Jonathan Dell was recently honored by the California State Assembly for his volunteer work as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. Photo by Scott Janes

Artisan honored by State Assembly

By Bill Bartkus
NAVAIR Depot North Island

CORONADO, Calif. – The California State Assembly recently honored NAVAIR Depot North Island artisan Jonathan Dell. State Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia (80th District) gave Dell a recognition certificate during the Burn Institute Fire Ball in Holtville for his outstanding dedication to the safety of Imperial Valley residents. He works for Aircraft Services in the plastic media blasting and corrosion control and preservation production team center.

Dell is a volunteer firefighter serving a 500 square mile area of the Imperial Valley on East I-8. For three weekends each month, he leaves his job at the Depot on Friday, drives straight to the fire station in Ocotillo and stays there until he drives back to the Depot on Monday mornings. “On those weekends, I don’t go home,” Dell said. “My parents and daughter don’t see me; however, they support me in my volunteer work.”

Dell has been a volunteer firefighter for four years. He’s also a certified emergency medical technician, a high angle rope rescue technician, and he’s been trained for pre-hospital trauma life support and helicopter operations.

“I first became involved in volunteer work when a friend asked me to work in medical rescue for desert races, mostly motorcycles and some dune buggies,” said Dell, who estimates that he has been involved in 400 to 500 emergency calls in the four years that he has been a volunteer.

“This has been the best ‘hobby’ that I have ever had,” said Dell, a captain on a fire engine. “I perform everything that a regular fire fighter does from recovering bodies to rescuing cats out of trees and off roofs.” He even helped North Island’s federal firefighters rescue a cat from a storm drain on the naval air station. “A Depot employee took the cat to the vet where the animal received all of his shots, and then took the feral animal home in the hopes that the cat would become a pet,” he said. “Unfortunately, as soon as the man opened a door to his house, the animal ran out and hasn’t been seen since.”

Dell said that he has received several accolades from his local community, “but, the award from the State Assembly came as a complete surprise.”

Dell has been employed at the Depot for 25 years and started working here as a sheet metal helper on F-4s. He has been with Aircraft Services for 18 years.

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