Team Effort Helps to Fan Flame

The Olympic torch is one blaze that won’t be extinguished by Orange County Fire Station No. 9, located in Mission Viejo.

In fact, firefighters there are working around the clock to fan that particular flame as it travels to Barcelona.

The reason for the department’s role reversal is San Clemente’s Mitch Kahn, a member of the U.S. canoe and kayak team and a firefighter at Station No. 9.

Kahn ran out of vacation time months ago because of training and travel commitments involved with preparing for the Summer Games. In early June, a few days before he departed for Lake Placid and the final phase of training with the U.S. team, Kahn believed he would have to take an unpaid leave of absence from Station No. 9 during the 10 weeks he would be involved with the Olympics.

“That’s what I did last year during the Pan Am Games in Cuba,” Kahn said. “It’s great traveling around the world competing for your country, but I bought a house not too long ago and I knew my finances were going to be tight when I was going to miss 2 1/2 months of work.”

That’s when his fellow firefighters stepped in. When Kahn arrived for one of his final shifts before going to Lake Placid, ready to put in for the unpaid leave of absence, he was escorted into the station house by his co-workers.

On the wall was a large calendar, filled in with the names of firefighters who had volunteered to work Kahn’s shifts--without pay--while he was gone. Meanwhile, Kahn would still receive his regular paycheck and no unpaid leave of absence was necessary.

In all, more than 30 names were on the calendar, which listed Kahn’s 33 24-hour shifts between June 6 and August 15. Included were names of captains and engineers who had volunteered to work in Kahn’s role as a basic fireman.

“It was unbelievable,” said Kahn, who is also planning an October wedding to Becky Stewart. “Firefighters are like a big family, and these guys weren’t looking for thanks when they volunteered to cover for me. They did it to support one of their own, to help out a friend.

“I definitely owe them a big thank you, but they told me I could win a gold medal to pay them back. What they’ve done for me is what the Olympic spirit is all about.”

Engineer Nolan Osborn of No. 9 organized the drive to cover Kahn’s shifts, which he hoped would allow Kahn to focus on his training instead of worrying about finances.

“We felt like this was the best thing we can do for Mitch,” Osborn said. “We wanted to be able to say, ‘Hey, go over there with a clear mind--you’re covered here.’ ”

It wasn’t difficult for Osborn to get volunteers.

“After people found out Mitch was going to be on the Olympic team, everybody jumped in,” Osborn said. “The response was phenomenal. I’ve got a waiting list of guys who want to get involved.”

Firefighters from several Orange County stations have volunteered, including one engineer who lives in Los Angeles but still signed up to work for Kahn.

“Everybody did it because they wanted to help Mitch out and see him do well,” Osborn said.

If Kahn’s past success in water sports is an indication, the firefighters may get their gold medal. Kahn, a 1978 graduate of San Clemente High School, was an All-American water polo player at Cal State Long Beach and also a standout swimmer at San Clemente and Fullerton College.

Before joining the fire department 2 1/2 years ago, Kahn was a lifeguard and dominated the U.S. National Lifeguard Championships. Kahn’s combination of lifeguard skills, including surf ski paddling and dory rowing, enabled him to win the individual lifeguard championship nine consecutive years.

His prowess as a surf ski paddler caught the attention of a kayak coach, who told Kahn he had potential in the sport.

“I’d never even gotten into a flat-water kayak until 1987,” Kahn said. “But the principles were similar to surf skiing, so I made progress pretty quick.

Quick enough that he earned two bronze medals at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in the two-man 500- and 1,000-meter kayak events and then set a U.S. Olympic Festival record in 1991 with gold medals in all five kayak events.

In Barcelona, Kahn hopes to be part of the four-man 1,000-meter team, which he believes has a good chance to medal. A paddle-off will be held July 12 to determine the members of that team.

Whether Kahn competes in that particular event or a two-man event, he will be going to Barcelona.

“I’m going to be a 31-year old Olympic rookie,” Kahn said. “It’s kind of an overwhelming feeling. I always dreamed of being an Olympian.”

His firefighter buddies made sure he got that chance.