Notes of gratitude at Starbucks

At the Starbucks Coffee shop inside the local Albertsons in Fallbrook, numerous notes of gratitude from firefighters and other emergency workers reveal one reason for their stamina.

"Starbucks Fallbrook!! You guys are the real heroes. You saved us so we may save others! ST 6017A Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire."

Last week, from Wednesday through Sunday, the Starbucks in Albertsons at 1133 S. Mission Road handed out free coffee to "anyone in a uniform," said Brianna Roth, an 18-year-old Starbucks employee. Roth and her co-workers also carried cups of coffee and thermoses to area checkpoints. The grocery store gave out muffins and sandwiches, Roth said.

Some of the coffee was supported by local patrons who bought gift cards and left them on the counter for firefighters to use.

The numerous notes, penned on slips of paper and brown Starbucks paper bags, were effusive.

"Thank you so much for taking care of us!" wrote a group of firefighters from Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Eureka, Laytonville and South Lake County.

"This is a very kind gesture. Thank you," wrote firefighters from Meeks Bay Fire Dept. at Lake Tahoe, which suffered a devastating wildfire this summer.

Firefighters from Deadwood Camp in Siskiyou County, Fremont, Alameda County and the city of Alameda, Berkeley, Livermore, Pleasanton, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Yosemite, Vista, Camp Pendleton, Rancho Santa Fe and other places all stopped at the Starbucks during last week's fires.

"You guys are awesome! Thanks for keeping us awake on patrol," wrote one Sheriff's deputy.

On Oct. 26, a man named John Hays stopped in and wrote: "It has been an honor to help you folks."

Roth and her co-workers said many firefighters refused to accept coffee for free, and donated money for a fund being raised for an Albertsons worker who lost his home.

Amid all the notes posted by emergency crews, a woman named Kathryn D. left her own simple message:

"Thank you for saving our home," she wrote. "God bless you all."

- Bruce Lieberman, staff writer

Special kids come through for fire victims

We got this email from Bernie Colon and wanted to share it:

"My mother is a 'Special Needs' teachers assistant at Rancho Bernardo High School. She and her group work with severely handicapped children at the school. She and her kids have been diligently working all school year collecting/recycling cans at the school to have money for their social events (Halloween, Christmas etc.) They saved up approximately $75 this time and were going to use it for their Halloween party.

"However, when they returned to school after the fires they decided as a group to use the money for two things. They spent some of the money to buy baking goods so they could make cookies for the Firefighters and Police Officers who helped out during the fires. They also presented both groups with a home made thank you banner signed by each child. The class then donated the remaining money to the school's fire victims fund to help the families who lost their houses during the fire.

"I think this shows just how special these kids and their teachers truly are. It is rare these days to see someone at that age so willing to give up hard earned money (that was slated for a party) so they could say thank you to those who helped and give to those who are less fortunate."

- Tom Mallory, U-T Breaking News Team

Another bump in the road for 4S Ranch family

When will Scott Slade ever be able to go home?


Slade hasn't been back to his 4S Ranch home since Jan. 3, when he suddenly collapsed and within two weeks became totally paralyzed. His wife, Kathy, was so stressed that she went into premature labor with their twin daughters.

For months Slade had been receiving specialized care at a Denver rehab center, and Oct. 9 was supposed to be his homecoming. But as contractors retrofitted the family's house for disabled access, they found toxic mold, especially dangerous to those with weakend immune systems.

Kathy and her babies fled to the Radisson Hotel in nearby Rancho Bernardo, where Scott stayed while hazardous materials experts scrubbed their house.

But when the fires began last week, Scott Slade, who uses a ventilator to breathe, had to be evacuated to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego.


A day later Kathy Slade was evacuated from their 4S Rancho home that was threatened by the Witch Fire, and she packed up the twins yet again and checked into a hotel downtown. Another bump in the rocky road for the Slade family.


"It was a nightmare. I told Scott this is longest homecoming ever," said Kathy, an executive with Cricket wireless company.


Since the fires she's bought air purifiers for their house and scrubbed down the walls trying to clear out the ash and fumes. They're hoping Scott will finally get home this weekend. Meanwhile Kathy plans to take Samantha and Stephanie, dressed as pumpkins, out to trick-or-treat for their first Halloween tonight and e-mail the pictures to Scott in the hospital.

- Lisa Petrillo, staff writer

Elegant Dinner for Firefighters

Firefighter Ben Vernon was delighted as he stood on the lawn by the marina where the air smelled of grilling steaks at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

He and his crew at Station 8, at Mission Hills, were planning to order pizza for dinner. Then, word reached them about 6 p.m. that chefs from Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide were preparing San Diego Fire-Rescue Department firefighters an elegant dinner of grilled steaks, shrimp and fish.

"This is awesome," said Vernon, who was in on duty in Rancho Bernardo last week.

Some arrived off-duty with their families, and some were there on dinner break. Some rolled up in fire rigs.

Chief Tracy Jarman was there mingling and greeting firefighters, telling a group of them, "You guys made me proud out there."

Chefs from various hotels were in town and arranged with Starwood to treat the firefighters, Jarman said.

More help for Fallbrook residents

FALLBROOK … At Fallbrook's local assistance center for fire victims, volunteers put up two additional tents today to more efficiently accept applications for aid and issue electronic benefits cards, which allow people to buy food.
In the tents, they were able to set up 20 additional computers to register people for aid, bringing the total number of computers available to about 30, said Carey Riccitelli of the county's Health & Human Services Agency.
An estimated 525 families showed up yesterday. But because of the overwhelming demand for help, not everyone could be processed.
"We're seeing way more people today than we could previously," Riccitelli said.
Parking in front of the local assistance center was more restricted today because La Paloma Elementary School, across the street, is scheduled to reopen tomorrow. Volunteers were parking at a local church and being driven to the center in a county van and a school bus.
The center, at 341 Heald Lane, will remain open for four weeks, Riccitelli said. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, call (760) 731-7139.
- Bruce Lieberman, staff writer

Governor arrives in Fallbrook

FALLBROOK - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made an unannounced and private visit to the Valley Oaks Mobile Ranch off Reche Road in Fallbrook at about 10 a.m. today.

He toured the area and spoke to residents about the memories lost in their destroyed homes.

- Bruce Lieberman, staff writer

Cleaning up in Dulzura

The backcountry community of Dulzura was quiet yesterday and its only businesses -- a cafe, a craft shop and the Post Office along state Route 94 -- were still closed.

Across the street from the Dulzura Cafe, Martha and Juan Garcia were cleaning up the property where they live. The trailer they've called home for six years was destroyed by the Harris fire. The couple has been staying with family in El Cajon for more than a week but got their first look at the mangled trailer, blackened by flames and filled with dirt ash and leaves, yesterday.

The property owner, Cecilia Mendoza, rents land to the couple and another family. Their homes were still standing.

Sitting at a concrete picnic table while her husband and neighbors raked up leaves and debris, Martha Garcia said she only took her purse and personal papers when she fled Oct. 21. Gomez speaks only a little English so Maricruz Pulido, whose family also lives on the property, translated.

"The thing that broke her heart the most was the pictures of her grandsons" were lost, Pulido said. "She's overwhelmed. She's just trying to make her mind think that she'll have a house soon."

The Garcia and Pulido families say they love the quiet, peaceful life they've made in Dulzura. Despite the scare they've had in the last week, they don't plan to leave.

"Some people say, 'Why are you going to stay right there if it's dangerous for you?' " said Herminia Pulido, Maricruz Pulido's mother. "I just love it here."

- Liz Neely, staff writer