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Celebrating its 150th anniversary, the Hollister Fire Department hosted a gathering at Station One on 5th Street on Oct. 18.
Battalion Chief Josh Buzzetta described it as “a birthday party for all the department’s years of service to the community.”
“We are here to celebrate our current members and the past members that came before us,” Buzzetta said. “But also we’ve got things for the kids to do, like an obstacle course, and we are holding an open house so people can come take a tour of the fire station.”
Hollister resident Sandy Patterson Jamarck, whose late husband Dale was a firefighter, said she came in support of both his memory and of the Hollister Department, to which she said she owes a debt of gratitude.
“My mobile home caught on fire last December,” Jamarck said, “and they responded with three engines within eight minutes. They saved all my animals, my two dogs and four cats. They are my heroes.”
Many firemen attended the party, including Capt. John Parrinello, who has been with the department for 28 years. He said that he joined in part because many of his family members had been firefighters.
“I grew up listening to my cousins and uncles tell stories about the fire department,” Parrinello said. “I thought it would be something fitting for me because I didn’t want to sit behind a desk.”
One of his regular duties is to do fire inspections, which includes visits to local schools. He said that children and adults should both learn the basics of how to prepare for a fire. Children, he said, should learn their addresses and parents’ phone numbers, while adults should designate a place for the family to meet up in case of an emergency.
“It’s important to have a plan if there is a fire at your house,” he said. “If some family members leave out of the front door and others leave out the back door, it’s really beneficial to know where everybody is.”
Stephen Hanson said that during his 11 years with the department, he has worked at four fire stations, including the one on Union Road, the one at the airport and the one in San Juan Bautista.
“Every day we go to people who need our help,” he said. “It’s super exciting to be able to solve people’s problems and help them whenever they call us.”
Hanson said his shift starts at 8 a.m. by checking the station’s equipment to make sure everything is in working order, then he usually has time scheduled for training. “We sometimes have school tours to get something out for the public,” he said.
Hanson said calls can come at any time, so the station has to always be staffed.
“We have to have some people work overnight,” he said, “and not go home until the morning, Then they go home, sleep, wake up, and do it all over again.”
Hanson said it’s important to have a fire plan ready, so that firefighters know where everyone is supposed to be in case of an emergency.
“That way,” he said, “we can ask, ‘Is everybody out?,’” he said, “That way, if someone is still trapped in there, we can go and rescue them quickly.”
While tours were offered during the celebration, Buzzetta said that people are always welcome to come by any time to ask to see how the station operates.
“We are always happy to show them around,” he said, “and we can go over fire safety tips that will help to keep them safe.”
Hollister firefighters. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Marching band crossing at Seventh and San Benito Streets in downtown Hollister. Photo by Adam Bell. 
American LaFrance Apparatus truck. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Engine 13. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Crowd celebrating at the fire station Photo by Adam Bell. 
Cake marking 150-year anniversary. Photo by Adam Bell.
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