With no hesitation, Paul Riddle, looking back on a successful 32-year career working for the South Pasadena Fire Department, says it was “the people,” when talking about the best part of the job over the years.
He will miss his coworkers, those who have been in the trenches with him, fighting fires, rescuing others in the throes of a traffic accident, down to breaking bread, conversing about the day over dinner at the station.
“This really is a family,” said Riddle, the city’s retiring fire chief, who turned the page on a new life chapter in his life Thursday as he left shaking hands, giving a hugs, while shedding a tear or two on his way out the door. “People sometimes don’t understand that firefighters spend a third of their life at the station, so it really is a second family.”
And, of course, Riddle, well liked and trusted in his role, will particularly miss the hundreds of community members he’s come in contact around town. “South Pasadena is a unique place to be a fire chief,” he insisted. “It’s great to walk down the street and say hello to residents and business owners. There aren’t many places like it.”
When he looks back, reflecting on more than three decades, dedicating his professional life to protecting the life of local citizens, Riddle says he has no regrets. “It has been a wonderful time,” he said. The city has always been very supportive of the fire department, which is so important. When you know you’re appreciated, that’s a great takeaway for me. I’m walking away really with no baggage.”
He’ll soon be passing the baton as the city is expected to name a new fire chief in the coming days. “I think the fire department is in a great place,” said Riddle. “The succession plan is healthy. I think everything is good.”
Riddle, who resides in Orange County’s Dana Point, a beach community known for its marinas, small boutiques, restaurants, sweeping views and his personal favorite – outstanding surfing waves – is especially grateful he kept his priorities in order, separating life at home and the workplace.
“A lot of people get their priorities mixed up throughout their career, and the organization becomes the top priority, which messes everything up,” he explained. “I’ve always had a good life-work balance where faith, family and friends came before the organization. And I’m thankful I always kept those priorities in that order.”
That would be his advice to anyone, especially those going into public service. “Don’t ever get those mixed up,” he insisted.
Asked what single fire incident stands out as the most significant during his working days, Riddle was quick to point out that the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 rises to the top. The 6.7 magnitude severe shake took place at 4:31 a.m. in the San Fernando Valley and left its mark as far away as Las Vegas, San Diego, Turlock and Ensenada, Mexico, causing major damage.
“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” he said, after dealing with dozens of calls from local residents seeking answers. “We sent a lot of personnel out to the Santa Clarita and other areas, and they were gone for about a week. You got to help people in a raw format. You can’t script this stuff. You kind of do what you do and figure it out when you’re out there. It was a very rough time.”
As years passed long beyond that disaster, Riddle and his crew were often pushed to the limit on other catastrophes, including large fires throughout the state that would take South Pasadena firefighters away from the city for a couple of weeks at a time.
Riddle was well groomed for a long career in firefighting, learning the trade at a young age under the tutelage of his father, a former firefighter for the Pasadena Fire Department.
“I always knew I wanted to be a firefighter,” said Riddle, who got his start in South Pasadena and never left. “My earliest memories were visiting his fire station.”
He initially broke in by attending the Fire Academy at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut in the early 1990s. As he was finishing up getting his Associate in Science degree (fire technology), one of his instructors, a firefighter from South Pasadena, mentioned the department was going to have an opening for an auxiliary, or a volunteer position.
“It sparked my interest. I applied, and got it,” recalls Riddle, looking back on the trigger that initially launched his interest.
Over the course of a year in 1991 as an auxiliary member, he learned the ropes, tackling a wide variety of assignments before becoming a full-fledged South Pasadena firefighter a year later.
And, as he says, “The rest is history.”
After going through the ranks at every phase, Riddle took over as chief about 10 years ago when counting a two-year stint assigned deputy chief of South Pasadena as part of a tri-city partnership agreement with San Marino and San Gabriel in and effort to save funds. “I had all the responsibilities of a fire chief before given the official title as fire chief eight years ago.”
Ultimately reaching the highest rank of chief, Riddle has experienced it all, performing all kinds of job assignments. As a firefighter, he was at the front lines doing the heavy lifting, manual labor, assisting paramedics, pulling hoses and, in case of a fire, attacking the blaze, putting all his training and practice to good use.
His favorite role was driving the rig, getting behind the wheel of the fire truck, going from one situation to another. As captain, he served as shift supervisor, overseeing the suppression personnel. When serving as a battalion chief, he managed the captains and was in command during larger fires, and as the fire chief he mainly took on administrative duties, running all aspects of the department, or overseeing everything.
With little fanfare outside of saying goodbye to his crew, staff and some city workers, Riddle quietly left on Thursday and enjoyed dinner with his wife, Lynn, and friends in Dana Point before leaving on a weeklong trip to Red Rock, just outside of Las Vegas. The Firefighters Association will be celebrating him in September, along with two other retiring members of the team.
“I plan to sit by the pool and figure out what the next step will be,” Riddle said, noting that he will continue to teach entry-level firefighting classes at Rio Hondo College. “I’ll teach for awhile and see what comes next.”
Routinely, Riddle made the 55-mile trip from Dana Point to put in a workweek in South Pasadena, which is a much shorter commute than the 20-plus years he drove from Canyon Lake, near Lake Elsinore in Riverside County. “For most of my career, it was an 85-mile drive, so nowadays it is a little shorter,” he said laughing. “I had been surfing there for years, so I always knew Dana Point was a place I wanted to be.”
Living the easy, relaxed, easy going lifestyle has always been appealing to Riddle, who goes about his day away from the office wearing t-shirts and shorts, unlike the tight, buttoned-up uniform he’s accustomed to donning for his everyday attire on the job in South Pasadena.
“Dana Point is just a classic beach town,” he said. “The big draw for me is it has some of the best surf spots in California.”
Riddle has been hitting the waves for about 45 years, finding his passion for the sport when his was just a young lad.
While he’ll be spending much more time in Dana Point, Riddle will always hold deep memories for the place that gave him his professional start. “South Pasadena residents have always appreciated public safety,” he noted. “It’s really a win-win when a small community like that rallies around its police and fire departments. I say it all the time, we could not do what we do without the support of the community. As a fire chief, I don’t think I’ve ever been told no. The city council has been there for us.
“There’s collaboration there to make sure the fire department is in line with city’s strategic plan in doing things the right way,” he continued. “Everybody has been very supportive of what we’ve tried to do over the years. I look back 10 years ago to where we are now, it’s a completely different fire department with the relationship we have with neighboring agencies, automatic mutual aid agreements that really allow small fire departments to sustain themselves.”
Slipping quietly out the door with little fanfare, Riddle will be leaving 23 fulltime personnel who respectfully have been under his guidance, soaking up his knowledge, appreciating the impact he’s made, not only the department but the city. Former employees, colleagues from other departments and members of the community hearing about his departure have been reaching out, letting him know he will be missed.
“My phone is blowing up from so many wishing me great things,” he said. “I have so many lifelong friends. It’s not a goodbye. Friendships never go away. I talk to some of these people more than I talk to my own family members. We experience things that a lot of people don’t get to experience – the stressors of the job, and it just can’t help but burn you out. It’s a commonality we have in public safety that we rely very heavily on each other. Those who I have worked with that retired before me are still great friends.”
It has been a good run, chief. “Yes it has,” Riddle said quietly.
