100°F
weather icon Windy

Area ravaged by wildfires benefit from retiree’s generosity

Paul Shapiro of Boulder City may no longer have a hose in his hands, but he’s still fighting fires.

When it came time for the fireman to retire after a lifetime of fighting fires, it seemed only natural that he would have a “fire sale” to dispose of equipment he would no longer need.

For several volunteer fire departments and cattle ranchers in Central California, his gift came at a most fortuitous time.

Peggy Sue and Bill Tilden, who split their time between Boulder City, San Diego and their Oak Crest Ranch near Yosemite, saw a post on Facebook from Shapiro and his wife, Nancy, who were looking for a new home for the hundreds of feet of fire hose and nozzles that he had accumulated while teaching proper water delivery methods.

Paul Shapiro spent 28 years working for the city of Las Vegas and worked as a teaching consultant for about five years until a heart condition sidelined him.

He said the hoses and nozzles were donated by the manufacturer, Key Fire Hose, and its CEO Burke Genthner, for demonstration purposes and he felt the right thing to do was pay it forward so someone else could put them to good use.

“They had never been used in a fire,” he said.

Nancy Shapiro added they couldn’t legally sell them because they were not new.

“It made more sense to donate them,” she said.

The only catch was that they had to be picked up from the Shapiros’ home. According to Paul Shapiro, the smallest hose he had weighed 25 pounds and the largest weighed 110 pounds. There was no way to ship them, he said.

Peggy Sue Tilden said she saw their post as wildfires were raging across California.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing at a time of such chaos and devastation and fear,” she said.

“The flames didn’t get any closer than two or three miles from us,” Bill Tilden said.

“That was close enough,” his wife quickly added.

With the exception of a few red, white and blue hoses that Boulder City firefighter Walt West took for a project, the remainder of the hoses were gathered up by the Tildens and their local landscaper, Martin Martinez, who also volunteers with a fire department in Cedar City, Utah.

Bill Tilden said he wasn’t sure what he would do with all the hoses once he agreed to take them, but was sure he would be able to find places where they would be put to good use.

Once they were sorted, the smaller hoses were distributed to fellow ranchers and the larger ones went to volunteer fire departments, including Yosemite Lakes Park Volunteer Fire Department, near the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park.

In all, the Tildens estimate that 20 ranches and four volunteer fire departments received hoses and nozzles.

“They were all thrilled,” Bill Tilden said of the unexpected gifts.

“Peggy Sue texted us and told us where it all went. It just warms my heart,” Paul Shapiro said.

In a public thank you on Facebook to the Shapiros, Peggy Sue Tilden wrote: “All of the recipients (including us at Oak Crest Ranch) are so exceedingly THANKFUL for your generosity. The thing is: we hope we never ever have to use them but if we do, we are very grateful we have them.”

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Parallel parking approved

Like so many other things in the world of Boulder City government, the issue of reconfiguring parking in the historic downtown area along Nevada Way, which generated enough heat to cause council members to delay a decision up until the last possible moment, ended with more of a whimper than a bang.

Ways to reduce summer power bills

Now that the thermometer is on the rise outdoors, the cost to cool homes and businesses on the inside is doing the same.

Education news in BC largely positive

In her quarterly report to the city council, Clark County School District Regional Superintendent Deanna Jaskolski was full of positive takes on public schools in Boulder City.

‘It’s in those small moments when you see hope rising’

As Dr. Christina Vela scrolled through her phone, showing photos of girls taking part in various fun activities, for a moment she sounded more like a proud aunt instead of the CEO of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, and now, its Healing Center.

Jarvis recognized by city council

Salome Jarvis was involved in planning activities for seniors in long-term care before she started doing that in Boulder City. In fact, she helped create the Southern Nevada Activity Professional Association (SNAPA) in the late 1980s.

Park rangers rescue missing hiker, dog at LMNRA

Last week, a 48-year-old male hiker and his dog were rescued by National Park Service rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area after a coordinated, multi-agency search.

Fire chief search down to 3

Now that Ned Thomas has had time to unpack a few things in his office and attend a couple of meetings as the new city manager, there’s been a list of things to tackle waiting for him in his new role.

City adopts fiscal year ‘26 budget

It is hands down the most consequential action taken by the city council each year and yet it often happens without much in the way of public comment.

Council reverses planning commission split decision

A permit for building a single home on a lot that has sat empty (though graded and utilities run and ready for development) for some 40 years would not usually be fodder for a news story.