A Cal Fire employee based in Riverside County is challenging a demotion for taking his hands off the steering wheel and flashing two thumbs up to a traffic-enforcement camera as his fire engine, with its emergency lights and siren on, sped through a red light at a Corona intersection. Patrick O’Donoghue appeared at a state personnel board hearing Monday and Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga, hoping to reverse his demotion from engineer to firefighter.