By FireRescue1 Staff
LOS ANGELES — At a busy Los Angeles fire station in Skid Row, a good Samaritan known by the nickname “Mango” has been helping clear a safe path for fire trucks and ambulances.
“What I do is I stop the traffic, so they can have enough time to get off the truck, secure themselves,” Mango told Spectrum News.
A video published by United Firefighters of Los Angeles City IAFF Local 112 earlier this year also shows Mango cleaning the streets and helping pack up equipment.
https://www.facebook.com/Local112/videos/355668655110836/
Mango lives across from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Station 9 and prefers to call himself “houseless” instead of homeless. He often wears an LAFD cap and a painted jacket that says, “Fire Traffic Ofc,” though he is not an official member of the department.
Firefighters said Mango brings positivity to the station.
“He’s super protective of us,” said Firefighter Alex Anthony. “He tries to figure out the call and he’s kind of like the middleman here for people in Skid Row.”
Mango said he moved to Los Angeles from Florida in 2016 and wanted to be of service.
“I just wanted to give a hand. As a spiritual person, I believe I’m led here to make a difference,” he said.