Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 76 No. 38
INSIDE
This Week
www.glendalestar.com
‘I think I’m done’: Firefighters battle PTSD BY TOM SCANLON
Glendale Star Managing Editor
NEWS...............6 Former principal running for PUSD school board
NEWS............ 10 Peoria Unified prepares to reopen its classrooms
They save your homes. When a call comes in about a raging fire, they jump in the engine, race to the scene, blast water hoses into the flames and battle to keep a home from burning down. “That’s what we train for—that’s the exciting part of our job,” said Ashley Losch, of the Glendale Fire Department. But those are the rare calls. For the most part, firefighters are the last line of defense, fighting to keep people from crossing over from life to death. Glendale firefighters do CPR on infants pulled from pools, plug gushing gunshot wounds and cut teenagers out of car wrecks. “And then we’re holding their hand on the way to the hospital while they’re asking us not to let them die,” Losch said. For decades, the mentality in Glendale
Glendale City Council recently approved a developA few years ago, Ikea was all ment agreement for a masset to open a big operation near sive project at Cardinals Way State Farm Stadium. That fizand the Loop 101: Crystal zled out, leaving Glendale leadLagoons Island Resort. ers red-faced. Often stoic, the Glendale But isn’t Kevin Phelps glad City Council was giddy in Ikea tapped out now? green-lighting the project. “Absolutely,” said Phelps, “Our citizens are going to Glendale’s city manager. love this,” gushed Council“Sometimes, it’s really good man Jamie Aldama. you don’t get what you want— Others agreed with him because there’s something betwhen he said, “I don’t have ter out there for you.” Crystal Lagoons Island Resort is projected to bring a water park, amusement rides, to fly to Hawaii anymore.” Recently, Nike backed out restaurants, shops, office space and a hotel to Glendale, near State Farm Stadium. Councilwoman Joyce of a proposed deal for a huge (Photo courtesy Crystal Lagoons) Clark said she’s been biting manufacturing and distribution facility in place, Phelps and Glendale elected offi- her lips for the last year: “Mr. Phelps told Goodyear. While the West Valley waits cials are crowing about what took Ikea’s me about this project almost a year ago, to see if “something better” takes Nike’s planned location. SEE WATER PARK PAGE 4
Glendale Star Managing Editor
Glendale girl has been missing for one year
OPINION..................... 14 BUSINESS.................. 16 FEATURES.................. 18 RELIGION ................... 20 YOUTH........................ 22 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 24
warming to a new mentality: You can’t be a hero if you’ve got your own problems. Firefighters are being taught to fight for their own mental health. The Glendale Fire Department is one of the busiest fire departments in the state, with more than 44,000 calls per year—that’s about 120 calls each day. Many are routine—trash-can fires, twisted ankles and false alarms. Others are so traumatic as to land deep in the psyche, putting Firefighters in Glendale have a system in place to deal with the lin- firefighters at a greater risk for gering effects of traumatic calls they can face any day. Capt. Paul Mo- depression, post-trauamtic stress rales of the Glendale Fire Department’s Peer Support Team meets disorder (PTSD) and suicide. with Capt. Ashley Losch. (Photo courtesy Glendale Fire Department) A recent study found the numwas the same as at fire departments around ber of firefighters who died by suicide was the country: If you can’t take the tough greater than the number of firefighters who calls, go get an office job. died on the job. Recently, Glendale firefighters are SEE FIREFIGHTERS PAGE 3
Surf’s up as council approves splashy theme park BY TOM SCANLON
NEWS.............11
September 17, 2020