R-Town: Jim Topoleski, Battalion Chief Redlands Fire Department

As I approached Fire Station 1 in Downtown Redlands, the doors were all rolled up, there's a Fire Truck (not Engine) parked in the driveway and about 4 fire fighters are busy at work washing the Truck and what appears to be cleaning up.  I must admit, it's a little intimidating to approach this scene!  One of the fire fighters see's me coming and greets me ever so kindly.  I immediately say "Is Jim Topoleski around?" He calls for his Chief and then I see Jim as he walks from around the other side of the truck.  After greeting each other, I ask if I can photograph him in front of the truck…engine…truck…which is it?  He tells me the easiest way to remember is the truck has the ladder, an engine doesn't.  That seems easy enough to remember.  I snap a few shots of him in front of the truck, and then we head into his office for the interview.

SF: How long have you been a Fire Fighter for Redlands?
JT:  For Redlands…27 years.
SF:  Wow!  Were you a Fire Fighter somewhere else?
JT:  Cal Fire
SF:  Did you grow up in Redlands?
JT:  I grew up in the Del Rosa area (of San Bernardino) and East Highland.
SF:  I see you are a Battalion Chief.  That means…well is there anyone above you?
JT:  Yes, the Fire Chief, Jeff Fraser.  Great Guy!
SF:  Did you always want to be a fire fighter growing up?
JT:  No…I wanted to be a Wildlife Conservationist.
SF:  Oh, that's interesting!
SF:  I know you guys work 24 hour shifts, so obviously you sleep here at the station.  Do you sleep in your uniforms?
JT:  No.  It's usually some sort of Pajama type clothing.  Years ago we used to bring the fire fighting pants, the yellow ones, into the  dorm rooms with us while we slept, so if we get a call in the middle of the night we would jump out of bed and throw those on.  But because of all the carcinogens that are trapped in those garments, we keep them out of the living area of the building and out by the trucks, because we don't want those carcinogens in the building.  Most people in the middle of the night, because we are up all night long running a lot of calls, they usually sleep in sweatpants, shorts, or whatever it may be, jump down the pole and get dressed.
SF:  Does anybody have a hard time sliding down the pole?
JT:  Some people don't do it, the majority of people still do, but some use the stairs.  The landing at the bottom (when sliding down the pole) can be rather abrupt (especially in the middle of the night), or if someone was in the shower when the call came in, and they grab a hold of the pole, they will be ok but the person after them won't. So a lot of people take the stairs.
SF:  Because of this job, do you consider yourself a daredevil?  Have you ever skydived or bungee jumped?
JT: No, when I was younger I would climb, dive, surf, those type of things.  But I never got into the daredevil type of stuff, probably because of this job.  I'm hyper-aware of what certain things can do to your body…driving too fast, driving like an idiot, drinking and driving, jumping off of things….those kinds of things I have seen so much of what CAN go wrong, death and destruction and what people have done to themselves, that I choose to pass on those.
SF:  What's the worst thing you've seen, or the most exhilarating call you've been on, or the most memorable call you've been on…wow I could ask all three of these!
JT:  I can answer all three!  You know we have a very cool job, it's adrenaline filled, you are always on the go, always finding a new challenge.  The rewarding side of the call is that any call we go on, we get to see direct results of our labor.  So whether or not it's a person who's fallen and scraped their knee, we  put a band-aid on it.  When I was a paramedic,  I got a lot of that.  You could go on a call and make such a rapid difference in somebody who was on death's doorstep that you could intervene, correct a problem and in the next minute the person is conscience and awake!  You know, I've had a career with people trapped in vehicles, people trapped in buildings, suppressing fires all over the nation…I mean I've been all over the place.  I've hit every state East of the Rocky's.  I was in Texas and was a part of the shuttle recovery process (in  Feb. 2003).  I spent 26 days in Texas running part of the search and recovery mission.  I'm up and down the state every summer, so from the fire suppression perspective, to define one that I can say "yah that one made a difference"…the slide fire comes to mind up in Running Springs (the one that came out of the Green Valley Lake area), we did a lot of great work up there.  We saved a lot of homes, and did a lot of tactics to get a certain solution, or to solve a problem in a neighborhood, we were going all night long into the next day.  I had a great strike team task force, and we went in there and did a lot of really great work.
SF: You had a lot of different stations come together to work on that fire?
JT:  We had units from Victorville, San Bernardino County, three stations from Redlands, and that's fairly typical of our average year when you are assigned to a strike team.  I was on a strike team for the Chariot Fire in San Diego late last year, and for the Colby Fire above Glendora which happened the first part of January.
SF:  I think that's fascinating because as somebody here in town, I didn't know you went all over to help out so many different states.  Do you think a lot of people know you do that?
JT:  I don't know… we are a very active fire department in supporting the mutual aid system not only in the state but we also support our personnel in gaining additional qualifications, where they can go throughout the nation and fill a role where there is a critical shortage.
