VIDEO: They call themselves the โsmoke eatersโ โ a brotherhood of El Cajonโs finest firefighters who have spent decades protecting East County. On Saturday, the group held a special ceremony honoring their fallen brothers, a tradition that takes place every two years. With each ring of a bell, a name was read aloud for a firefighter who has passed.
โThey were our heroes,โ said retired firefighter Andy Lott. โOur very first chief, Chief Owen Goodman, died of cancer. We miss him as well.โ The ceremony, which began more than 40 years ago, is as much about remembrance as it is about reunion. This year, the retired firefighters gathered at the Alpine home of Dave and Karen Truttman. โWe get together every two years and honor the Smoke Eaters,โ said retired firefighter Bruce Rogers. โWhen I came on the department, there was only one breathing apparatus, and nobody wanted to put it on at the fire.โ
Retired Fire Chief Ed Jarrell recalled some of the cityโs most memorable calls, including an F-14 Tomcat crash at Gillespie Field in 1988 and the unusual 1996 rescue of a woman who got stuck in her chimney after locking herself out of her home.
