Captain Milo Bustillos Firefighter
of the Year, retirement announced

It was a bittersweet moment for the Santa Paula Firefighters Association and Captain Milo Bustillos when he was honored as the SPFD Firefighter of the Year, an announcement that came on the heels of a statement that he had retired after he suffered injuries in a chemical explosion that had occurred just over a year ago.

“This year had to be one of the toughest,” Fire Chief Rick Araiza told the crowd at the December 17 dinner. “We are just surviving…we had to adapt to injuries and the loss of our firefighters,” three in all that were injured resulting from the November 18, 2014 Santa Clara Waste Water-Green Compass chemical explosion and fires, “and personnel changes.”

Araiza said the SCWW incident also heightened concerns about firefighting, when now “You come to work and just wonder if you’re going to be safe,” if called out for such incidents where firefighters were repeatedly assured by SCWW workers that there was no danger.

Araiza said the previous day had been a “tough call” with Bustillos retirement and discussing the details of same. 

“Milo,” he noted, “is the epitome of what we do everyday, a captain of all captains. And the situation would have been different if people had just told the truth…

“Milo,” he noted, “is tThe other two SPFD personnel injured in the incident, Engineer Matt Lindsey and Firefighter Matt May said Araiza, also share in the good wishes and admiration extended to Bustillos, a 27-year veteran of the SPFD.

Bustillos, who was accompanied by his family, started his career with the SPFD as a paid-call volunteer and was one of the first hired by the department in 1995, when full-time engine companies were established. 

A city native, Bustillos rose through the firefighter ranks to become a captain as well as a popular community member and respected representative of the SPFD known for his dedication to duty and good nature.