SF:  I feel like maybe a lot of people may not realize how much support fire fighters give to other fire departments.  I love that support, the brotherhood, of fire departments.  Now tell me something about YOU that people might not know or be surprised to know.
JT:  I don't know if anyone would be surprised about anything I do.  I think that people would be surprised at…well my identity is as a firefighter.  I would much rather my identity be as Lisa's husband,  and the father to Tanner, Collen and Payton.
SF:  Awww….I think that's very sweet.  And you don't hear that very often.
SF:  So I have to confess, I snooped on your Facebook before meeting up with you (and by the way we only have 9 mutual friends), and I already knew you liked baseball, but are you a Red Sox fan?
JT:  No…I'm a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.
SF:  Ohhhh….I saw something that made me think you were a Red Sox Fan.
JT:  Well, for one, we were at Fenway last year, and two, when the World Series was going on, I am not a Cardinals fan and Lisa's family is from St. Louis and they are avid die hard Cardinal fans.  The Pirates got beat by the Cardinals so I was not going to root for the Cardinals so I was going to root for the Red Sox.
SF: After going to Boston last summer, I just loved Fenway and just LOVE the Red Sox.  I was so happy to see them win the World Series! We visited St. Louis as well, and I loved their stadium and their fans are amazing, as well.
JT:  Having been fortunate enough to travel across the mid-west to the Eastern sea board, St. Louis has some of the most amazing people.  They are friendly, out-going, they have great European culture influences, and I really like that.  I like New York, the city, the people aren't quite as friendly, but Boston, that place is just phenomenal.  The people are friendly, the city is clean, the subway system was easy to follow, the tour at Fenway and the surrounding area was just incredible!  Such a great city!
SF:  I completely agree!  Boston is just an amazing, historical place and I would love to go back!  Would you say that Fenway is your favorite baseball stadium?
JT:  Fenway, yes, definitely.
SF:  Ok…I digressed.  Let's get back to the fire department. I feel like the Redlands Fire Department is really involved in the community.  They support various athletic programs here in town, in fact one year when I was helping out with the REV Football program, I had brought a few of the football players and cheerleaders here to do a quick picture for their program and after the picture you guys gave them a ride around the block in the truck.  My kids were little and were with me and they got to go as well.  They all loved it!  You guys are always so hospitable and do so much around here.  I know you do fill-the-boot as well…
JT:  Yes they do fill-the-boot, Spark of Love, the Car Show in the downtown area with the proceeds going to The Burn Foundation, and they did a bowling tournament this year that was incredible and these guy are constantly engaged and involved with the community and our community is great because they donate.  The department participates in the Believe Walk as well.  The firefighters sell the pink t-shirts and the proceeds from that then go to the Believe Walk.  They are dug in deep. It's all about getting money, and giving it away.  They do a great job!
SF: What time of year is Fill-the-Boot?
JT:  It's in the Fall, and it's for Muscular Dystrophy.  Occasionally, they will do one if something comes up like the Yarnell Firefighters or firefighters that died.  They did the one for the Arizona Firefighters (the Yarnell Fire) and drove the money back to Prescott and donated about $30,000 to that one.
SF:  Wow, I was going to ask, (a more serious question), the 19 firefighters in Arizona that lost their lives, when something like that happens, what does that do to the moral of your station, what happens to your brotherhood?
JT:  The first thing is, there are firefighters dying constantly throughout the nation.  We get email on it every morning.  We see what's going on.  When there is a significant loss of life like what happened at Grand Mountain or even the Esperanza fire, especially when it's close or there are connections to it, it causes everyone to pull in ranks and say "what they heck just happened?" we just took a big hit and you know that everyone wants answers as to how did this go wrong, or what went wrong, what are we going to do to fix it.  It takes awhile for all the information to unravel and you try and make sense of everything, but during that time period, you are at a heightened sense of awareness of "hey this job can kill us."  It causes everyone to stop and take a look introspectively, it causes us to look at what we do on a regular basis, while on fires.  It makes us stop and say  "could we have been in the position that they were in?  What could we do better to prevent that type of tragedy.  What didn't they see, or what did they do, to prevent that tragedy?  So it really fosters more in a training environment.  We take these incidences and can learn from them.
SF:  What are other hazards of this job?
JT:  Cancer rates in firefighters are really high, heart disease from going essentially from a dead sleep to going 150 miles an hour in a minute isn't really good for the heart.  So that's why we have a strong push for staying physically fit for our job.  There is also a greater awareness of nutrition and staying healthy.  These firefighters are all amazing people, and you look at the things they do and have seen, and it's unfortunate.  These guys are essentially deployed every day they are at work and see people torn apart, people who are sick, their buddy getting hurt.  The cumulative effect of that takes a toll on their stress not only here but spills over into the home.  Just in the City of Redlands we have 70,000 people.  37 square miles and we run 9000 calls per year.

