Arson unit gets countywide award

Costa Mesa Fire group honored at annual ceremony.The Costa Mesa Fire Department Arson Investigation Unit has been honored as fire service organization of the year by the Orange County Fire Services Assn.

The 25th annual Overachievers Awards, held recently at the Costa Mesa Hilton, was sponsored by the Orange County Fire Chiefs Assn. and Orange County Fire Services Assn.

Costa Mesa Fire’s Brenda Emrick, a fire prevention specialist, was nominated for fire service professional of the year. Capt. Bob Pingle of Newport Beach Fire also received a nomination, for firefighter of the year.

The fire service organization of the year award was presented to the five members of the Costa Mesa arson unit: Capt. Shawn Brosamer, Capt. Kevin Diamond, Capt. Marty Huguenin, Capt. Herb Ohde and Firefighter Paramedic Gregory Beutz.

Ohde said the nomination came as a surprise to him because the unit was nominated among other outstanding fire service organizations.

“I was very proud and happy to receive the nomination,” Ohde said.

The team was nominated based on its success in actively investigating arson fires and educating the public about the causes of fire, said Costa Mesa Fire Department spokeswoman Barbara Marcosa.

Emrick, who works in fire prevention, works closely with the arson investigation team.

The arson unit plays a vital role in the city’s juvenile fire-setter program, which seeks to educate and correct behavior of juveniles who set fires, Emrick said.

Working with juvenile fire-setters has been an eye-opening experience, Ohde said.

Although Emrick didn’t win an award herself, her first nomination was an honor.

“What an honor and what an event to be in just the presence of all these folks who do so much for the fire service,” Emrick said.

Emrick previously worked in the fire prevention bureau in the city of Downey, where she also served five years as a 911 dispatcher.

Newport Beach’s Pingle, a 31-year veteran with Newport Fire, was chosen by his peers Oct. 19 as Newport Beach firefighter of the year.

The Overachiever Awards were established in 1980 to provide a chance for fire service employees to recognize their peers.