Where’s the Fire? Dewie’s Not in Any Hurry to Retire His Ax

In Santa Ana’s Fire Station 2, Engineer Donald E. Wright, 64, has a fitting nickname for everyone. “That’s South Central L.A.,” he says, pointing to Jim Watts, 42, of Orange.

“And that’s Junior,” he says, motioning to a man at least 40 years his junior. The firefighters call Wright “Dewie,” formed from the initials of his name.

Wright likes to keep things loose at the station, and he’s good at it. And no wonder. He has been a firefighter for 42 years and may keep going “until I’m 70. Look, I’m in great shape, it’s a great job, I love it and I don’t have any intention of retiring.”

Every time the bell rings, “It’s just as thrilling to me as it was 42 years ago,” says Wright, who is the senior firefighter in Santa Ana, as well as the oldest. “I know there are some younger firemen who think my time has passed, and I should move on. I pass the physical every year with flying colors.”

Watts thinks Dewie is a terrific role model for the younger firefighters. “We went up on the roof of a burning building recently, and he scampered up just like a kid,” he said. “He’s great.”

Wright, who drives the fire truck on all assignments, says his good health “comes from the fact I’ve worked all my life, taken good care of myself and ate the right food.”

Wright has been a volunteer with a ski patrol rescue squad. An expert on fire extinguishers, he regularly holds meetings to explain why everyone should have one in their car and house.

“I’ve never been hurt in all my years as a fireman,” he says, “and I’ve never had an accident driving the truck to a fire.” But he acknowledges that he has been lucky:

“We have drivers who pass us up in their cars while we have our lights and siren going and I’m blasting our horn. Can you believe that?”

While Wright has worked countless fires and delivered four babies during his career, “My biggest dream was to work a fire with my son, Doug.”

That came true three years ago during a fire involving two departments when the younger Wright, 45, a firefighter in Newport Beach, responded to a fire in Santa Ana.

Besides both being firefighters, they have something else in common. “I married my son’s wife’s twin sister,” the elder Wright says. “That makes my son my brother-in-law. Crazy, isn’t it?”

Sally White, 26, said she was “horrified and sick to my stomach” while exchanging marriage vows last month with Steven L. Noguera, 26, of Westminster in a five-minute ceremony on a beach in Hawaii.

“I always thought I wouldn’t be nervous,” said White, also of Westminster. She is a court clerk who holds the record at the courthouse in Santa Ana by performing 86 marriages on Valentine’s Day in 1985. That broke the old mark of 50.

On the final day of 1987, she married 63 couples.

“I’m not nervous at all when I marry someone else,” said White, who marries couples at the rate of about 2 1/2 minutes each when rings are used, and about 45 seconds without a ring ceremony. But she said the ceremony includes some words of wisdom, such as being responsible and faithful to each other and trying for a lasting marriage.

“I have a good time marrying people,” said White, who has been bonding people for six years. “I feel like marriage is my life.”

Christmas is gone, but Karen Lloreda gets a Christmas gift “every time I drive by the tree,” she said, referring to the Eldarica Pine planted in Capistrano Beach.

It was her idea to have a perpetual Christmas tree planted in the community.

“Other communities have a Christmas tree, and we didn’t,” she said. “So we all got together to get one.”

The tree, native to Afghanistan and able to withstand coastal winds, cost $500. It was planted at Camino de Estrella and Calle del Sol.