This was an amazing interview.  To hear Jim talk so openly, I am so grateful.  I've learned so much.  And to top it all off, as I'm getting some last minute photos, the station gets a call and I am talked into going on the call with them!  So I hop in the truck, buckle up, they give me a head set and we are on our way!  I don't get out of the truck while at the call (I don't want to get in the way and really wouldn't know what to do with myself) so I sit in the truck and wait.  It was a quick call (not a fire) and we return to the station within about a 1/2 hour.  But that, for me, was crazy!  and so fun!  Thank you so much Jim for your time!  It was such a pleasure to talk with you!

View from seat while on an official call!  :)

R-Town: Buddy Schwimmer, A Dancing Legend

As many of you know, my daughter has been dancing for about 5 years now.  When we signed her up at what was then called "5, 6, 7, 8 Dance Studio", little did we know the history behind the owner was so extraordinary.  After 5 years of knowing Buddy Schwimmer, I finally sat down with him to hear more about him and his life dancing.

When you walk into Buddy's office, it's full of plaques, trophy's, large collage frames full of pictures of his kids, Benji and Lacey, when they were kids, current pictures of them as well, a jukebox, and more framed pictures and posters.  It's almost his life story right there on the walls of his office.  I sit on the long white couch across from his roll-top desk and his easy glider office chair, where he takes a seat.  He's such an easy going guy, that talking to him was no problem.  I just pulled out my phone, hit record and began talking as if we were just out to lunch.

Born in Gary, Indiana, Harry Daniel Schwimmer was the third child of 5.  "My mom was 4'10" and my dad was 6'2".  I got my mom's height and my dad's weight," he jokingly tells me.  If you know Buddy, you know he is always cracking jokes!  His parents were swing dancers, and "they never lost a competition in their life!  They won the Harvest Moon Ball 4 times…" he goes on to tell me, and explains to me that even though he "came out dancing," he was not a natural.  "I wasn't any good until I was 8 years old," he tells me.  When Buddy was about 4, his whole family moved to Whittier, California.  Buddy, who was given the nickname Buddy by a little boy who saw him reading a Casper the Friendly Ghost comic and told him "That's Casper, he's friendly!  You must be my Buddy!", said he spent about a year in his room, teaching himself how to dance.

He didn't start competing until he was about high school age.  He and his sister would dance at Disneyland at Carnation Place, and he met professionals such as Skippy Blair, who would ask Buddy to show him what he was doing.  He never took any lessons and would modify different moves and techniques.  With two sisters, I asked him if he danced with one of them, and he points to an American Graffiti poster with a guy and girl on it, dancing.  "That's me and my sister right there." So now I'm very curious…"Were you in American Graffiti or did you choreograph for the movie?" I ask.  "I was in it and choreographed it."  It was filmed in 1982 and by this time he was competing professionally and had been on many many dance shows.  He was asked by Tony Basil (Oh Mickey your so fine….) to choreograph the dancing, because she was originally asked to do it, but didn't know how to Swing.  She had heard of Buddy, and asked him.  He not only did choreography for the movie, but was also a dancer in it.  Prior to that, the several dance shows he was on were Shebang, Shindig Chivalry, 9th Street West, American Bandstand, and Soul Train ("I was the only white guy of the Soul Train Gang.").

