By Brian Rokos
The Press Enterprise
CORONA, Calif. — For Corona firefighters Dan Yonan and Jim Steiner, the phrase “off duty” has little meaning.
When a truck plowed into a crowd of spectators at an August off-road race in the High Desert, killing eight, Yonan treated the injured amid the bedlam despite having little equipment. Steiner spends much of his time off participating in and coordinating events to assist ill children. For their dedication, Yonan, 32, and Steiner, 46, were among 34 individuals honored Friday at the Corona Fire Department’s recognition luncheon.
Yonan received a citation and Steiner was chosen Firefighter of the Year for 2010. Yonan, his father and brother were entered in the California 200. He was in the pit area, waiting his turn in the truck, when he heard race officials radioing each other about a crash. Yonan drove to the site. There, in an area the size of a baseball infield, he encountered 1,000 spectators and many broken bodies. Some spectators were crying, and some were drunk and agitated.
Others by this time had stripped the lone ambulance of most of its supplies and were trying to help victims. One well-meaning person put an oxygen mask on a victim but failed to connect it to the tank. Some victims already were covered with sheets. “I’ve been a firefighter/paramedic for 10 years and have seen a lot of stuff, and this was absolute chaos,” Yonan said. “Not having those resources was definitely a challenge. I don’t have specific training for doing a lot with a little.”
Yonan found one spectator in critical condition and put him in the ambulance, where Yonan found enough supplies to start an IV. The victim’s fiancee and young son stood nearby, and a friend of the victim wanted to fight, Yonan said. When the victim’s heart stopped, Yonan performed CPR but could not save him. Other emergency crews began to arrive, and Yonan then went on to treat about a half dozen others who had broken bones. Yonan said his response was the natural thing to do.
“Even when I walk out the door (of the fire station), I’m still a firefighter/paramedic,” he said. “If anything was to happen, I felt I was compelled to help.”
Steiner, a captain at Station 3 on Smith Street, has a big heart. That heart underwent repair last April, and only six weeks later he resumed his work in the station, as firefighters association president and in the community. Steiner has been with Corona for 25 years and along with his colleagues, has a long history of doing good deeds for children.
“We play a really active role. We focus mostly on kids who are seriously ill,” Steiner said. “Just try to do a little bit to make a difference in their lives.” That includes organizing fundraisers to pay medical bills, participating in various walks and runs and simply showing up to hospital rooms. “As firefighters we have the ability to lift the spirits of the kids,” he said. “It’s addicting, I’ve got to admit.”
One of those children is Lindsey Krueger, 16, who has been in and out of the hospital since 2008 because of leukemia. Her mother, Maria, said Steiner “has been a true blessing in our lives. “He’s just really stepped up and is out there helping everybody, and I really appreciate it,” Maria Krueger said.
Steiner said there is a culture of serving among the members of the firefighters association. “A firefighter is so much more than what they do on the job, and it’s something I’m really proud of,” he said.
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