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.
