It was obvious that we needed a ceremonial unit to represent us at events like parades, graduations, funerals, remembrance and award ceremonies.Even with our best efforts to look good in our station uniforms with a hat and clip-on tie, it just wasn’t enough. Most of the original 12 had a military background, and most of the technical expertise was provided by BC Mark Kramer, a former member of the US Air Force Presidential HONOR GUARD. (You may notice a slight resemblance in the uniforms). Three of these original 12 are still active members of the Guard today (FAE Blake Garlin, FF/PM Bruce Brown, and FF Tom Schenk).
Membership is open to all professional firefighters of the Orange County Fire Authority. The current GUARD is comprised of 20 members within the ranks of Captain, Engineer, and Firefighter. We do not wear any symbols of rank on our uniforms and all have an equal voice in the decisions of the group. Some of our members have promoted to Battalion Chief and tried to stay active members. As hard as they tried, however, it seems that they all became too busy to keep participating. Informally, it’s understood that with the promotion it’s time to move on.
Our numbers have gradually increased due to the fact that we volunteer our time to attend events off-duty. If we are unable to get enough of us there, the Operations Chief will find a way for some on-duty members to attend. Without the support of Chiefs Chip Prather and Bill Dean, Local 3631, and our Benevolent Association, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The Authority provides our uniforms and also sends four of us to represent the OCFA at the annual Fallen Firefighter Memorials at the NFA in Emmitsburgh, MD; the IAFF in Colorado Springs, CO; and now the CPF in Sacramento, CA.
After our own members were recognized in ceremonies at each of these events, our leadership recognized how important our presence is and has supported us ever since. Locally, we perform as a joint HONOR GUARD with the Costa Mesa FD for the OCFSA annual Fallen Firefighter ceremony as well as other events that affect the Orange County Fire service as a whole. One of the least pleasant, but most important aspects of our job is to provide a level of honor and dignity at funerals for our fallen brothers and sisters.
Since the Guard’s inception, we have provided an HONOR GUARD and Color Guard for seven of our own members’ funeral services. When tragedy struck the Corona FD with the loss of 4 of their members and with the separate loss of FC Mike Hibbard, we were there for them. I think we all can appreciate the value of our group during these difficult times.
On the lighter side of things, some of our favorite events are the retirement ceremonies. We get a chance to strut our stuff, but in a more relaxed atmosphere. I have heard from many retirees how much they appreciated us walking them down the isle. We provide Color Guards at events like our academy graduations, promotion ceremonies and some special events for our partner cities.
We have become so busy over the last decade that we have actually had to narrow our focus as to which events we will participate in. During 2002 alone we participated in 22 events and this year is shaping up to be almost as busy. We are looking forward to our finale this year, because for the first time ever we will be marching in the Rose Parade. We will be representing the California Fire Service along with the OCFA Pipes and Drums and the CSFA Steamer Team led by Dave Hubert. Look for us on New Year’s Day, it will be hard to miss us! As always we will do our best to represent all of us by preserving and promoting fire service tradition, honoring those deserving of recognition and providing inspiration to the Fire Family and the public.