Buddy has traveled all over the world performing and choreographing for various people.  He even had a story of flying to Austria to do a 20 minute show and said "we'd fly there, do the show and then take a late night flight out and come home."  I ask about his teaching, and he still (currently) flies all over choreographing routines for different people.  He just got back from Branson, Missouri where he choreographed a stage show that he does annually.  "Didn't you choreograph for the Olympic Skater?" I ask.  "Yes, for Jeremy Abbott.  I choreographed for him, Benji choreographed for him.  He started with me and then I brought Benji in."  Buddy continues to tell me about choreographing for Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and challenging James Brown to a dance off!  Now that's gutsy!  "Michael Jackson told me I was the only white guy he's ever seen dance."  Buddy didn't choreograph for him but they were both at a sound stage opening in Orange County, along with ELO and various other artists.

Once Buddy was married and had kids, I asked him if he wanted them to be dancers.  "We didn't force them to dance, but they were always going with us when we were dancing and teaching.  They would fall asleep under tables while we were competing."  As the kids got older, they were always around and would just pick things up.  Buddy reminisces on how Benji was just like him and had to work hard at being a dancer, while Lacey was more of a natural.  "But they both got their careers out of it," he happily tells me. As the kids got older, Buddy decided to quit all the traveling (he would travel about 40 weeks out of the year) and decided to start teaching out of his house in Moreno Valley.  That only lasted a short while, then in 1999 he opened up his dance studio on W. State Street, 5, 6, 7, 8, which was where I eventually met Buddy in 2009.  Then in January 2011, the heavy heavy rains caused a lot of damage to the building to where it was condemned.  Buddy had to quickly find a new building and in March 2011, he opened his new dance studio, The Dance Center, located at 1445 W. Park Ave, Redlands, Ca 92373.  The studio grew not only in square footage, but population as well.  It was as if it all happened for a reason.  Most nights you can find Buddy there at The Dance Center, but he does still travel and lead quite a fascinating life.  He loves kids and teaches little ones as well as adults.  Classes vary from Ballet and Tap for little ones, various levels of Ballet (including Pre Pointe), Adult Tap, Ballroom, Latin, Swing (of course), Hip Hop, Video Dance, Musical Theater, Break Dancing and more!  Check out their Facebook Page, The Dance Center!  There's always something going on!

Buddy, who loves kids, works with one of his classes on facial expressions to have while dancing.

Bonnie, one of the teachers at The Dance Center, teaches new choreography to her Tech class.

R-Town: "Start Living Your Life Fearlessly" - Fleur De Lis

"Dream Bold Dreams"…"There is only one happiness in life.  To be loved and to love"…"All Because Two People Drank Wine" and one of my personal favorites, "You are my happy".  These are some of the sayings you will see when you walk into Fleur De Lis, (located at 104 E. State Street, Suite K, Redlands, CA.).  When I walked in to meet with Monika De La Paz, the adorable and full-of-life owner, I was greeted by two special "employees", Fiona and Spanky.  They were all decked out for the interview and photos.  I immediately put my things down and plopped down on the floor to greet them back.  I even got an extra special "kiss" from Spanky.  As I wiped my mouth, laughing because I know better than to be at dog level with my teeth exposed, I was also greeted by Christine, Monika's mother-in-law, who is very sweet.  I snapped a few shots of Monika's amazing boutique (which I frequent, to buy various birthday presents for friends) and was able to see some of her new merchandise.  

As Monika came out from the back, she greeted me with her infectious smile, and her personality is so warming and loving, you just can't help to instantly be in a good mood!  Brookie and I will stop by to just say "hi" sometimes because going into her boutique will always put smiles on our faces!  "Bonjour Stephany" she says in her best French accent!  She already has me laughing!  

We sit down on a set of beautiful pale blue and gold chairs that definitely look French inspired.    The dogs follow us and are just as much a part of the interview!

SF:  What inspired Fleur De Lis, the store?
MDLP:  Truly, a lot of prayer and faith, and trying to figure out what I was going to do.  I had an "A-HA" moment three years ago when I was getting a facial by the esthetician who was renting the last location Fleur De Lis was, on Cajon Street.  I saw a For Rent sign and as I was getting my last facial I thought, "how cute would this be as an interior design studio and a boutique!"  And literally…I want to say that was December 15th, 2010, and I got the keys to my store 3 weeks later!  
SF:  That's fast!  What did you do before being a business owner?

