Captain I – Fire Station 8
Deceased:
01/31/2021
Appointed:
02/09/1963
Pensioned:
05/30/2006 – FS8
Details about the memorial service
Donations:
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, PLEASE SEND DONATIONS TO:
Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firefighter’s Fund
PO BOX 41903
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Roger was a great guy to work with.
Thank you!
I met Roger when I promoted to Engineer in 1986 and was assigned to Fire Station 76, where he was the Captain and his two firefighters were the legendary, Ed Chilson and Bob Wilson. Roger was affectionally known as, “Mr Wet Water Proportioner.” He and Russ McMinnamon, had developed the, “Wet Water Proportioner,” in the basement at Fire Station 20, years earlier. Roger was a farm boy from the Midwest and was a kind and gentle man, he was also the most mechanically inclined person I have ever met on the LAFD. I have vivid memories at Fire Station 76 and also when I was his Battalion Chief in Battalion 15, of members bringing pieces and parts of motorcycle engines in milk creates to the fire station, for Roger to reassemble because the member could not put the engine back together after having taken the engine apart. This was before the internet and there was no manual to be found. Roger would work on those engines, with a cigarette in his mouth, with the longest amount of ash, still attached to the cigarette, having the time of his life. He always got those engines running again. Roger was truly a wonderful man. RIP, my friend, Tom Ottman
Thank you for your most kind and endearing words. A true picture of Roger! Our hearts are heavy, but we know someday we will meet again.
Sincerely, The Fiala family
Roger & I worked together in 1978 @ 20’s, he was a Country Boy Engineer, and came up with ( invented) the Wet Water Proportioners for Overhauls on every LF Pump. Very Smart inventor & a Gentleman, one of the downfalls of retiring is losing touch with SO MANY we worked with, Friends & Teachers…Rest now my Friend in Peace!!!
Thank You.
What a great and talented guy. Worked with him in B5 and B15; he could fix anything, kind of stuff you admire in a Firefighter. Rest in Peace Roger
Thank you!
I didn’t know him on the job but I met Roger at the retired guys breakfast club in Tehachapi a few years ago. He was wheelchair bound battling back from grave health issues. He was excited to share time with old friends and happy to meet new ones. He never let his condition hold him back from living and progress from bed to wheelchair to walker and beyond. He amazed all of us one day when he walked away from the breakfast table holding his walker over his head with a big smile on his face. With that kind of grit I’m sure he was great around the firehouse. I only wish I could have spent time in the tool room or around the kitchen table with him. It is his kind that made LAFD great. The pain is over, Rest In Peace. My condolences to his family.
Thank you! Roger loved meeting with the breakfast club. He did work so very hard progressing from a wheelchair to a walker. It does not surprise me he would hold the walker up. Thank you for sharing that. Cindy Fiala
I was blessed to work alongside Roger in the 90’s – may perpetual light always shine upon him and the Fiala family.
Thank you!
Roger was the Captain I always enjoyed working around. I loved his country boy stories, he was always calm, and competent. The man could fix anything and with a grin.
Years into his retirement I enjoyed our breakfast club in Tehachapi. Roger always had a smile and was eager to share stories. Roger was a fighter and fought to his end. RIP Roger.
God Bless Roger and his family. It was an honor to know him.
Thank you for your kind words. He loved meeting with the breakfast club. Cindy Fiala
I worked with Roger aka “The Master Mechanic” at 90’s when he was a Captain. To say that he could fix anything was an under statement. He could bring in a automatic transmission and completely rebuild it between the daily routine. If you had a car problem all you had to do is wait for him to walk by and say “Hey Roger what do you think ?”…Cigarette ash hanging and one eye closed due to the smoke and the attached coffee cup was the norm while his wheels were turning. There’s even a story when he acquired a tractor that only made right hand turns he drove it across the desert making right hand circles until he could get it home. It took a while but he made it. He was one of the better story tellers around the kitchen table. Roger had that classic Fireman look while at an incident, helmet slightly cocked to the right, radio in hand and saying everybody’s talking to me they all say ROGER…R.I.P.
Thank you for sharing your kind words. YES, he could fix anything, even if it meant making a new part. Your tractor story is hilarious and so like him.
Thanks for remembering him, Cindy