Veteran hands keep aging choppers aloft

Delicate work, and plenty of precision, are the stock in trade of OC Fire Authority technicians.

FULLERTON The Jesus nut holds it all together. Lose that, and your world comes crashing down - in a hurry. Mike Goss, senior helicopter technician for the Orange County Fire Authority, isn't going to let that happen. Not on his watch. And not to one of his helicopters - a tag-team pair of vintage Vietnam holdovers that have been nipped, tucked and retouched, in a determined effort to keep the airships airworthy and in the firefight. Goss smells like jet fuel; his calloused hands are streaked in grease. His style is unorthodox - and unapologetic - as he does a job that might sound incredible: tearing two helicopters down to the last nut and bolt and patching them back together. "You do your job and I'll do mine and we won't have any problems," said Goss, taking his Fire Authority baseball cap off to scratch the top of his head. "Don't do yours and we're going to have problems." John Wilson, the 34-year-old heir apparent to the Fire Authority's world of helicopter maintenance, shakes his head and smiles. Here we go again. Along with helping perform the daily mini-miracles that keep the Fire Authority's two 1966 Super Huey Bell helicopters up and running, it falls to Wilson to kick Goss under the table when his passion runs a bit too high when he's talking to the chiefs. Their system - more father and son than supervisor and employee - is unspoken, but it works. The two-man operation is hidden away miles from the Fire Authority's Irvine headquarters at the Fullerton Municipal Airport. Like oversized sardines, the two helicopters are sandwiched into the aluminum hangar, tail to nose. Paint touchups are done around the corner - quickly and quietly. No one would mistake it for a fancy place. It's not. A few years ago, a gust of wind peeled the hangar's roof right off. It still leaks.

Thirty year member of CSUF's police force set to retire

Veteran officer to hang up his uniform and pick up a fishing pole

Jeremiah Rivera

Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008

Updated: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

When Lt. Fred Molina began his police career with the Cal State Fullerton University Police over 30 years ago, there were only 12 officers on the squad.  As a patrol sergeant, Molina wore badge No. 12.After 30 years of campus growth, the CSUF University Police has grown to 24 sworn officers and a staff of approximately 25 Community Service Officers, with badge numbers ranging to over 70. Officers are now equipped and trained in the use of "less-lethal" police tactics, which were unheard of 30 years ago, including the use of beanbag rounds and PepperBall guns.After announcing his retirement and posting a note on his door reading "Gone fishing forever," Molina said he would miss his CSUF family relationships and friendships the most. "From the president to the parking officers," Molina said, describing whom he would miss. Described by his fellow officers as a father or uncle-type figure, Molina's ability to progressively communicate with individuals across a huge spectrum of personalities is striking. "He has the capacity to interact with all levels of teaching, from little kids at Camp Titan to arrests he had made," Molina's former partner of six years, Tom Gehrls, said. Recalling a particularly humorous story, Gerhls told about one incident while they were on patrol together years ago. After a suspect refused to pull over, the suspect led Molina on a short car chase. The suspect turned down a dead end street, ditched the car and began running through yards and jumping over fences. Molina leveled a fence while pursuing the suspect. When asked what Molina's colleagues will miss least about the veteran CSUF lieutenant, Gehrls responded with, "There is no least ... He has made working very enjoyable." Sgt. John Brockie, whose office is a couple of doors down the hallway from Lt. Molina's, said, "Well he snores pretty loud," referring to the annual fishing trip that Lt. Molina helps to organize. Described by Gehrls as an officer who couldn't make it across campus without being stopped for a friendly greeting, Molina was in charge of breakfast on those fishing trips and he would usually cook chorizo and egg breakfast burritos. The fishing trips began in May of 1999 with seven people attending and was planned as a one-time trip. This past summer, 17 people embarked on their northerly journey to rake in some fish and get a much needed share of rest and relaxation. The lieutenant's most notable contributions to the CSUF police department include the Patrol Rifle Officer (PRO) Team that offers AR-15 rifle training for officers. Rifle training, Lt. Molina said, is imperative to his department given the nation's witness to active shooter scenarios at educational institutions over the past decade.Molina also volunteers as range master for his department's shooting range program. For the past 20 years, Lt. Molina has volunteered for the position and is in charge of the maintenance and organization, which keeps the department's shooting range consistently available. The lieutenant, who describes his professionalism as "more by the spirit of the law than the letter of the law," claims to have conducted his duties on a very simple basis of "hook ‘em and book ‘em, or offer them help." It wasn't unusual for him to offer a warning, Lt. Molina said, but at the same time the warning is nothing to be taken jokingly. Molina was the only training officer when he began working for the University Police Department. He is now working on a six-month contract with the university to oversee the transition, as the department begins working with its new lieutenant. "He's a professional university policeman because he's friendly and respects every student, faculty and staff member. He's a genuinely friendly person. We're going to definitely miss him as he retires and goes fishing," University President Milton Gordon said.

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