An Agua Dulce woman who lost her home in the Sand Fire, then saw a wall of mud and debris overrun her property, wanted to express gratitude to the Los Angeles County officials Friday.

Michelle Goertz’ property on Soledad Canyon Road was featured on a variety of newscasts famously deluged by mud after the Sand Fire burned much of her property, which would accurately be described as about as hillside-adjacent as can be.

Goertz shared the letter she wrote with Hometownstation.com on Friday, because it was Firefighter Specialist and Fire Camp Foreman Jason Toshack’s last day with Acton Conservation Camp 11, a facility down the road from her home. Toshack, 45, a Valencia resident, is being promoted to captain for Fire Station 63 in Battalion 4, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.  

Goertz used the phrase “above and beyond” numerous times to describe all the help she received from county officials, including the fire camp and those who helped in the Sand Fire aftermath.

It was also right before the KHTS Home and Garden Show this weekend, which is also welcoming dozens of first-responders to Central Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Click here for photos from the Home and Garden show setup Friday. 

Toshack credited crew members, Captain Rankin, and the other camp foremen: Brian Byrne, Pat Fearon, Joey Galbreath and Jason Siemen, who shared in the work at the remote canyon property.

Her letter begins with a “profound” thank you:
“Please allow me the opportunity of expressing my profound gratitude and to say “Thank You” to everyone at Fire Camp 11 who has helped out my family in our recent times of crisis, first during the recent Sand Fire in July, for the second time after the Sand Fire Flash Flooding that came through with the first big rainstorm in December, as well as a third time when our heroes came to dig out our house from under almost 2 feet of mud and debris after the last big rainstorm created a mudslide that came roaring down a burned hillside and buried our house, also in December 2016.”

Toshack and co. first developed a friendship with Goertz after she contacted them regarding a pair of oak trees that had fallen near her property. At about 4 feet wide and 40 feet long, by Toshack’s estimation, it represented a hazard during the rains, which could potentially have created a “floating dam.”

She contacted Camp 11 and they removed the trees as a community service, Toshack said.
The work was an opportunity for the camp in a number of ways, he said.

“With (our fire prevention work) is a lot of work projects to keep them in shape and keep them working when there aren’t fires,” he said, “so if something happens in the community and they need a lot of manpower… a lot of what we do is train them to work as a team, so when the tree issue came up we used it as an opportunity  to practice. And we got a lot of firewood for the winter.”

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the last time the Goertzes were in need of such help. After the trees were removed, the Sand Fire swept through the area, scorching much of their property.

And months later, it was the rains.

And then came the mud.

By the time all was said and done, there was about three feet of mud and debris covering the Goertzes’ yard, and another two feet at least, in the lower home on the property.

The Acton Fire Camp crew returned, using tools, shovels a backloader and manpower — all of the dirt was removed, and now the Goertzes rebuilding can begin, months later.

She remains ever grateful, and contacted Hometownstation.com because she felt the need to spread some good news, as well as her gratitude, in a time when there’s a lot of negativity in the news, she said.  

“And then I thought today, “If I don’t make the effort to be positive… with all the negative stories, people don’t always take the time to say, ‘Thank you,’ and to get the good stories out there.”

The camp’s crew of more than 70, comprised of Los Angeles County jail inmates who have to apply and qualify for the program, enjoyed the work, Toshack said, especially in comparison to their more menial tasks, which includes clearing roadways and potential fire hazards from far flung public properties where a fire risk is present.

“It’s one of those projects where it’s one of those community-service type thing,” Toshack said. “Basically, somebody had their whole life upside-down and we were able to help them recover.”

Here’s the entire letter Goertz wrote:

Dear Sir:

Please allow me the opportunity of expressing my profound gratitude and to say “Thank You” to everyone at Fire Camp 11 who has helped out my family in our recent times of crisis, first during the recent Sand Fire in July, for the second time after the Sand Fire Flash Flooding that came through with the first big rainstorm in December, as well as a third time when our heroes came to dig out our house from under almost 2 feet of mud and debris after the last big rainstorm created a mudslide that came roaring down a burned hillside and buried our house, also in December 2016.

I realize this is “all in a day’s work” in the profession of firefighting, however these acts truly rise above and beyond the usual call of duty and fall into a rare and special category. The job you do is incredibly important and mere words alone can scarcely begin to convey how valuable your work truly is.

I would like to specifically recognize Brian, Patrick and Jason for their invaluable assistance in all three of these cited instances. They are shining examples, driven by strong values and ethics, absolutely the finest representation of a firefighter that the County of Los Angeles Fire Department has to offer. All three of these men demonstrated the best characteristics that define the proverbial perfect firefighter: courage, a genuine caring attitude, common sense, decisiveness, empathy, the ability to work as a team, and a great sense of humor. Even with the current economic times where your budget is stretched beyond the point of breaking, you have managed to employ these indispensable firefighters. It is my most sincere hope that they receive the recognition for which they so richly deserve.

I realize that it is the nature of your business to not see the final results and fruits of your labor, and that many people do not take the time to thank you properly after you render assistance in their time of need. Kindly allow this humble letter to serve as a small token of our family’s heartfelt appreciation for all that Camp 11 has done and continues to do for our community.

Thank you again.

With most sincere thanks,

Michelle M. Goertz