Costa Mesa Fire Department

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.

An end is in sight to the Costa Mesa Fire Department's personnel shortage, especially in leadership positions, fire officials said Tuesday. A string of retirements, plus a couple of firings, left the department understaffed, Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Scott Broussard said. But the department is now taking vigorous steps to correct the problem with hirings and promotions. Fire officials have promoted two battalion chiefs from within, bringing the department up to its full complement of three, Broussard said.

Fire officials blame arson for a Sunday morning fire at a Costa Mesa drug store. Costa Mesa Fire Department officials say someone lit papers ablaze at the Rite Aid at 3029 Harbor Blvd. Employees at the open drug store had already evacuated the store when fire personnel arrived at 10 a.m., said Costa Mesa Fire Department Battalion Chief Keith Fujimoto. The store's sprinkler system had activated, sending about 500 gallons of water into the store, Fujimoto said.

Mourners filled Newport-Mesa Church on Newport Boulevard on Monday to remember Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Santee, a former Costa Mesa Fire Department intern who was killed in Iraq on April 14. Santee, 21, lived in Mission Viejo and worked for the city of Costa Mesa in 2005 and 2006. Along with former classmates, Marines and members of Santee's church, Costa Mesa police and fire employees filled the chapel to pay respects to Santee and show support to his family. His father, Bert Santee, is a retired Costa Mesa police sergeant who now works in the city's code enforcement division, and his sister, Laura, is a training secretary for city police.

Mike Morgan was sworn in as the Costa Mesa Fire Department's new chief at the end of July. A 22-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Morgan served as a battalion chief, firefighter paramedic and urban search and rescue instructor during his time there. He also sharpened his management skills by helping to oversee a department with 161 stations covering 3 million people. Two weeks into his new job as Costa Mesa's fire chief, Morgan spoke with the Daily Pilot about his visions for the future.

Costa Mesa firefighters will buy much-needed equipment for firefighting, training and their Community Emergency Response Team thanks to a grant from a firefighters’ insurance company, officials said. The Costa Mesa Fire Department received a $12,919 grant from the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in combination with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services. City officials said they will buy forcible entry training props and technical rescue equipment, among other tools.

Arson investigators examined evidence from a fire and acts of vandalism at a Costa Mesa dental office, police said Tuesday. Employees returned to work after a five-day hiatus last month to discover paint covering the business' name on a window and mail that had been burned, according to Costa Mesa Police Department. Police first reported the arson. Costa Mesa Fire Department officials determined an accelerant of some kind was used to help the fire spread. The investigation is ongoing.

When a 51-year-old Orange County Sanitation Department worker dropped nearly 20 feet into a hole filled with muck and filth, local emergency personnel turned to Costa Mesa Fire Department rescuers to help get him out. “He was on the radio talking about how he was hurt but they couldn’t find him for whatever reason,” Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Scott Broussard said. The man, whom officials did not identify, was working at a county water sanitation plant in Fountain Valley at about 5 a.m. when he fell 19 feet into a hole filled with all of the remnants of purified water, or sludge.

-- Alex Coolman TALBERT PARK -- Costa Mesa and Newport Beach fire departments battled a one-acre brush fire in Talbert Regional Park on Saturday evening, extinguishing the blaze in about three hours. The cause of the fire, which spread across two 100-foot areas of the park near 19th Street, is still unknown. Firefighters responded to dispatchers' calls at 5 p.m., said Barbara Marcosa, spokesperson for the Costa Mesa Fire Department. Capt. Bob Reynolds of the Costa Mesa Fire Department characterized the blaze as "pretty routine," but he emphasized that it could have been much more serious.

For the first time in almost 10 years, the Costa Mesa Fire Department has a tiller truck, capable of extending a ladder 100 feet to people who need to be rescued. The truck, a nearly $1-million investment by the city funded through long-term financing with the company that built the vehicle, will complement the city’s other ladder truck. The 58-foot-long rig has a 100-foot ladder, which, at a 45-degree angle for rescues, can save people seven or eight stories up in a burning building, firefighters said.

Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley firefighters extinguished a fire early Sunday that left two adults temporarily homeless. About 2:40 a.m., the Costa Mesa Fire Department responded to a fire in an upstairs unit at a two-story apartment complex at 2575 San Clemente Drive, according to a news release. Firefighters brought the fire under control in about 20 minutes and prevented it from spreading to other homes. The Fountain Valley Fire Department provided mutual aid. No injuries were reported, and the two adults are being assisted by the Red Cross.

Arson investigators examined evidence from a fire and acts of vandalism at a Costa Mesa dental office, police said Tuesday. Employees returned to work after a five-day hiatus last month to discover paint covering the business' name on a window and mail that had been burned, according to Costa Mesa Police Department. Police first reported the arson. Costa Mesa Fire Department officials determined an accelerant of some kind was used to help the fire spread. The investigation is ongoing.

COSTA MESA - The Gordon family hadn't celebrated Christmas in six years. Harry got injured while working in an Apple Valley power plant, and Ronda was unable to work because of seizures. Soon the Gordons and their two children found themselves homeless. For 15 days, they lived in a tent in the desert during 114-degree heat. Eventually they made their way to the Costa Mesa Motor Inn - a roof over their heads, but no room for luxury. "It's hard, but we really became closer," Ronda said.

One person was treated for minor injuries and seven were displaced after a fire at a Costa Mesa triplex early Saturday. About 12:23 a.m., the Costa Mesa Fire Department received a call of a lower level apartment on fire at 392 Woodland Place, between 20th and 21st streets, according to authorities. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of respondents Three fire engines, a truck company, an urban search and rescue unit and a battalion chief - totaling 19 people - were part of the first response.

COSTA MESA — James Toporcer woke up early Thursday morning to a banging on his door and a voice yelling, "James, let's go!" "I woke up and the room was pretty warm," Toporcer said. "It was too warm to grab stuff. " A fire that allegedly started in the early-morning hours in the garage beneath his room spread upward, eventually breaking the glass of his condo and melting the back off his TV. Most of Toporcer's things were damaged beyond repair, including a computer with work and family photos, clothes and furniture.

COSTA MESA — Emergency crews responded to two small fires at the Fairview Developmental Center on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, a Costa Mesa Fire Department spokesman said. Two classrooms were damaged in a small blaze, which was promptly put out when Costa Mesa firefighters arrived about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond said. A second fire was put out Sunday afternoon, although Diamond was unable to confirm the exact time. While the exact locations of the fires on the campus is unclear, state Department of Developmental Services spokeswoman Nancy Lungren said that both fires were in nonresidential and not occupied at the time.

For the first time in almost 10 years, the Costa Mesa Fire Department has a tiller truck, capable of extending a ladder 100 feet to people who need to be rescued. The truck, a nearly $1-million investment by the city funded through long-term financing with the company that built the vehicle, will complement the city’s other ladder truck. The 58-foot-long rig has a 100-foot ladder, which, at a 45-degree angle for rescues, can save people seven or eight stories up in a burning building, firefighters said.

Newport Beach Fire Department?s interim chief started his first day on the job Monday. Steven E. Parker, who has more than 32 years of experience in the fire service, will act as chief for six months while the city searches for a permanent replacement for retired Chief Steve Lewis. Parker will be paid $99,508 over that time. Parker spent a majority of his career with the Huntington Beach Fire Department, and has also served as interim chief for the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

Newport Beach city officials have named Steven E. Parker as interim fire department chief. He will take over March 15. Fire Chief Steve Lewis is to retire Friday. Parker, who has worked in fire service for more than 32 years, will act as interim chief for six months and will be paid $99,508, according to a news release from the city. In the two weeks between Lewis’ last day on the job and Parker’s arrival, Deputy Chief Dave Mais will serve as acting chief, said City Manager Dave Kiff.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department continues to lend a hand to firefighters in Ventura County with a department battalion chief at the scene leading a group protecting homes in the area, officials said Thursday. Battalion Chief Scott Broussard and a captain are leading a group of Orange County firefighters in a strike team — a four-truck unit assigned a specific mission during a wildfire — to protect structures at the Guiberson Fire in Ventura County. The men left Tuesday night, Broussard said.