Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 28, 2012

5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views News Saturday, January 28, 2012

“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt

FIRE SERVICE IN THE COUNTY AREA

While we’re well known around town as exceptional 
custom home builders, we’re also here to help you 
recover from San Gabriel Valley’s biggest storm in 
decades. Call on us, lifelong local residents and your 
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Tagged Homes 
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The residents of the 
unincorporated areas of 
Monrovia-Arcadia-and 
Duarte are serviced by 
the Los Angeles County 
Fire Department. When 
our Town Council was 
formed back in 1993, our 
services were provided by 
Los Angeles County Fire 
Station 44 on Highland 
Avenue, just north of 
Huntington Drive in 
the City of Duarte. But a lot of changes have 
occurred. 

 Back in those days, the Pamela Park area was 
a war zone and Goodall Avenue was the worst. 
The Sheriff’s Department brought in a lot of 
their resources, not only their gang and drug 
units, but also OSS - the Operation Safe Street 
unit - and they all worked together to clean 
up the area. The county also helped, because a 
blockade was placed at the end of Goodall. The 
downside was when Fire Station 44 answered a 
call, they couldn’t go through the intersection so 
they had to back up and go around!

 Captain Steve Cate from Station 44 told me 
of this, because El Monte Fire Department was 
being taken over by the county. Fire Station 
169, on Peck Road, just south of Hemlock 
would serve our area. One day, I passed the 
Mayflower Market and saw Fire Engine 169 
parked. I identified myself as a Council Member 
to Captain Amador and asked him if he was 
covering our area now. I then asked if he knew 
about the blockade. He did not. They drove over 
to investigate, and later in the day I received a 
phone call that they did see the blockade and 
thanked me for alerting them, so it could be 
marked on their map. (Their map is wall-sized 
and actually has to be replaced every so often as 
it fades.)

 There are three shifts at Station 169. Each 
shift has three men, the Captain, the Engineer, 
and the Firefighter. Currently for Shift A, there is 
Captain Alex Haua, Engineer Glenn Ewart and 
Fire fighter Andy Pontious. The B Shift is staffed 
by Captain Miguel Garcia, Engineer Robert 
Santhoff and Fire Fighter Brent Griebenow. 
Lastly, the C Shift includes Captain Larry Burke, 
Engineer Tom Borolin, and Firefighter Brandon 
Comfort. 

 When I hear the sirens, (I am two houses 
from Myrtle Avenue,) usually Fire Engine 169 is 
coming north and turns either right or left on 
Camino Real. Within a few minutes, there is 
another siren and soon Paramedics from Station 
167 arrive. 

 There are actually four Los Angeles County 
Fire Stations in El Monte. Our Station, 169 is 
small and only has the Fire Engine and a three-
man shift at all times. Down the road at Peck 
and Bryant is Station 169. It is larger, has a 
couple engines and paramedics. They send the 
paramedics when there is a need in our area.

 When El Monte Fire Service was taken 
over by the county, many El Monte residents 
grumbled. They didn’t realize finances played 
a part - it was more cost effective to go county 
with all its extensive resources.

 When our Town Council formed, I got so 
tired of people complaining that we didn’t get 
fire service from the little station 2 blocks north 
on Myrtle. I tried to explain it was the City of 
Monrovia’s Station - paid for by the City of 
Monrovia and its city residents pay city taxes. 
However, because of the Mutual Aid Agreement, 
the Monrovia Fire Station has sent engines to 
our area as needed. Several years ago - right 
on Shrode Avenue! And a few minutes after 
Monrovia arrived, our county fire truck was 
there. People shouldn’t worry. Monrovia even 
sent their engine to Arcadia - to Mayflower 
Avenue because there was a garage fire and they 
were closer, so they arrived first.

 Today I spoke with Captain Miguel Garcia, 
whom I met for the first time and new fire 
fighter, Brent Griebenow. Griebenow has been a 
firefighter less than one year! When you become 
a County Fire Fighter, you are on probation for 
one year and serve at two stations for six months 
each. His first six-month stint was at Station 59 
in Whittier and now he is at 169 in El Monte. 
When the six months are up, it is his choice 
whether to stay or transfer. 

 Over the years, there have been transfers and 
it is beneficial for the men to work in different 
types of areas. Captain Haua has been at 169 
for at least ten years! I met Captain Burke over 
twenty years ago when he was a Fire Inspector! 
County residents should be grateful for our 
GREAT fire service

MY PAL OTIS


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

 [Nyerges is the author of several books, 
including “Self-Sufficient Home,” and he 
blogs at www.ChristopherNyerges.com. 
For more information on his books and 
classes, he can be reached at School of 
Self-reliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 
90041]

 

When it was clear that my pot-bellied pig Otis was dead, 
I wrapped him and carried him to my car, and drove him to 
Highland Park where I buried him in the “family graveyard.” I had 
prepared a hole for him west of where I buried Cassie. Helen and 
I had to dig the hole a little deeper because Otis was a bit bigger 
than I realized. I wanted to bury him deep enough so that stray 
dogs wouldn’t come by and disturb his body. After we buried Otis, 
we put some flowers on his grave, and I placed his “Otis, Kansas” 
license plate (which I always kept on his gate) nearby. Helen then 
played a song, Aad Guray Nameh, by Shatam Kaur, as we sat 
thinking about Otis for a bit. I was sad, but I knew that Otis had a 
good life and a long life, for a pig!

