NEWPORT BEACH : Appreciation for Firefighter Shown

When the city’s firefighters strap on their new puncture-proof and melt-resistant helmets and don improved fire-resistant clothes, they think of Battalion Chief Ron Sutherland.

When they enter a burning building to extinguish flames and search for trapped victims, Sutherland again pops to mind.

Sutherland, 40, who was promoted to battalion chief this week, is the recipient of the city’s Firefighter of the Year award. In addition, he was recently awarded one of the county’s two top firefighting honors for his efforts in keeping firefighters safe while they do their jobs.

Learning how to handle “flashovers” (what happens when a fire races from one end of the ceiling in an enclosed room to the other within seconds at 1,500 degrees) was made a requirement last year by Sutherland, who served as training officer at the time.

Sutherland also trained his firefighters to use Xs to mark rooms already checked in searching for burn victims. This helps avoid confusion in rescue operations.

“He’s made our job a lot safer,” Fire Capt. Craig Chastain said. “We’re better trained and we’re not risking the chance of getting burned or hurt as much anymore. I respect him and thank him for watching out for our safety.”

The Fire Department’s 100 firefighters say they agree, officials said.

“It’s nice to get the latest techniques to help us do our job better, and it benefits the citizens by making our job safer,” Firefighter Ernie Miller said. “And we all know Ron instigated all these new programs.”

Those programs and the motivation behind them landed Sutherland, a 17-year veteran of the Newport Beach Fire Department, the Msgr. John Sammon Award. It is bestowed upon the one firefighter in the county who demonstrates outstanding achievement in fire safety and contributes to the welfare of firefighters.

Sutherland, father of two college-age sons, says he was just doing his job and humbly accepts any praise.

“This is pretty overwhelming,” he said of his awards and promotion. “I just want what’s best for the fire service and the public by firefighters being able to save more lives, more property. That’s really important to me.”

One of his first priorities as battalion chief, he vowed, will be to get his crew more involved with the community by having them provide safety tips for disasters such as an earthquake.