huh?

[RICHARD]

los angeles daily news

6/19/2003


Fiery romance turns into proposal
By Lisa M. Sodders
Staff Writer

Megan Porco was having a quiet lunch with her parents on the second-floor patio of Spazio restaurant in Sherman Oaks on Wednesday when a firetruck pulled into the parking lot.

The 100-foot aerial ladder extended right up to her table, and her boyfriend, Lee Castillo, a two-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, climbed up, bearing a dozen red roses.

Castillo leaped onto the balcony, and in front of startled and delighted diners, got down on one knee.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he said to his astounded girlfriend. "I love you. Will you marry me?"

Porco, 23, shaking and wiping away tears of joy, said yes, and Castillo placed a half-carat princess-cut diamond ring on her finger.

"I wanted to make it special for her," said Castillo, 26, of Panorama City, who had donned his dress uniform for the occasion.

Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said Wednesday was Castillo's day off, but his fellow firefighters from Station 88 were on duty and considered to be on routine patrol when they stopped briefly at the restaurant.

"In terms of his planned 30-year career as an L.A. city firefighter, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event," Humphrey said.
----------------------


as a hopeless romantic i think that's pretty cool.


as a tax payer, this pisses me off....they are cutting 300 Hiway patrol jobs across the state and
the county medical centers are having to cut back on emergency services.........


and i'm paying for this guy to propose with emergency equipment I paid for??????

take it out of his check.....let's see
diesel, the cost of his co-workers helpng him out......

[Cheshirekatt]

Originally posted by RICHARD Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said Wednesday was Castillo's day off, but his fellow firefighters from Station 88 were on duty and considered to be on routine patrol when they stopped briefly at the restaurant.
on emergency services....

I didn't realize fire trucks went on "routine patrol".

[RICHARD]

what begins with 'f' and ends in 'uck'...






firetruck!

[Cheshirekatt]

Originally posted by RICHARD
what begins with 'f' and ends in 'uck'...






firetruck!

I just can't read that first line and not think of a bad word....lol

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by Cheshirekatt
I just can't read that first line and not think of a bad word....lol

huh???


lololololololololol

[Edwina's Secretary]

Gosh! I can't image how much of taxpayer dollars were spent on that proposal.....

however, I'm willing to bet it is less than the $1 million it cost just to keep that aircraft carrier at sea one more day (and those sailors away from their loved ones for one more day!)

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Gosh! I can't image how much of taxpayer dollars were spent on that proposal.....

however, I'm willing to bet it is less than the $1 million it cost just to keep that aircraft carrier at sea one more day (and those sailors away from their loved ones for one more day!)

what aircraft carrier???


it was an firetruck

[Prairie Purrs]

Kinda reminds me of years ago when I lived in Illinois and an employee of the city-owned electric utility borrowed one of the "cherry-picker" trucks the utility used for making power line repairs to help a friend move out of a third-floor apartment. Someone noticed them loading the friend's stuff out the apartment window into the bucket on the truck.

I believe the employee lost his job over that one.

[RICHARD]

how long did THAT marriage last?


lolololololol

[Karen]

In cities with fulltime firefighters, it makes sense to take the truck out in Non-Emergencies just to be sure everything is functional for when an actual emergency happens ... a routine patrol/check. Do the ladders extend smoothly?

I think it's sweet, and unique.

The truck, the men, their salaries, they all would have been paid for anyway without this incident. In general, it's a necessary job that most people take for granted - if there's a fire, the firefighters will come and put it out, without thought as to the expense, the training, the physical fitness and the hard work intermixed with odd hours, moments of boredom and moments of intense stress.

Happy firefighters are presumably better firefighters, and if this one minor incident makes people happy, and makes them think well of firefighters, I see no harm in it, as long as it doesn't become a routine occurence/expense.

If anything, you can take the gas money for the truck's round-trip out of his check, if you really want to "make him pay," or have him visit one extra elementary school to do a "fire safety" class to make up for it.

