Fulfilling many dreams

Bob Masuzumi is the kind of guy who remembers your birthday.

His co-worker at the Costa Mesa Fire Department, Capt. Ron Cloe, remembers when they were riding all-terrain vehicles with friends at 10,000 feet, miles away from any city, and Masuzumi pulled out a little gas stove and heated a cake for one of the other riders. After all, it was the guy’s birthday, Masuzumi explained.

His friends in the department didn’t nickname him “The Nicest Guy in the World” for nothing.

John Dailey was the guy you could count on to have his nose in the newspaper with a mug of coffee by his side most mornings. One retired firefighter told him that the one thing he was going to miss was Dailey reading him the news every day.

As one colleague said, you haven’t lived until you’ve watched a news broadcast with Dailey and listened to his commentary.

Perhaps his love of news comes from the generation he grew up with — he was the last Vietnam veteran in the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

Monday, Masuzumi and Dailey said goodbye to the jobs they’ve been dedicated to for 30 and 28 years, respectively.

Both men are retiring as engineers, or the firefighters responsible for an assigned truck or engine. It takes years to be given that responsibility, and each man’s knowledge is going to be sorely missed, firefighters said.

Losing Dailey is “like losing another mentor,” said Capt. Tim Vasin, head of the Costa Mesa Firefighter Assn.

The same goes for Masuzumi. And he led by example.

“I’ve had the pleasure of being his supervisor for the last year of his career ... his dedication to the job is second to none,” Cloe said of Masuzumi. “He has a work ethic that is the standard that everyone else is measured by in the department. From the time he hits the door in the morning until he leaves, he is constantly busy doing.”

The two men spoke Monday to a small audience of current and past firefighters, and city officials, including City Manager Allan Roeder.

They said they were part of the last generation of firefighters and now it was time to pass on the torch.

“It’s time for the old guard to step down and the new guard to step up to bat,” Dailey said. “Thanks, I’ve had fun every minute of it.”

Dailey is looking forward to the free time and spending time with his daughter.

Masuzumi has big plans for the new year, family said, but in his speech his continuing love and dedication for his job shined through, as he choked up talking about the friendships he’s formed and what he’ll remember.

Perhaps that love has to do with the fact he met his wife, Chris, through his job there. She’s a 9-1-1 dispatcher.

“I’ve been here 30 years, seven months and 21 days. I seriously don’t know where the time went,” Masuzumi said. “The fire service is like a second family. I’ve been on cloud nine. It’s unbelievable.”

Masuzumi plans on joining another retired firefighter on a 21-day journey to all four corners of the mainland United States in the summer, his wife said.

He’ll also resume his photography hobby and hopefully get photos and a story published in a motorcycle magazine, he said.

“With me leaving, it leaves the vacancy for someone else to fulfill their dreams. What more can you ask?” Masuzumi said.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.