Scholarship created to honor firefighter

Deepa Bharath

In July, retired Newport Beach Fire Capt. Alan Schmehl went to a

retreat in Pinecrest.

He loved to take that weekend off every year to spend time with

members of his church’s Men’s Ministry. Not only did he go to the

retreat, which cost about a $100 per person, but he even voluntarily

sponsored others who wanted to participate but couldn’t afford it.

On Aug. 27, barely a month after this year’s retreat at Pinecrest,

52-year-old Schmehl died after a long battle with brain cancer. The

New Harvest Community Church in Irvine, where Schmehl and his family

have been going for the last seven years, has established a

scholarship fund in his memory that will continue to provide such

sponsorships for the annual retreat.

“We even have pictures of Al from the recent retreat,” said

Stephanie Keenan, an office administrator at the church.

Keenan, who has known Schmehl for the last six years, said he

“always had a smile on his face.”

“He was a very happy man,” she said. “And he loved to help

people.”

Schmehl was diagnosed with the cancer in 1995 after he collapsed

on the job. His cancer was the result of continuous exposure to toxic

substances on the job. He was also one of the firefighters who

responded to the 1987 chemical blaze at Hixson Metal Plating Inc.,

which is believed to have taken the lives of Newport Beach Police

Sgt. Steven Van Horn and Newport Beach firefighter Larry Parrish, who

were the first to arrive on scene. Van Horn died of leukemia 10 years

after the fire. He was 48.

After his diagnosis and brain surgery in 1996, Schmehl returned to

work in a staff position and retired in March after 29 years of

serving the department. He was named Firefighter of the Year in 1996.

He was also responsible for establishing the department’s Hazardous

Materials Response Team in 1986.

Keenan said the scholarship fund was the brainchild of Schmehl’s

wife, Judy.

“He was very active in the church,” she said. “Especially with the

Men’s Ministry.”

Schmehl also accompanied church members on two mission trips to

Guatemala, in 1998 and 2000, Keenan said.

A memorial service for Schmehl is scheduled for 10 a.m. on

Saturday at Mariners Church in Irvine. Donations to the Alan Schmehl

Memorial Scholarship Fund can be sent to New Harvest Community

Church, 4790 Irvine Blvd. Suite 203, Irvine, CA 92620. For more

information, call (714) 508-0880.