LB Police and Fire Chiefs Receive the Spirit of St. Mary Award

On Dec. 9, Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish and Chief Xavier Espino for the Long Beach Fire Department were honored with the Spirit of St. Mary award.

“When we call for help, you come,” said Carolyn Caldwell, president/CEO of Dignity Health - St. Mary Medical Center. “You make Long Beach a better and safe place to live, work and play!”

With that, Ms. Caldwell made the first-ever presentations of the Spirit of St. Mary Award.

More than 200 people attended the award ceremony at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach.

Chief Hebeish and Chief Espino spoke with emotion as each accepted the award. Both expressed gratitude for their departments’ long-standing relationships with St. Mary Medical Center.

“When our uniformed officers are injured, you are the ones who treat them,” said LBPD Chief Hebeish. “We honor the quality of the care they receive and the great compassion with which that care is administered.”

St. Mary chief philanthropy officer, Michael Neils, introduced the Spirit of St. Mary Award to the audience and explained its significance.

“Every human person is a unity of body, mind and spirit. This means that every person has the

Long Beach Fire Department Chief Xavier Espino, left, and Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish, right, receive the Spirit of St. Mary award from Carolyn Caldwell, president/CEO of Dignity Health - St. Mary Medical Center. Photo courtesy of Dignity Health - St. Mary Medical Center power and potential to bring healing to others.” founded on March 16, 1897. It is served

The Long Beach Police Department was by 405 professional firefighters; 25 marine founded Jan. 30, 1888. It has 823 sworn officers safety officers; and 283 civilian employees, and a total staff of 1,200. The department daily including ambulance operators and lifeguards. responds to approximately 590 calls for service, From 23 fire stations, the department responds or 214,000 annually. The fire department was to more than 5,000 calls (911) per month. to see the animals, these tides are important for scientists using low tides and high tides to predict what the future might look like when considering global changes such as sea level rise. Citizens can get involved in this documentation with the King Tide Project as well. The more photos that the group receives, the more data they have to help find flood risk areas, compare models with predictions, and serve as a living record for future generations. The next king tides are Jan. 21 and 22 of 2023. For more information on king tides and how to get involved go to https://www. coastal.ca.gov/kingtides/, and to see upcoming programs at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, go to https://www.cabrillomarineaquarium. org/.

Seth Meyer is a graduate of Long Beach State University’s marine biology program, with interests in science, photography, culinary arts and music.