By:Elizabeth Sagarin
Oceanside firefighters salute the casket of Louis L. Hiland as it passes by the main firehouse. An empty uniform rests on the sidewalk symbolizing a fallen comrade.
Firefighter Louis L. Hiland served community for half century
The flag at the Oceanside fire department flies at half mast to honor ex-Chief and long-time firefighter Louis L. Hiland, who died early on the morning of March 5. He was 85.
A firefighter's funeral procession passed headquarters late Friday morning while members of the department stood on the sidewalk. A large American flag attached to an arch made from the cranes of two fire trucks blew overhead. As Hose Company One's truck carried Hiland's casket underneath the flag, firefighters from Oceanside and Baldwin saluted.
Hiland joined Hose Company One in 1943 while working for Sun Oil in Oceanside and continued to serve in many capacities until about three years ago when complications resulting from emphysema arose. But once you're in, you never leave, ex-Chief Jim Garvey said. He still came around on the weekends up until the end.
Two years after volunteering, he was elected to second lieutenant. A year later, he served as first lieutenant for two years. In 1948 he was elected to chief, a position he held for two years. You work eight days a week when you're a chief, said Robert Jacoby, who served as chief in 1965.
Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, Hiland wore his uniform well, said Jacoby, who came to know Hiland in the early
