Community mourns death of High Desert fire service veteran Greg Coon 'Dog'

The death of 31-year fire service veteran Greg Coon has left family, friends and many in the firefighting community in mourning.

The 62-year-old Coon died at home on June 29. He was cremated in his uniform for “his love of the fire service," said Coon's former colleague and friend, retired Fire Captain Peter Lawson.

In October, Coon told his firefighting family that he had cancer and would be starting treatments.

A memorial service for Coon is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 26 at Sunset Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary at 24000 Waalew Road in Apple Valley.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the California Firefighters Memorial at cpf.org or The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation at firehero.org.

Coon’s legacy and passion

With the nickname "Coon Dog," Coon's fire service legacy includes serving as president of the Victorville Professional Firefighters Association, a long career as a hazardous materials specialist, and helping to establish the Victorville Fire Museum.

Until his retirement in 2016, Coon worked for the Victorville and San Bernardino County fire departments.

The VVFD was disbanded in 2008 when the City of Victorville contracted with SBC Fire for fire, rescue, and EMS services.

In March 2019, the City of Victorville completed its transition from contract fire services provided by SBC Fire to a city-run fire department.

Coon was also a part-time faculty member who taught fire technology at Victor Valley College.

Lawson told the Daily Press that in 1985, he and Coon were hired by the VVFD as paid call firefighters.

“I was hired as a firefighter and he was hired as an investigator,” Lawson said. “His passion turned to hazardous materials, and he was probably the most knowledgeable person I have ever met in that field.”

Coon’s passion for fire service and teaching was so strong that he started his own company, Firedog Training, where he instructed people in the private sector about fire safety, Lawson said.

Coon was also a California State Fire Instructor and taught firefighters all over the state. He also certified well over ​10,000 responders in various levels of Haz-Mat and confined space coursework.

“Greg was a great friend, and he knew so much and was always eager to share his knowledge and experiences,” Lawson said. “Myself and Battalion Chief Richard Campos accompanied him to Cabo San Lucas to teach them about hazardous materials.”

Former Fire Chief Rudy Cabriales was very active in the Bombero program, designed for American firefighters to train volunteer firefighters in Mexico, Lawson said.

Condolences

The Victorville Professional Firefighters, which represents members of the VVFD, took to social media on Thursday to express their sadness in hearing of the passing of Coon.

The VVPF said Coon will be greatly missed and that their thoughts go out to his wife, Marie, and their family.

City of Las Vegas firefighter Bill Caswell called Coon a “one-of-a-kind genuine person with a passion for his craft,” representing what the “brotherhood” is all about and truly cared about his fire family.

“He presented me with my dad's flag at the California Firefighters Memorial in 2009,” Caswell said. “He will be missed.

Captain Vance Caswell, who retired from the VVFD, passed away from cancer in August 2005.

“Greg Coon was my supervisor when I worked at the household hazardous waste center,” said Mark Crouch. “He was a great supervisor, I loved his work ethic. He was a well-educated man.”

Crouch was honored to detail Coon’s new truck that he recently purchased, adding that he made sure it was 110% to his satisfaction, he said.

The Barstow Fire Department said Coon was a lifelong member of the Hazardous Materials Response and mitigation team.

“Greg spent many years instructing Hazardous Materials courses throughout the nation,” Barstow Fire said. “He was always eager to pass on his knowledge, education and experience.”

Barstow Fire officials said they would like to send Coon’s immediate family, his Victorville fire family and his SBC Fire family their deepest condolences during this tragic time. “Rest in Heaven, sir!”

Coon’s work, his 9/11 experience

During a 2006 interview, Coon wept as he shared how the events of 9/11 inspired him to become a hazardous material specialist.

On the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Coon attended the national funerals in Washington, D.C., and remembered seeing a little girl holding a picture of a man, possibly her father.

“I’ll never forget looking into her eyes,” Coon said. “I just started crying.”

Coon turned his emotion into action and became a hazardous materials specialist for the VVFD. His interview for the position was conducted while he was in Alabama taking another class on weapons of mass destruction.

For years, Coon’s name and photo appeared frequently in the Daily Press, such as a story in 2004 when he trained a VVFD Haz-Mat crew to use the latest chemical agent detection equipment, funded through a grant by the U.S Department of Homeland Security.

“We have to be prepared for the incident and be prepared to respond when the incident occurs,” Coon told the Daily Press.

A Daily Press photo taken in 1998, shows Coon inspecting an abandoned home where bottles of urine, vials of blood and containers of used syringes were scattered.

In the summer of 2007, Coon and his crew were tasked with mopping up 200 gallons of hydraulic fuel that spilled on D Street from Fourth Street to beyond the Mojave Narrows bridge leading into Apple Valley.

Coon, who believed the fluid came from a semi-truck, said, “There’s no fire hazard and no health hazard. It’s more of a traffic hazard because it’s very slick.”

In 2012, Coon and his team Haz-Mat team responded to an ammonia leak at the Dr Pepper Snapple bottling plant at Southern California Logistics Airport

Roughly 100 workers were evacuated from the plant after an alarm indicated ammonia was leaking into the air. No one was injured and fire officials stopped the leak, according to Coon.

Victorville Fire Museum

“To me, Greg’s greatest accomplishment was spearheading the Victorville Fire Museum,” Lawson said. “He pretty much is responsible for collecting memorabilia from former members, getting donations from businesses and people in the community and putting together the history of the department from its establishment.”

Coon was also the founder and curator of the fire museum, which opened in 2000 to honor the history of the VVFD, which was established in 1926.

Coon led a team of Victorville firefighters in remodeling a vacant fire station into the museum, supported by a monetary donation from the late community leader, Doris Davies.

The site on Eight Street, just south of D Street in Old Town Victorville, houses two antique fire engines, historical equipment, protective gear, and an extensive collection of old photographs, documents, certificates, journals, and news stories.

With its mission to educate the public about the importance of fire safety through the history of the fire service, the museum appeals to fire historians, fire buffs, visiting firefighters, and the general public.

The museum also houses one of Victorville's original fire trucks, a 1930 Ahrens Fox. The truck is considered the finest fire truck of its era.

Coon's favorite museum piece was a 1940s-era photograph of an unknown class tour.

"It doesn't matter if it's the '30s, '40s, or even today," Coon said, as he pointed to the photo of children wearing fire hats while standing by a fire truck. "Kids love taking a trip to the fire station."

Firedog Training

Coon’s Firedog training offered fire service coursework via ZOOM and also in-person, hands-on instruction.

Some of the classes included cold storage Haz-Mat, which covered proper safety measures to keep a facility safe in the event of an ammonia release.

The 8-hour Haz-Mat first responder awareness class was designed to train fire prevention officers, safety inspectors and private industry responders to handle a hazardous substance release.

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: Greg Coon was a hazardous material specialist, who worked in Victorville