Capt. Daniel Faddis, a 31-year veteran of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD), retired Nov. 30 from Station 21, 750 Grand Ave. Faddis is a two-time winner of the Police and Emergency Services Appreciation Night Award (P.A.E.S.A.N.), which is a unique community awards event created to honor emergency service workers in the Pacific Beach-Mission Beach area. He received the awards in 2009 and 2010. Colleagues describe Faddis as a solid leader, an excellent firefighter and a hard worker. A fireman since he was 18, he spent his first years on the job with other battalions before joining the SDFD. He started working for the SDFD on April 11, 1980. Faddis said he will miss the people he works with and the opportunities to save lives. Many firefighters wait their entire careers for one big fire, hoping to see if they have what it takes, Faddis said. He has survived three such fires. The Normal Heights Fire on June 30, 1985 was his first major call. It burned more than 70 houses before it was put out, recalled Faddis. He was also called to the more recent Cedar Fire in October 2003 and then the Witch Fire, four years later. Both were massive brush fires that made large areas of San Diego County a disaster zone for several days. “It’s been interesting,” Faddis said. He has responded to calls for countless medical aids as well as fires. “You never get used to seeing children when they get hurt,” Faddis said. One of the best days of his career was when he learned that he had been promoted to engineer after 18 years as a firefighter. Faddis said that he has enjoyed the many years working at Station 21 in Pacific Beach. “This is the only station that’s right on the beach,” he said. Faddis said that among the crew is a former Navy SEAL, who leads the team on workouts. Station 21 is one of the busiest fire stations in the city. It is known as a “night-train station,” meaning the station never has down time, like many other stations not surrounded by the busy nightlife. On weekends, it is not atypical to get 20 calls inside of 24 hours, he said. Faddis has given much back to the city, said co-worker Shaun Rohrbach. Faddis has painted probably half of the firehouses in San Diego, Rohrbach said, and he is also the president of the San Diego Firemen’s Relief Association. Chad Willenberg, a seven-year veteran of the SDFD, was trained by Faddis at the fire academy. “He’s been a great role model,” Faddis said. The two now teach firefighter survival at a national firefighting conference held annually in San Diego. The SDFD is like a family, and Faddis will miss that aspect, said Beth Faddis, Daniel’s wife of 33 years. The two plan to travel and spend time with their four sons and two grandchildren.