MDLP: I worked in Pharmaceuticals for 14 years, and my last year working for the company I went to Interior Design School, but I didn't know what I was going to do.  I knew I didn't want to do Pharmaceuticals, I didn't want to work for Corporate America, I was sick of traveling, and I just knew it wasn't for me.  I literally got on my knees and prayed...and I'm more of a creative, and I knew that I had to do something in the creative field.
SF:  And now you have this fabulous boutique AND you are an interior decorator for hire!  You have the best of both worlds!
SF:  I love that you bring your dogs to the store!  Does anyone ever have a problem with them?
MDLP:  No, everybody loves the dogs!  In fact, people would come to the store JUST to visit my dogs!  People have been great about them, and both my landlords have been great about them.  They were the King and Queen of Cajon, and now they will be the King and Queen of State Street!  
SF: What is your favorite item in your store, right now?

Monika's favorite item!

MDLP:  The customized plaques!  It's great that you are able to put your business name on them, a bible verse, a quote, you can specialize them with someone's name, or wedding invitation, or customize it to say "Stephany, always kiss me goodnight" (for example).  So I LOVE the customized plaques, and so does everyone else!  
SF:  One of my favorite products is the TokyoMilk lotion!  It smells insanely good and makes your hands feel so smooth!  
SF:  So think of all the jobs you've had in your life, what is the weirdest job you've ever had?
MDLP:  I got hired at Olive Garden in Orange County when I was in college , and I thought I would be a hostess or a waitress.  But back then, they used to have the pasta makers with the hat's that were about 20 feet high, and you would literally be out there making pasta! And that's what they hired me to do!  All you were doing was turning the handle to make the pasta!  I only lasted a couple days because I thought, I'm NOT doing this job!  
SF:  Roller Coasters.  Love them or hate them?
MDLP:  LOVE THEM!!  
SF:  You do?!  You're a thrill seeker?
MDLP:  Oh yah!  
SF:  What's your favorite roller coaster?
MDLP:  I forget the name of it, but it's at Magic Mountain.  I think it's called X.  I usually freak out, but my sister taught me (in everything) it's mind over matter. 
SF:  Growing up, you probably didn't think about owning a boutique store on State Street.  What did you want to do, or be?
MDLP:  Umm…I always thought I wanted to be a lawyer.  I'm the youngest of 5 girls, so I always had to fight for my right, and I'm also Italian and Hispanic.  
SF:  Italian…woo hoo!  and De La Paz, that's actually or maiden name, correct?

Steph's favorite item!

MDLP:  Yes, as the youngest of 5 girls, I wanted to keep my name because it won't be passed along.  And my husband is so doggone easy going, he didn't mind.
SF:  I think I'm going to guess that you would answer YES to my next question.  Have you ever had a secret admirer?
MDLP:  I've been stalked before…but I don't really know if that counts as a secret admirer.
SF:  I just think you are so beautiful and so fun and full of life, that I would think you would have had a secret admirer.  
SF:  Finish this sentence.  I could beat anyone at……?
MDLP:  Talking!  because I'm a non-stop talker, and I can go and go and go and go…
SF:  Tell me something interesting about yourself that maybe people don't know about you.
MDLP:  I love to Karaoke!
SF:  Oh I saw a post on FB with you singing and dancing in the rain!  Someone even said you missed your calling.  Do you think you missed your calling?
MDLP:  Everytime I go to a Broadway musical I watch and think "oh I would love to do that".  I'm thinking I might do a community theater.
SF:  OH!!  So we might be seeing you at Footlighters or somewhere like that?
MDLP:  Yah!  I mean I'd like to…we'll see.  You know what I could beat anyone at.  Is improv!  My sisters and I all did Improv Night and I was the funniest!  
SF:  You're quick witted?
MDLP:  Yes, quick witted in a fun situation!
SF:  I completely admire people that are quick-witted, because I am so not.
SF:  Do you have any favorite clients?
MDLP:  You know, honestly, as long as people are nice, they are all my favorite clients.
SF:  You've been at your new location here on State Street for 2 1/2 weeks now, how do you feel about this move?
MDLP:  I truly put this move into God's hands, and feel He put me here.  I'm excited to be here and we have so many new customers and I know it's going to be great.  I also want to do a lot of community events here, as far as say someone lost their house to a fire, and they need to fundraise, I could host a community Bunko and all the money would go to them.  Something that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg and that anyone could afford to do.  Maybe do something on a Saturday, like have a dog rescue, where a dog rescue company comes and we try to adopt out dogs.
SF:  What great ideas Monika.  You truly have such a good heart and I love how you want to be so involved and GIVE BACK to the community.  It sounds like such a positive move coming to State Street.
MDLP:  Yes, and another positive thing about being here are there are so many amazing shops and restaurants, that a lot of people have come in while they are waiting to be seated at a restaurant, or just as they are walking around, and it's bringing in a lot of new cliental.
State Street is truly a golden street and I worked so hard at my little store on Cajon and I have finally won the prize!  People come from all over to shop on State Street, people who are in the area for a conference at Loma Linda Hospital, or ESRI, or maybe to look at the University of Redlands.  
SF:  And Market Night!   How was your first experience with Market Night?
MDLP:  The second Market Night was amazing!  We are open during Market Night, and I'm not sure if we will need to get a booth or not, or just stay open.  But right now, we are definitely open during Market Night.
SF:  This has been great Monika!  I feel as if you truly live your life fearlessly, as one of the signs in your store says!  Thank you so much for letting me talk with you about your fabulous boutique and fabulous you!  I will be back soon to see you and to check out more new merchandise!  

