Barstow firefighter, first responders to be honored during Blue Mass
The Diocese of San Bernardino will honor a fallen Barstow firefighter and other first responders during a Blue Mass on Wednesday.
Fallen Barstow Fire Department Engineer David Allen Spink will be honored during the annual Blue Mass scheduled at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Christ the Redeemer Church at 12745 Oriole Avenue in Grand Terrace. The mass is part of the diocese’s two-decade tradition of honoring police, firefighters, and other public safety professionals.
All San Bernardino and Riverside counties first responders are invited to attend.
“I always look forward to this opportunity to say thank you to those who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Bishop Alberto Rojas said.
Some hallmarks of the Blue Mass include the posting of the colors, the blessing of the badges and the ringing of the Last Alarm, a tribute to those public safety members killed in the line of duty during the past years.
During the mass, the Chief Patrick Crowe Public Safety Award will be given to a public safety member who exhibits exceptional service to the community, department, or church in some way.
This year, the awardee is Gloria Huerta, a current public information officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Over the last 24 years, Huerta has served the department in several community relations roles. She is also the English language Confirmation Coordinator at her parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Bernardino.
Barstow Engineer David Allen Spink
Surrounded by loved ones, Spink, 33, died on Jan. 9, 2022, at Loma Linda University Hospital. He was critically injured on Dec. 5, while responding to a collision on Interstate 15 in Barstow.
At the scene, Spink was treating patients off the roadway when "a fast-moving vehicle" on the freeway struck him, Fire Capt. Travis Espinoza said. Spink was airlifted to the hospital and was in critical condition. Spink later underwent emergency surgery.
Funeral services were held on Jan. 22, 2022, at the Performing Arts Center at Barstow Community College. Interment took place at a family plot at Rexburg Cemetery in Rexburg, Idaho.
Other mass honorees
Retired Rialto Fire Battalion Chief Michael Peel, who died in January 2022 after battling pancreatic cancer. Peel also worked at Serrano High School in Phelan where he taught fire courses.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Taylor, 51, who died in February 2022 after complications caused by a work-related illness.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, who was shot and killed in December 2022.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputy David Calhoun, 30, who was shot and killed in January 2023.
History
The Blue Mass began in 1934, when Rev. Thomas Dade, a priest from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, initiated the Catholic Police and Fireman’s Society while assigned to St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington D.C.
On Sept. 29, 1934, about 1,100 police officers and firemen, dressed in blue uniforms, celebrated the first Blue Mass in St. Patrick Catholic Church.
Bishop Gerald Barnes brought the northeastern U.S. tradition to the Diocese of San Bernardino in 2002. Each year, the mass alternates between San Bernardino and Riverside counties, which comprise the diocese.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Barstow firefighter, first responders to be honored during Blue Mass