JMHO

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by Karen


I think it's sweet, and unique.

as a firm believer in karma, kismet, providence....

i stand corrected.

on the way to the bank the local radio station played, 'Smoking in the Boy's Room' and "Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire'

and the usual fire patrols a done by firefighters in beat up, crappy old Chevy Caprice Classics....


there ain't nothing sexy about a Chevy Caprice...
i would have taken the firetruck in retrospect...

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by Karen
... it makes sense to take the truck out in Non-Emergencies just to be sure everything is functional...

The truck, the men, their salaries, -
they all would have been paid for anyway without this incident.

In general, it's a necessary job that most people take for granted - if there's a fire, the firefighters will come and put it out, without thought as to the expense, the training, the physical fitness and the hard work intermixed with odd hours, moments of boredom and moments of intense stress.

Happy firefighters are presumably better firefighters, and if this one minor incident makes people happy, and makes them think well of firefighters, I see no harm in it...

THANKs, Miz Karen - Well said!

And would you believe?
Sorta JUST what da CHIEF and the Public Information Office at LA Fire were thinking when the "Proposal Detail" was requested!

Dad traded a couple Very Nice e-mails with the LAFD Public Information Officer (the FF Brian mentioned in the article)... Here's some of what he wrote...

Dad had wondered if the Troops had *asked* affore the Caper was pulled off?

"Yes. The Chief was apprized of the situation during his morning briefing and did not raise any objections.
The proposing Firefighter was off-duty, using an earned vacation day.
His fellow crew members remained in their primary response district (less than a mile from the Station), and the Truck Company (one of 49 we had on-duty at that moment) was in the common status of "available via radio".
The entire operation took less than five minutes.
There were no incidents in their district at that time.
For us, it was not too much different than a public demo, etc. -
and was met with enthusiastic support from the local business community and applause from the dozens of patrons in the upscale restaurant.
We have also heard from a handful of local businesses and residents who want to offer them some assistance at the wedding.

"The challenge of this situation though, is the many circumstances behind the scenes (relating to the couple and their families) that made local publicity of this event important for them and our LAFD family. The lack of such information could stymie others in creating an *informed* opinion as to *exactly* what we did, how we did it, and most importantly - why."

Brian mentioned how the LAFD often participates in "Make A Wish Foundation" Fire Truck Rides and Station Visits for terminally ill children ...
then concluded with this...

"Oh, and in case anyone should wonder,
we do (periodically) use our aerial ladder trucks to rescue cats from trees and hang banners from tall buildings. While such "trivial" use of our time and skill may seem inappropriate, it is once again, a bit different when we know the rest of the story.

While our primary responsibility will *always* remain the protection of those we serve, the LAFD takes seriously its collateral mission of putting a smile on the faces of others. It is one of the key reasons that you never see me apologizing for our actions."

So we're not makin 'Scuses for what the LA Fiur Guyz dun -
kuz we don't really think any excuses are needed!
Nuffin wrong when ya put *smiles* onna
Whole Lotta Faces!!



/s/ Phred

[Twisterdog]

The truck, the men, their salaries, they all would have been paid for anyway without this incident. In general, it's a necessary job that most people take for granted - if there's a fire, the firefighters will come and put it out, without thought as to the expense, the training, the physical fitness and the hard work intermixed with odd hours, moments of boredom and moments of intense stress.

I agree!!

[IttyBittyKitty]

Well said, Karen! I had a flattie who as a firie and some of the horrors that they witnessed would be much more than most of us could bear. They deserve a few moments of levity, now and then, to renew their zest for saving lives! It is a very difficult job.

That is very romantic ... my partner works for the biggest Telco in Australia ... what would he do, hook up a second telephone line for me? ADSL and diamond rings? I think not.

We are too far from the exchange anyway!

[Cataholic]

I think it was absolutely sweet!!! I wouldn't have ever thought, "Oh, my taxpayers money"...and the explanation the FD gave was right on the money...

And, IBK, I think a second phone line is sooooo romantic...he he