On November 16, the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance (SBFA) honored Andrew Firestone and his family for their generous time and support of the SBFA. During the short, informal ceremony at Firehouse One, SBFA President Paul Cashman thanked Firestone for generously acting as emcee and auctioneer for the Fireball, which is SBFA’s biennial fundraiser. The children were also recognized for an enterprising lemonade stand, which they set up after the Whittier Fire and which raised more than $500 for the SBFA. Cashman noted that not only did the funds raised allow for the purchase of valuable equipment, but the publicity generated from the lemonade stand had ripple effects, leading to more donations for the alliance.
Firestone related how the first year he did the Fireball was right after the Jesusita Fire, a fire which forced him and his family to evacuate one night at 11 pm. He shared his appreciation for the work of the firefighters in battling the blaze and the Firefighters Alliance for the support it provides to the firefighters. Firestone pointed to the alliance’s purchase of night vision goggles, which enabled the pilots to work through the night saving homes, as an example of the critical equipment the alliance provides.
Cashman expressed his gratitude to Firestone not just for the work he does for the SBFA, but for the work he does for so many other nonprofits in town as well. Calling Firestone a “man about town” who is everywhere, he related how truly blessed Santa Barbara is to have Firestone in the community.