After all, Otis lived over 19 years. My vet once told me that that 
was well over twice the average 
life for a pot-bellied pig. He’d 
gotten much slower in the last two 
years, and in the last six months, 
he was slow and unsteady on his 
feet, and he began to eat less and 
less.

He was up every day to eat 
when I was gone to Guatemala 
for two weeks in early December 
of 2011. But when I got home, 
Otis was lying on his bed and just 
grunted when I greeted him. I 
hugged him and I hand-fed him, 
and I felt that he experienced a 
certain ease that I was back. But 
I could also tell that he was on his 
way out.

I felt a great empathy for Otis. 
He was a big guy, for sure, but 
his personality was such that he 
always seemed like a little boy. I told him that 
everything was OK and that I was happy we had 
a good life together. I thanked him. I told Otis 
that it was OK to go on, if it was his time, if his 
body had become a burden. I whispered in his 
ear that it was OK, and that I loved him. He just 
grunted his friendly “oink” in return. Otis never 
got up, and he died a week later, on Hannukah.

It was the spring of 1993 when Otis came 
into our family. Dolores and I had talked about 
getting a pig, and the pot belly “craze” was fading 
out. Though we toyed with the idea of breeding 
pot-bellied pigs, Otis had been neutered, so that 
was not a viable idea. But that was OK, because 
we fell in love with Otis right away.

We learned a lot about the nature of “pig-ness” 
during Otis’ life. In fact, this was partly why we 
got Otis in the first place – we were going to 
learn about the nature of pig-ness, which is also 
an aspect of human-ness.

We learned that he certainly had a good 
memory, especially as it related to food. He once 
discovered a bag of carob pods that I had in 
the living room, and he nearly ate half the bag 
before I caught him. After that, any time he got into the house, 
he always went right to that spot 
where the carob had been.

Though we’ve heard that 
pigs are very smart, you can’t 
really compare them to dogs, 
for example. Dogs might not 
have pigs’ great memory, but 
they seem smarter due to their 
loyalty to their masters. I’m sure 
that Otis always recognized me 
from other people, but loyalty? 
I don’t think so. Pigs don’t seem 
to want or need close affinity 
to people in the way that dogs 
do. Nevertheless, later in his life 
when Otis was mostly alone, we 
did develop a “closeness.”

Yes, Otis was a pig, and yet he 
was such an individual! I learned 
to know what his sounds and 
grunts meant, so I knew when 
he was happy, when he felt threatened, when he was worried, and 
when he liked (or disliked) someone. His range of vocal sounds 
was broad and fascinating.

For his last few years, our cat Popoki would sleep with him, 
often lying on Otis’ big belly, which was always very warm. The 
two of them seemed to not just tolerate one another, but appeared 
to be good pals.

Since a pot-bellied pig’s expected life is about 7 to 9 yeas, we 
estimate that he was about 200 years old (by human standards) 
when he died.

Finally, when I went to Guatemala in 2011, Otis greeted me when 
I came back. He was lying down and didn’t get up. I tenderly rubbed 
his big nose and hand-fed him some hay. I kept him covered, and 
comfortable, and felt sad that my friend was departing.

And though I was sad, I felt a certain inner joy that he lived a 
long life with me, and that Helen was there to help me bury him 
and give him a special ceremony. I thought that I would go through 
a period of great sadness, but I didn’t. We had a good life together, 
and I was able to be there with him in the end of his very long life. 
I feel that some part of Otis will always be with me.

Postscript: A few days after I buried Otis, when I parked my car 
near his pen, I heard his distinctive oink. A trick of the mind? I 
like to believe Otis was saying goodbye to papa.


PET OF THE WEEK

Armando: Animal ID #A4386246


Are you looking for Mister Short, Dark and 
Handsome? Meet Armando (A4386246). Armando 
is a loveable one-year-old black male shorthaired 
Chihuahua puppy who was found in El Monte on 
January 13th and brought to the Baldwin Park shelter. 
Weighing ten pounds, Armando walks nicely on the 
leash but absolutely adores being carried, cuddled, and 
held on your lap. He is good with other dogs his size 
and we think he will be good with children. Armando 
is a sleek and glossy lapdog who will be the perfect 
indoor pet for an adult household in an apartment 
or condo and would be a fantastic companion for a 
senior. To watch a video of a volunteer interacting with 
Armando, please visit: http://youtu.be/yUJWAk1pvuE

To meet Armando in person, please see him at 
the Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, 
Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378). He 
is currently available now. For any inquiries about 
Armando, please reference his animal ID number: 
A4386246. The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 
pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-
Sunday. This is a high-intake shelter with a great 
need for adoptions. For more information about 
Armando or the adoption process, contact United 
Hope for Animals Volunteer Adoption Coordinator 
Samantha at samanthasayon@gmail.com or 661-309-
2674. To learn more about United Hope for Animals’ 
partnership with the Baldwin Park Shelter through 
its Shelter Support Program, as well as the many dogs 
of all breeds, ages, and sizes available for adoption in 
local shelters, visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.
org/about-us/shelter-support-program/.