Posted on 10/17/2005 7:06:30 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Jesus Pasos took one look around the grounds at Shomrei Torah Synagogue in West Hills on Sunday afternoon, and summed up in one word what everyone was thinking.
"Wow!" the young Los Angeles city firefighter said.
Yeah, wow. Pasos and his fellow firefighters were standing in the middle of the biggest community hug any of them had ever seen.
More than 400 residents came to a barbecue at the synagogue to thank local firefighters for saving their homes from the Topanga Fire, which scorched more than 24,000 acres and destroyed three homes before it was put out earlier this month.
The last time Sheri Pilosof saw many of these firefighters she was running down her street, Wooded Vista, with her children - looking over her shoulder at the approaching flames and thinking she might never see her home again.
She did - on TV at a friend's house. For a day and a night, she watched the water drops and firefighters standing in her backyard keeping the flames at bay.
"They saved our homes, and there was no way I wasn't going to be here today with everyone else in our community to say thank you to them," Sheri said.
Jeff and Pat Druyan felt the same way. "This is a rare opportunity for us to meet and have a hot dog with the people who protected and saved our homes," Jeff said.
"It's a great feeling to be able to walk up to them, shake their hands, and say, 'Thank you, you saved my neighborhood."'
The feeling was mutual for the 30 firefighters there from eight fire stations in Battalion 17, which protects the West Valley.
They wouldn't be human if it didn't make them feel a little humble to have so many people show up on a Sunday afternoon for them, said Firefighter Jenifer Kaufmann.
"This is just so cool, so awesome," she said. "We train hard to do our jobs, and it's exciting to be here meeting them after doing that job."
Sure, they're used to people thanking them individually on the street, or even stopping by their station house with some home-cooked food or cookies.
But this was something different. This, Pasos and his buddies said, was something special.
Fire Engineer Lee Marshall has been a city firefighter for over 20 years, but said he's never felt the kind of gratitude he felt Sunday.
"When we show up, it's usually because people are in need, and we can help them immediately, whether it's fighting a fire threatening their home or helping them after a car accident," he said.
"The feedback is immediate. We can usually alleviate their problem, and they're grateful. Police officers, on the other hand, usually show up after something has happened, like a burglary or robbery.
"They weren't there to stop it. It's not their fault, it's just the way it is. Firefighters get this kind of gratitude because we get to stop something bad before it happens.
"And no matter how long you're on the job, that has to make you feel awfully good inside," Marshall said.
Gratitude, though, can be fleeting, said Rabbi Richard Camras. Next month, it would be too late to say thank you. It had to be now, while the fires - and the menacing threat they posed to many of the homes in this community - were still fresh in everyone's mind.
So, when Mireille Bieber, a member of his synagogue, said she wanted to do something special for the local firefighters who had saved their homes, Camras said go for it.
She and her friends put together this community barbecue in less than two weeks. They got the El Camino High School marching band to perform, and Boy Scout Troop 246 in West Hills to lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
They served over 2,000 hot dogs and drinks, and gave free massages and back rubs to the firefighters and their families - gratis healing-touch therapy.
The firefighters were even told to stop by Luciano's Salon during November for a free haircut, which drew a lot of applause and laughs.
That's what she was hoping for, Bieber said. "You can always write letters of gratitude, send cards, or stop by their station house individually to say thanks, but we wanted to do something special as a community.
"To all come together at one time to say thank you."
To make the firefighters who saved their homes take one look around and say, "Wow."
.
Wonder if she is kin to the inventor of the Bieber, Morris Bieber.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.