Laguna Beach honors retired fire captain with Seagrave engine dedication

The City Council, following a series of glowing tributes, unanimously voted to dedicate the city’s 1931 Seagrave fire engine in the name of D’Isabella, a 94-year-old resident affectionately known as “Diz.”

D’Isabella, who served in the Marine Corps, joined the fire department in 1956, beginning his full-time career as an engineer in 1964. He went on to serve under eight chiefs over the course of his 38 years with the city.

“It’s been a big part of my life,” D’Isabella said of the Seagrave engine, noting he drove it in at least 50 parades. “I brought it to the pancake breakfasts, so the kids could sit on it and take pictures. I used to bring it to the kids’ Christmas party at Fire Station No. 2, and same thing, the kids would come and sit on the truck and stuff …

“It was a great part of my life, and this fire department was the greatest part of my life, and I’ll never be sorry that I did it.”

The room rose to its feet to give D’Isabella a standing ovation following his remarks.

The Laguna Beach Firefighters’ Assn., residents of Irvine Cove, the Click Family Foundation, the Quilter family and Anita May were among notable donors, according to a staff report.

City officials hope to have the restoration complete in time for the Patriots Day Parade in March, and Hill is confident that the “frame off” work will be done prior to the city’s centennial celebration. The Seagrave was taken to John Bothwell in Costa Mesa to undergo its restoration.

“The ability to take [the engine] back to original was in question, but because of John’s expertise in restoring older vehicles, he assured us that he had that expertise and had the means to do it, and it wasn’t a farfetched idea,” Hill said in a phone interview Wednesday. “His first job that he did for us was to completely rebuild the original motor, transmission, the brakes, everything, because obviously, 1931, things were pretty different back then when it came to the mechanics of how a vehicle ran.

The Laguna Beach fire department’s 1931 Seagrave fire engine participates in the 2017 Patriots Day Parade. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer) “He has got that work done already, and so now, we’re just working on — more or less — I guess you could call it the cosmetic piece, right? Tearing it all down, repainting the frame, repainting the body of the truck, rebuilding all the gauges, doing everything back to original.”

The Seagrave’s purpose became more ceremonial in time. Residents shared stories about its appearances at events such as Hospitality Night — an annual holiday event downtown — and the Patriots Day Parade. It even paid a visit to the South Laguna Community Garden Park in 2012.

Harvey Boelts, a retired fire captain who joined the department in 1968, thanked the city for keeping the historic engine and dedicating it to a colleague that “really loved it.”

The 1931 Seagrave fire engine at Fire Station No. 2 was the first fire apparatus purchased by the city of Laguna Beach. (Courtesy of Laguna Beach Fire Department) “This engine was in service as an almost-reserve engine when I came to work here,” he said. “I cannot tell you that there was a fireman on the department who took more interest in that piece of equipment than our captain, D’Isabella …

“I also applaud you for not throwing that piece of equipment away. It’s history that is hard to find. When I was here, we took the best care of it we could. When I left, I’m sure the care was taken care of, but like everything it gets old, it gets there … I thought … at one time, ‘I’m going to buy that when I retire, because the city’s going to throw it away.’ You didn’t.”

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Andrew Turner is a sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. Before joining the Pilot in October 2016, he covered prep sports as a freelancer for the Orange County Register for four years. His work also has been used by the Associated Press and California Rubber Hockey Magazine. While attending Long Beach State, he wrote for the college newspaper, the Daily 49er. He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history. (714) 966-4611