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Retired MOFD division chief Darrell Lee, left, transfers command of his shift to new battalion chief Felipe Barreto at Orinda station 45 on July 1. Photo Ohlen Alexander
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For the first time in its history the Moraga-Orinda Fire District conducted a public transfer of command, and if the July 1 ceremony outside station 45 in Orinda had a military feel to it, that was just fine with new battalion chief Felipe Barreto.
"I began my career as an aircraft firefighter in the United States Marine Corps," said Barreto, who, with an erect posture and solid eye contact, presents the formal, respectful air of a military officer. "Being a battalion chief should be about the same as being a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps," he said.
Barreto, who was born in Bogota, Colombia, lives in Lafayette with his two sons. He joined the Orinda Fire Protection District in 1989. His most memorable moment as an MOFD firefighter involved a child; more precisely, a childbirth. "I helped deliver a baby in a car near the Orinda Shell station," said the chief. "The car was a Toyota Camry, and the parents named the child Camry."
His message to Lamorinda residents was simple and direct. "Safety first," he said. "In your home and in your everyday life."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA