He's More Than a Mascot

Los Angeles Daily News

Dennis McCarthy
Columnist

Monday, February 17, 2003 - He calls himself the mascot of Los Angeles Fire Station 70, but Jeffrey Ewing is more than that -- a lot more, say the firefighters who work there.

He's their friend -- and their inspiration. A kid from the neighborhood who showed up one day nearly 20 years ago and has been coming by every weekday morning ever since to do odd jobs around the Chatsworth firehouse.

So when Ewing walked into Station 70 a couple of weeks ago, crying, the firefighters quickly gathered around him to find out what was wrong.

"Somebody stole my bike," said the 35-year-old man, who suffers from Williams Syndrome.

Williams Syndrome is a rare congenital disorder characterized by physical and development problems, including elfin-like facial features, heart and blood vessel problems, and low IQs. Jeffrey's IQ is 75, says his legal guardian, Bob Francis.

"Since Jeff saw his first firetruck as a little boy, he's always wanted to be a fireman, but obviously that wasn't going to be possible," Francis said.

Maybe not officially, but the firefighters of Station 70 were going to make sure the neighborhood kid was going to get as close to the job as possible.

"He shines the trucks, empties the trash, instructs the rookies on things to do, and has established himself as part of our team," said Capt. Art Perez.

"He calls himself our fire station mascot, but he's really more our inspiration. When he first came here he couldn't remember anyone's name, now he knows everyone and all about their lives.

"Jeffrey's become as much a fireman as any of us."

So much so that when he misses a day or two, the phone starts ringing in his Chatsworth home.

"The guys will call me to find out why Jeff hasn't shown up, asking if he's OK," Francis said. "They worry about him, and that means a lot to Jeff, to have this home away from home, and sense of belonging."

So when Jeff showed up a few weeks ago crying, Perez and his crew knew what they had to do.

A couple of the guys drove over to the Wal-Mart store in Porter Ranch. They were looking at the bikes on display when manager Lanikai Abbott walked up and asked who they were shopping for.

When Perez told her about Jeffrey and what he meant to Station 70, Abbott told the firefighters to put away their money, the bike was on the house.

"I told them it's easy for us to support them but to have them go out of their way to support Jeffrey like this, well, that's something very touching and special," Abbott said.

Jeffrey cried again when they gave him the bike last week, Perez said.

"He was overwhelmed, as emotional as the day he came in and told us he had lost it," the fire captain said.

The kid who was robbed of his dream because of a congenital disorder walked around the station house and, one by one, gave everybody a hug.

"They're my buddies, and I wanted to say thank you," Jeffrey said.

There was one other person he had to thank, Perez told him. Last Friday, Jeff and his new bike sat on top of one of those shiny firetrucks for the ride over to Porter Ranch to see Lanikai Abbott.

"He gave me this big hug and told me I was his favorite," she said. "I got so choked up. It was very emotional."

A few minutes later, the kid who wanted to be a fireman climbed back on that firetruck with his buddies from Station 70, and waved goodbye to her.

Grinning ear to ear.