What Does Colton Have in Common with Bisbee AZ?

To pay homage to his family’s legacy and its roots in fire service, last week Leonard Temby set out on his journey to Bisbee, AZ, to donate a gift—a one-ton gift, that is. Using money from a family trust, Temby and family members purchased a 2012 Dodge pickup truck and attached a 300 gallon water tank and 500 feet of fire hose to the vehicle to create a Quick Attack Pumper they donated to the fire department in the City of Bisbee, a mining town in Cochise County, AZ, in the southeast corner of the state and close to the international border with Mexico. Equipped with rescue and firefighting capabilities, Quick Attack Pumpers help firefighters extinguish grass, small building and car fires, shared Temby, a retired Redlands fire marshal, who served 16 years of his total 22 with the department in the position. Emigrating to Bisbee from Cornwall, England in 1888, the family went further west in the 1920s, settling in Colton, Calif. For their family’s impact on the small town of Bisbee, they are honored with a street named after them, shared Temb, who said the gift is about paying homage to the legacy of his father, his family, and their roots. “This is in honor of our family. Bisbee is where our roots are from,” said Temby. Temby’s father, Leonard Edgar “Ed” Temby, was a World War II Army veteran who continued to serve his country through the Colton Fire Department, where he worked as a captain for 10 years and as a fire chief for 22 years, during which time he served as president of the California Fire Chiefs’ Association (1967–1968). Ed Temby also served the City of Colton on the City Council from 1978 to 1980, and created and oversaw the fire technology program at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), a program which later expanded to Crafton Hills College. Ed Temby passed away Dec. 4, 2012 at the age of 90. According to his son, Leonard, his father left a trust fund for his family and said, “do something with it that will be meaningful to someone,” Leonard Temby said. “My dad loved education and he loved serving his fellow man. I thought: What would be a better way to make a tribute to his honor, courage and pride than to continue honoring his memory and continue to serve a deserving community?” said Temby. With three generations of family members in fire service—Leonard’s father, himself, his stepson, Scott Vouch, and his nephew, Chris Barden—the Temby family chose to donate the Quick Attack Pumper to the City of Bisbee in honor of the Temby family’s history in the city and to give back to fellow fire service members. “The [Quick Attack Pumper] will be just another tool in the [fire] department’s toolbox,” said Temby, who donated the equipment last week to the department, joined by Bisbee residents and City leaders including Mayor Adriana Badal, City Manager Stephen J. Pauken and Fire Chief Jack Earnest. Typically, the department relies on funds from grants to purchase large equipment, making Temby’s donation quite a surprise, according to Earnest. “I was flattered by [Leonard] calling us to donate,” said Earnest, who noted that in his 36 years working with the fire department, he has never seen a donation of this caliber. “We’re a small community and we do the best with what we have, but we’re at a loss for words, we don’t know what to say. Not only did we receive a new truck, but we acquired a new friendship with a very sincere person. He could’ve done anything with that money, but his intent was to do something for our fire station,” he finished. Aptly enough, the Quick Attack Pumper was used to put out a house fire after the Bisbee Fire Department received a call approximately 10 minutes after Temby presented the truck, shared Earnest. “I’ve been in local government for 29 years and I’ve never seen anything like this from a private citizen,” said Bisbee City Manager Pauken. “This is totally unique. We do have one less well-furnished brush fire truck, but the one donated is fully equipped with technology we didn’t have. This definitely improves our response times and improves the overall fire protection for the entire community, giving us the ability to respond to fires in areas traditional firefighting equipment has difficulty reaching.” “My dad paid it forward in a lot of ways with his fire service, not just as Chief, but through his efforts and contacts,” said Temby. “This is a son paying tribute to his father’s legacy through community service.” To recognize Temby for his contribution, the City of Bisbee and the Fire Department treated him to an appreciation dinner, where he was named an honorary member of the Bisbee Fire Department, received a recognition badge, a symbolic key to the city, and the original city street sign that bears his family’s name.