They grew up together, traversed the same haunts and even followed the same career path.
In January, the five firefighter friends helped the Vacaville Fire Department make history. “This is the first time where there’s been five Vacavillians in this house,” explained Capt. Ryan Purnell of Station 71. “All five of us were born and raised in this town. And we all still live here.”
Firefighter/engineer Tad Samolis and firefighter/paramedics Darius Zarrabi, Jeremy Sirois and Matt Moreno round out the B shift team, stationed on Orchard Avenue.
It’s a unique first, advised Purnell, a second generation firefighter and the department’s Firefighter of the Year.