On Wednesday, August 28, 2019, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) hosted a plaque dedication ceremony in Acton Park for Fire Captain Tedmund “Ted” Hall and Fire Fighter Specialist (FFS) Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones who tragically lost their lives on August 30, 2009, during the destructive Station Fire.
“Ted was truly dedicated to the Department and Arnie was a joy to be around. They did everything to protect Camp 16, their brothers and sisters – and paid the ultimate price. We will never forget,” said Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby.
Captain Hall and FFS Quinones were assisting with fire suppression when their vehicle tumbled 800 feet down a canyon in Mount Gleason outside Palmdale. The Station Fire burned for over a month and scorched more than 160,000 acres.
The plaque dedication ceremony included special messages from members of the Hall and Quinones families who were in attendance. Captain Hall’s son, Randall, mentioned how thankful he and his family were, knowing the Department still cares about his father. FFS Quinones’ brother, Ozzie, also expressed his appreciation for the Department and is grateful whenever he spots a rig or Camp 16 sticker with his brother’s name on it.
At the time of their deaths, Captain Hall was 47 years old with 26 years of dedicated service, and FFS Quinones was 35 years old with eight years of dedicated service.
