ACR 162, as introduced, Medina. CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie Memorial Highway.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 215 as the “CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie Memorial Highway.”
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, As a young man growing up in Perris, California,
2John Guthrie often volunteered to help the older men fight fires
3in the rural community and always wanted to be a firefighter; and
4WHEREAS, After two years of service in the Navy, Guthrie
5returned home and signed on with the United States Forest Service
6as a firefighter, and, in 1954, was stationed at the El Cariso fire
7station; and
8WHEREAS, In 1955, Guthrie was hired by the California
9Division of Forestry and began working at the Lake Elsinore
10Station; and
11WHEREAS, On August 8, 1959, two teenagers driving down
12the curvy highway toward Lake Elsinore lost control of their truck
13and it flew off of the roadway and down a 200-foot embankment,
14sparking an inferno that became known as the Decker Canyon
15Fire; and
P2 1WHEREAS, More than 500 California Division of Forestry,
2United States Forest Service, local, and volunteer firefighters were
3called to fight the Decker Canyon Fire, which swept out of the
4hills and forced the evacuation of Lakeland Village; and
5WHEREAS, Guthrie was a firetruck driver working at the fire
6station on Old Town Temecula, and when the call went out Guthrie
7and his crew headed north toward the billowing smoke; and
8WHEREAS, Guthrie and his crew were sent off of the main
9road about a mile east of El Cariso Village into a canyon to start
10setting backfires and the shifting winds soon pushed a wall of
11flame back up the canyon toward their truck; and
12WHEREAS, With the flames advancing on them, Guthrie
13ordered the other firefighters back to the truck for protection, thus
14saving their lives, despite the fact that there was not room in the
15truck for him; and
16WHEREAS, Guthrie attempted to use a firehose to wet himself
17down for protection, but the firehose was burned beyond use; and
18WHEREAS, Twenty-seven other firefighters were injured
19fighting the 1,700-acre blaze, some losing ears, fingers, and noses;
20and
21WHEREAS, Guthrie, with over 85 percent of his body burned,
22began walking out of the canyon before others came to his aid and
23an ambulance arrived to take him to the closest hospital, which
24was located in Hemet; and
25WHEREAS, Guthrie finally succumbed to his injuries at
26Redland’s hospital on September 14, 1959; and
27WHEREAS, Guthrie left behind his wife Carlo and a young son
28and daughter; and
29WHEREAS, It is vital that the sacrifice by John Guthrie and the
30other firefighters who were killed in the Decker Canyon Fire in
31order to protect the citizens of California be remembered; now,
32therefore, be it
33Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
34thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby dedicates that
35portion of State Highway Route 215 between the Ramona
36Expressway Exit, at postmile 31.08, and its junction with State
37Route 74, at postmile 26.31, in honor of John D. Guthrie by
38officially designating that route as the CDF Firefighter John D.
39Guthrie Memorial Highway; and be it further
P3 1Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
2of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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