ORANGE : Firemen’s Chaplain Leads Busy Life at 79

In the glow of an early morning blaze and the red emergency lights of fire engines, Msgr. John Sammon silently mouthed a prayer for the firefighters at the scene.

It was a familiar rite for the 79-year-old clergyman who for 50 years has served as chaplain for dozens of fire and police agencies across Southern California. It is a role that has drawn him to hundreds of emergency scenes to offer encouragement and solace.

Dressed in his trademark white firefighter jacket and helmet, Sammon is a jolly man who seems much younger than his nearly eight decades.

“Usually, I just stand there out of the way until they’re done,” Sammon said. “It’s like when someone is there for you when they don’t need to be, just because they want to be there. They see me and they know I’m supporting them.”

“As long as I don’t have anything to do, they know everything’s fine,” Sammon said, smiling.

But while he may appear to be standing idle amid the furious activity at emergency sites, Sammon is a towering presence for many of the county’s firefighters.

Former Buena Park Fire Chief Sam Winner, who organized a tribute to Sammon last year, describes the priest as “invaluable” to the firefighter community.

“He’s always there to listen, and he’s always there to visit hospitalized firemen,” Winner said. “He seems to be everywhere at once.”

Sammon is chaplain to 18 Orange County fire departments, the state firefighter association, five county law enforcement agencies, the area Boy Scouts and Knights of Columbus, and more community and church groups than he cares to list.

His cramped office at the Diocese of Orange in Orange reflects his hectic schedule. Not only are the spacious walls cluttered with plaques, awards and photos, a large table has been set up to accommodate the overflow.

The room is littered with stuffed Snoopy dolls and fire memorabilia, including a mounted ax and a fire hydrant.

But the most telling item in his office is the scratchy police radio that alerts Sammon to emergencies. Another radio is mounted under the dash of his aging maroon Buick emblazoned with a cross and the words “Fire Service Chaplain” on the doors. He keeps a third radio at his home.

“I never know when they’ll need me so I have to pay attention,” he said.

His tireless dedication has taken him to countless fires, bringing him face to face with tragedy.

Over the years, he has administered last rites to victims and emergency personnel alike--sometimes in hospitals, other times on sidewalks.

“I always try to forget a lot of the bad things and focus on the good work done,” he said. “But sometimes that’s difficult.”

Some of his most nagging memories include a case in which a shaken Santa Ana firefighter discovered that a man he had pulled from an explosion was his brother. He also remembers the face of the youthful firefighter who died quietly in his sleep from a heart condition. Then there was the 1983 death of Fullerton Fire Capt. Gil Hund, who was killed when a car collided with his fire engine en route to a fire.

Fullerton Fire Chief Marc Martin remembers that Sammon played an invaluable role during the ordeal. “I can’t begin to tell you all the things he did because so many of them were personal, one-on-one things,” Martin said. “He has an amazing effect on the firefighters and he provides a great atmosphere of support.”