Spanky and Fiona

Fleur De Lis is located at 104 E. State Street, Suite K, Redlands, Ca.  They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10ish - 6:30ish!  909-798-5363

SEE YOU THERE!

R-Town: Sitting down with one of Redlands' Finest

Finally it's raining!  The first rain of the year is here, but unfortunately it's on a day I'm interviewing and photographing Officer Eric Pendery of the Redlands Police Department.   Luckily, Eric and I have kids at the same school and are able to meet in a room on campus to get out of the rain! Of course that won't help for the pictures, but we make other arrangements.  (Just gotta go with the flow)

I've known Eric for about 5 or 6 years.  I met him through his wife, Jackie, who taught Dylan in 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade, and currently has Brookie in her class.  (By the way…best teacher EVER!!!!).  So he and I have gotten to know each other over the years through various events at the school.  Sitting down with Eric to talk Police work was a lot fun and very interesting!

SF:  OK…let's get this started.  How long have have you been a police officer?
EP:  Well, it's kind of a long answer.  I've been with Redlands full time, for 11 years.  I worked for San Bernardino School Police for 4 years, before that I worked as a reserve for Redlands for 5 years, and before that I worked for Redlands Explorers for 5 years.  So all together that's about 25 years including the Reserves.
SF:  Ok, so is it safe to say you've always wanted to be a cop?
EP:  Yes
SF:  But if you weren't a police officer, what would you see yourself doing?
EP:  (Long pause) I would probably…well it would depend.  If I didn't have a family or if I had a family, it would be different.  If I didn't have a family I would probably go live on a boat somewhere and be a scuba instructor teaching scuba diving and dive everyday.  But that's not very family friendly.  If I didn't do that, I would probably go work at the guide school and teach guide dogs.
SF: Oh yah, I forgot that you guys raise guide dogs!  I remember when Jackie would bring your guide dogs, well the one you were raising/training, to school.  The kids loved that!  Taught the kids a little about guide dogs, as well.  I'm surprised you didn't say a teacher because I know you do a lot with kids, including chaperoning week long field trips!
EP:  I do love teaching and I love kids, and love to see that moment when they get it…but I don't know if I would want to do it full time.  I would be afraid it would lose something for me if I did it full time.  I think what I do now, I have the best of both worlds.
SF: So I have to ask you…I know the stereotype of cops is that they hang out a donut shops!  (we both laugh)  And I actually did a little research on this stereotype.   But, do you even like donuts?
EP:  I do… I do like donuts.  But I won't go get donuts when I'm working.
SF:  Because of the stereotype?
EP:  Yes…although the other night we did because it was the only thing open.
SF:  And that's where the stereotype came from!  That's what I found out!  The reason cops are associated with Donut Shops is because it was the only place open in the middle of the night for them to get a hot cup of joe!
EP:  Well yah, I can tell you the other night, my team went and we were able to get fresh donuts that were hot out of the oven {along with our coffee}. So if you are going to get something at 4:00am, that's right when they come out of the oven!
SF:  YUM!  So speaking of coffee, what is the longest you've ever gone without sleep?
EP:  I worked 21 hours one day, so probably about 24-25 hours.
SF:  Before you leave your house for your shift, are you in your full uniform?
EP:  No, I usually head into work in jeans and a T-Shirt.  We have lockers at the station so I get ready there.  But when I worked on the motorcycle, I would get dressed at home because the motorcycle lived at my house.  Then as soon as I got on the motorcycle, I would call in that I was available.  So it would just depend.
SF:  My next question I'm going to dig a little deep.  What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do on your job?
EP:  (heavy sigh) See a toddler who was run over by a car…and my son was the same age.  He was about 2 1/2 and my son was about 22 months.
