Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Captain Buz Strothers is preparing to retire after 30 years with the Saratoga Fire District.

Captain Buz Strothers plans to retire after 30-year career

By Sarah Lombardo

The firefighters at the Saratoga Fire District carry Captain Buz Strothers on their shoulders. Well, his design, at least.

Strothers designed the patch that graces the shoulders of the firefighters' uniforms. The hills and oak trees and stream--they were his idea.

And Strothers also had a hand in creating the signs on the outside of the station house when he and a number of other fire officials visited a manufacturing plant and actually cut the signs themselves out of sheet metal.

"We've kind of taken this department over 30 years and built it from scratch," said Chief Ernie Kraule, who has worked with Strothers for about 28 years. "And he was one of those first ones who was very instrumental in doing that."

And now, Clarence "Buz" Strothers is retiring. On April 27--30 years and 12 days after he started--Strothers is scheduled to work his last shift.

"I started chasing fires when I was about 9 years old," the Los Gatos resident said. When he got a job working at Los Gatos volunteer firefighter Louis Sporleder's Shell station, Strothers said he began to get interested in joining himself. And he did in 1965, becoming a volunteer in Los Gatos.

In 1968, Strothers became a full-timer with the Saratoga Fire Protection District. At that time, most of the force was made up of volunteers, firefighters worked 80-hour shifts and the engine had an open-cab design.

Now, he points out, it's tough to break into the field, firefighters work 56-hour shifts and the equipment is high-tech.

Over the years, Strothers has moved up through the ranks as engineer, fire captain, shift commander, training officer, fire marshal and senior fire officer. With five pages of credentials, accreditations, certifications, education and commendations on his résumé, Strothers has had as much of an impact on the station as his patch has had on the uniform. Firefighters trained by Strothers dot the map from all over California to as far away as his own native state of Pennsylvania.

"He's been an integral part of the department's growth," Kraule said.

Strothers was involved in developing training programs, mutual aid programs, a rules and regulations manual and inspection programs, to name a few. He was also instrumental in the push for early-warning alarm systems for Saratoga homes, which include alarms that electronically notify the station the instant fire is detected and, in some cases, are wired to residential sprinkler systems.

"Our department was one of the first to implement that system," he said.

Strothers will remain on the reserve staff of the department, Kraule said, and will participate in special assignments and training programs.

But he will be leaving his position. "It's time for someone younger to take over," the 53-year-old said.

But he is noticeably emotional about his retirement, which officially takes effect in June. "I'm kind of ready to leave, but I'm not, you know?" he said. "I've had opportunities to go to bigger departments over the years, but I chose to stay here."

After 30 years, what will he miss most about the department?

"Probably the fellowship. Being a fireman, it's like a fraternal organization. It's like your second family." he said. "It's not bonding, but it's deeper than that. At least that's how it's been for me."

And what will he do when he retires?

"I'm going to finish my house for my wife," the father of four daughters said.

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