Bribiescas: Well, you know, it's always on our mind. We don't necessarily sit around and talk about it. You know, we have our standing fire fighter orders. And those all came about through events that happened that we found out that things went wrong. And so, these are lessons learned. But they're never gonna be forgotten.
Cuevas: A year ago, the crew of Engine 57 was among the first to respond to the pre-dawn blaze as it tore up the mountains above Banning. Their job was to protect a vacation home in a secluded cul-de-sac. It was still dark, and Santa Ana winds raked the canyon slopes. The crew got pinned down.
On the frontline of the Slide Fire earlier this week, a wall of wind-fed flames rolled down the hills from Green Valley Lake, torching roads and houses. U.S. fire captain Jody Smith and his crew from Big Bear retreated to the grounds of a nearby Christian academy. Smith knew the crew of Engine 57 well; all the firefighters up here did. He wears a small Engine 57 memorial shield on his fire helmet. But on Tuesday, Smith had his own crew to worry about.
Captain Cody Smith: We're up against one year thing of losing five, so ...
Cuevas: We were talking about that on the way up. Is that on your mind, is that on everyone's mind?
Smith: Oh, yeah. It's back there. It's not a priority; my priority is what we're seeing right now. You know, keeping my guys safe, and making sure ...
Firefighter: Three days from now.
Smith: Yeah, come back and ask me three days from now. You're right. (To other captain:) Hey, we gotta get these guys outta here!
Cuevas: Since last year's tragedy, there've been numerous investigations into what happened on the morning of October 26th. There've also been recriminations, accusations, and changes in policy.
Fire officials hammered home a blunt order during this week's mountain fires: No structure – and no resident who resists evacuation orders – is worth the life of a firefighter.
David McNew/Getty Images