SF:  Oh, that's horrific!  I couldn't even imagine.
SF:  What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do in life?
EP:  umm..I would say having to balance being a cop and trying to balance a family/personal life.  To be able to turn off being a cop and turn on being a dad, the cop part doesn't turn off very easily.
SF:  You mentioned earlier that you like Scuba diving.  When did you start scuba diving?
EP:  We {speaking of his wife and himself} got started about 10 years ago.  We were going on a cruise with some friends of ours to Belize, Cozumel and Key West, so we decided that it would be a horrible tragedy to go to those places and NOT scuba dive!  So we all got certified at Empire Scuba, and went scuba diving on our trip. When we got back, I just kept going and going and going, and Jackie finally said "this is costing us a lot of money…!" so we had to figure out how to make it cost effective.  So I basically became a Dive Master so I could dive for free.  Then when the new owners came in to Empire Scuba they sent me to instructor school so I could teach.  I don't know if it's ever been cost effective, but now it holds its own and is basically a wash.
SF:  Well I won't be asking for Scuba instruction because I am deathly afraid of it!  I can't imagine being that far under the water.  I would be afraid of running out of air!
SF:  Recently Redlands was voted in the top 10 cities to raise a family in.  Would you agree with that?
EP:  I would.  And the reason I would is because if you look at what our competition is around here, San Bernardino, Colton, Grand Terrace, Beaumont, Banning, and you put the total package together of what we've got, we are the obvious choice.  I can't speak for Northern California cities so I don't know what they have up there, but I can speak for Inland Empire and part of LA, and it's not surprising.  You look at all the things we have, and I look at the Police Department.  {Redlands} Police Department provides phenomenal customer service!  So when you put that together with what our city has, great schools, great parks, market night, farmers market, the Redlands Bowl, the Theater Festival, Bicycle Classics, Lifehouse Theater, Redlands Footlighters, the University of Redlands…we have all these things that support the "raising a family" idea, that yah, we should be ranked as one of the best places to raise a family.

Thank you for trying!

SF:  Ok..random question.  Can you do a cartwheel?
EP:  uh…no I can't really do one.
SF:  Well I wanted to get a picture of you at least trying!
EP:  OK we will get one…

SF:  Tell me something you can do that maybe not a lot of people can do?  A hidden talent, per se.
EP:  I'd say, for me, would be raising the guide dogs.  I have a good read on dogs.  In fact, on my team, I will always get the dog calls.  In fact, funny story, we got a call about a pit bull, and I was really comfortable approaching the dog, and my partner was not, so I was able to approach the dog without hurting him.
SF:  Now, I know about you raising guide dogs, but maybe tell me a little more about that.
EP:  Well it's not just me, it is our family.  Right now we have a breeder.  Once she has puppies the puppies will go to the guide dog school.  But for the most part, {when we are training guide dogs} we do a lot of socializing, getting the puppies when they are really young and teaching them until they are about 15-24 months.  Jackie would bring them to the school and the kids would know that the dog was "working" if he/she had a vest on.  They would only be allowed to pet the dog when the vest was off.  My kids even help with the training.  It's really rewarding when you see your 5 year old walking the dog through Costco, and pretty much knowing what to do.  We would watch the traffic, and our daughter would watch the dog.  People were always amazed that we would let her walk/help train the dog.
SF:  So cool!  You guys are probably the only people that I know that raise guide dogs!  As a fellow dog lover, I find that truly amazing!

Thank you Officer Pendery for taking the time on your day off to sit down with me and be so open and candid!  And thank you for meeting me again, when it wasn't raining, to do some pictures!  I feel very safe with you out there protecting our city and I thank you for your services to the city of Redlands!