Taking a ride with Newport firefighters

There’s a sign on one of the refrigerators inside Newport Beach Fire Station No. 2 that reads: “Rockstar drinks: 50 cents; Large Gatorades, $2; Small Gatorades, $1; sodas, 50 cents. Always having something to drink…priceless.”

While city taxpayers might pay their salaries, they don’t directly pay for the caffeine firefighters and medics ride on in the middle of the night while they are saving lives.

It’s just one of several things firefighters and paramedics said the public often doesn’t know or is mistaken about. There have been times, said medic John Mollica, that he’ll be shopping at a local grocery store and a resident will make a comment under their breath about him using taxpayer money for the groceries.

Truth is, that’s Mollica’s money, and everyone else back at the fire station has also chipped in. The city doesn’t have a separate food and drink budget for these guys and gals, they said, they just round up everyone’s cash every morning to go shopping.

It’s certainly not a problem, the firefighters at the Newport Boulevard fire station next to City Hall assured Wednesday.

But, it is an example of the little details about the job most people aren’t privy to.

Another detail was on full display later that afternoon, when the station’s ambulance and fire engine were dispatched to a medical emergency on West Coast Highway.

With lights flashing and sirens blaring, at least half a dozen cars on Newport Boulevard then West Coast Highway either didn’t pull over, stopped where they were, or actually blocked the fire engine’s path by going to the middle of the street.

That, many firefighters said, is one of the most common misunderstandings the public has about emergency vehicles. You’re always supposed to pull to the right, not stop in place or go left because the engine may have to make a left turn or has to go around you, said Capt. Chad Ponegalek.

It was a quiet day for the Fire Station No. 2 crew Wednesday. But even when it’s quiet, that doesn’t mean they aren’t busy, the crew said.

Engineer Erin Brown pointed out that from morning to late afternoon, the team is working around the station. There’s no cleaning crew, said Capt. Jeff Boyles. The firefighters vacuum and mop daily, not only for the other shifts, but because of all the things they tread in from incidents around the city.

They’re also constantly training and checking their equipment to make sure it works.

Brown said sometimes she gets asked what the living situation is for the lone woman in the station.

The department added a bathroom and hospital curtains around the beds, she said with a laugh.

“It’s like having a whole bunch of brothers,” she joked. “Firefighting is a passion. We live for what we do. It’s not just a job for us.”

Little-Known Facts Of The Job

 Firefighters work anywhere from 56 to 72 hours a week in 24-hour shifts, sometimes three days in a row.

 Much of the extra training firefighters get is on personal, vacation time and not paid for in their salaries.

 Fire trucks often respond with paramedics to calls because of the extra manpower in case the situation turns worse.

 If it’s not a trauma, patients often have an option of which local hospital they can go to.

  Calling 9-1-1 and requesting an ambulance does not guarantee someone will get into the emergency room faster if the situation doesn’t warrant it.