Goodbye, Capt. Hill

If you've driven down Calabasas Road or Park Granada and passed by Lake Calabasas in the morning, you've probably ran into Fire Capt. Anthony Hill.

He's been jogging this route for 15 years. But come Oct. 1, he will leave this trail, as well as Fire Station 68 behind.

"It's time," Hill said. "In this economy a lot of people can't retire so I'm happy I'm able to."

Raised near the Los Angeles and Compton border, Hill has been battling blazes for 33 years. He started as a firefighter in Carson and made moves to South Central Los Angeles, Gorman and Altadena before landing in Calabasas 15 years ago. 

He's seen and fought a lot of brush fires over the years, but none more memorable than the night he was called to extinguish flames during the L.A. riots in 1992.

"The anxiety, the people, the chaos, the fires," Hill said. "A good portion of the city was burning that night."

The cry of people screaming in the streets with anger is something he hasn't forgotten, but the riots, along with other difficult fires he's seen over the course of his career, remind him of the reason he entered the profession.

"I've always had the desire to help people," Hill said. "You get personal satisfaction out of helping people."

Over the years, many people have recognized how much he has helped the community. The Calabasas Rotary Club honored Hill in 1997 for his work in training recruits and enforcing brush clearance. And in 2006, the city of Calabasas recognized Hill as a part of Public Safety Appreciation Day.

"He's a phenomenal guy to work with," said Scott Rosenfeld, a Calabasas firefighter who has worked with Hill for three years. "Very educated, very level-headed, never gets excited."

Rosenfield said Hill was his training captain and the one thing he admires the most about him is his leadership.

"This place isn't going to be the same without him," Rosenfeld said.

Hill is not only a fire captain, but also a paramedic, a job that requires him to become recertified every two years. He has to keep up with the latest techniques and pass an exam, something Calabasas firefighter Bret Heller says Hill does not do for financial gain, but for the benefit of the community.

"It shows an elevated level of professionalism," said Heller. "The local area is losing the experience. Understanding the neighborhood, how the brush works, that all goes out of the door when he leaves."

When Hill does make his exit early next month, he says he'll be doing "everything and nothing."

He has plans to travel, learn to play golf and the piano, and become even more involved in his church. His wife of 35 years hopes he stays busy during his retirement.

"She's wondering what I'm gonna do, if I'm gonna be around too much," Hill said.

Although Hill won't be around fighting fires anymore, his family name will remain in Los Angeles fire stations. His three sons are firefighters in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Inglewood.

Hill says he was not the influence for what seems to have become the family business; rather, he said, it was the big red trucks.

"They did the ride-along program when they were little and expressed their interest," he said.

Hill's sons will join their dad Sept. 29 when Fire Station 68 hosts an open house so fellow firemen and community members can say goodbye.  Firefighters from as far as Pomona will gather to honor a captain who has trained and worked alongside colleagues across the county.

"It's a very noble profession," Hill said. "It's a physical job, but it's a rewarding career."