IFPD honors three retired volunteers
The Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) honored three former local paid call firefighters (PCF) at an appreciation ceremony at the station Thursday evening, Jan. 18, in the IFPD board room.
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE YOST
The honorees are three longtime Idyllwild community members and business owners: Capt. Keith Smith (Harold K. Smith Construction Co.), who served for 40 years (1973-2013); Capt. Steve Friemoth (Idyllwild Chevron), who served for 40 years (1982-2022); and Engineer Dr. Charles Schelly (Idyllwild Chiropractic), who served for 18 years (1995-2013).
Schelly also served as an IFPD commissioner from 2009 to 2013.
The ceremony was attended by Idyllwild Fire Chief Mark LaMont and duty staff, as well as friends and family of the honorees and current IFPD Commissioner Stephanie Yost. Larry Donahoo, a former IFPD commissioner and previously-honored PCF captain, also was in attendance.
In his remarks, LaMont gave a history of the commitments and careers of each of the honorees, including incidents and humorous anecdotes from their combined 100-plus years of service to Idyllwild. LaMont also made a point of acknowledging the support and dedication of their wives and families, which facilitated the honorees’ contributions to the community.
Each of the recipients received large plaques summarizing their service years. The plaques were paid for by private donations from a few Idyllwild community members.
PCFs are local citizen volunteers who received pay for their work supporting career firefighter staff on fire and medical emergency calls. Current IFPD volunteers serve in support roles, rather than hands-on firefighting and emergency response.
