The Long Beach Fire Department has a long & colorful history. Established as a volunteer “flying squad” in 1897, our “official” city firefighting capabilities began near the turn of the 20th century. If you are interested, the Long Beach Firefighter’s Museum (lbfdmuseum.org) is a treasure trove of amazing historic equipment, vehicles & photographs/documents, located on Peterson in the old Station 10 building. Station No.2 (3rd/Gaviota) has always been a favorite of mine, although our designated Station is No. 4 (The Dark Knights, with Batman as their mascot). As its mascot, No. 2 has “Zeep” the sheep grazing on the lawn outside their station, which regularly gets a “makeover”. Currently, he’s sporting his “Sheepish Santa” cap, jacket & boots.