Andrew Pontious, a failed Los Angeles County firefighter remembered as a leader and wildlife enthusiast – Daily News

Fallen firefighter Andrew Pontious, 52, a 19-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, was remembered by family, friends and fellow firefighters during a service held at Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos on Saturday, June 29. (Courtesy of Los Angeles County Fire Department)

Dave Pontious stood at the podium at Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos on Saturday, unwittingly hurling insults at himself and his younger brother Andrew while sharing childhood memories of Andrew during a memorial service in his honor.

He recalled the summer they spent hunting rattlesnakes on the slopes of Claremont with a pellet gun their parents told them he couldn’t have. The brothers, aged around 9 and 10, secured them anyway with the help of an 18-year-old friend.

“We kept them buried in a box in the backyard,” Dave Pontious said. “Our parents never knew about it. We would take those guns… and go out and kill rattlesnakes.

“My brother was always in the butcher shop. He cut the rattles and we thought that would be the best thing to do.

After Dave Pontious left the stage, Vince Roldan, the fire department’s chaplain chairman, joked that Pontious’ father had sent Roldan a text message letting Dave know he was grounded.

Family members, friends and fellow firefighters gathered to remember Andrew Pontious, 52, a 19-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department who was killed in the line of duty when part of a burning front-end loader exploded at a quarry in Littlerock on June 14.

He is survived by his wife Kim, stepdaughter Sarah, parents Gary and Ellie, and brother Dave, a retired fire captain.

Andrew Pontious, nicknamed Drew and nicknamed “Uncle,” is remembered as a leader, always standing in front of those who lead by example and being the last person off the roof, even in 110-degree weather. While with this department, he served at stations in El Monte, Rosemead, San Fernando and Palmdale.

Outside of work, he is remembered as a lover of the outdoors and the outdoors. He loved to cook, became an accomplished hunter and “made it his mission to eat what he caught,” said Anthony Marrone, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief.

Dave Pontious said that as children, Dave and his friend would often force his younger brother to play the victim in games of “rescue” by tying weights to him and throwing him into the deep end of a pool or tying him to a tree with nylon wire and rope, then running to save him.

“My brother was always a good athlete, he just went along with it,” Dave Pontious said. “He had a few bumps and bruises, but he never complained.”

Pontious, a graduate of Humboldt State University with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management, took a job at a lumber company in Arcata as a pygmy owl spotter. It climbed trees and made owl-like sounds so loggers could avoid its habitats, said Dave Gillotte, fire captain and president of Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014.

“He would come home and tell us these stories,” Dave Pontious said. “A lot of it played out like a Hollywood movie.”

These stories included encounters with bears, mountain lions, and the time he “was chased by Native Americans with guns in a pickup truck because he had stumbled into some native territory,” or when he was carried down the Trinity River, pulled out, and found a decomposing body “belonging to the famous serial killer case,” said Dave Pontious.

But shortly afterward, Dave recalled a phone conversation in which Drew said it was time for a career change and, “I’m ready to try something different.”

This is how his career as a firefighter began.

According to Fire Chief Marrone, he was trained at Firehouse 16 by Dave and his crew. He was told to work hard and keep his mouth shut, but this proved difficult after eating pasta with pine nut pesto with the crew, even though he is allergic to nuts.

“Andy ate it and sat there calmly, without complaining, until he finally had to tell his captain he was having trouble breathing and had to go to the hospital,” Marrone said. “He’s a tough guy.”

Dave Pontious recalled that while helping a stabbing victim during a conversation, he asked his younger brother, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, yes, I’m right,” Andrew replied, and his brother replied:

Andrew Pontious “was the epitome of a true public servant throughout his career,” Marrone said, describing the late firefighter as caring, selfless, courageous and highly respected.

But he was also a romantic, Marrone said, adding that Andrew Pontious proposed to his wife during a fishing trip, surprising her with an engagement ring on the end of a fishing line.

“It was easy for Andy to prioritize the people he loved,” said Nino Vanillo, a retired firefighter who worked at the station where Andrew Pontious started his career.