Firefighters Get Home Field Advantage

From "Firefighters remembered at Dodger Stadium" at Dodgers.com:

Bagpipers played somber tones on the field at Dodger Stadium Saturday morning to celebrate the lives of two Los Angeles firefighters, Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones, at a memorial service.

The two were killed Aug. 30., when their truck plunged off a mountain road in the Angeles National Forest as they searched for an escape route for a group of inmate-firefighters who became trapped by the flames while battling the Southern California Station fire that is still burning and has destroyed 160,000 acres of land. [...]

When approached about doing the service at the stadium, the McCourt family handed over the facility for no cost. [...]

Purple and black were the colors of the day covering presentation area on the field as well as the bunting circling the club level of the stadium. Fire hoses draped the front of the Dodgers press box. On the field, special bases were made with the names of the fallen heroes stenciled on them. Hundreds of firefighters came out in the early morning hours to personally wipe down most of the 56,000 seats in the stadium. One fire captain was overheard saying on the radio, "We are guests in the Dodgers house, let's make sure we keep it clean."

Kudos to the McCourts for this classy move. They may not be L.A. natives, but such acts of goodwill should help give them community respect no money can buy.

Elsewhere: A powerful morning... (Inside the Dodgers)
Honoring the Fallen (True Blue LA)
Dodgers Honor Fallen Heroes (SoSG)

photo by John Ames/LACOFD