Stockton Fire Captain Max Fortuna remembered 4 years after killed while working structure fire
For Stockton firefighters, they are more than just co-workers; they are family. Their union has stepped up to the plate to help Stockton Fire Captain Vidal 'Max' Fortuna's family out during trying, tragic times.
"He is so much missed, but mainly, he set the bar," Mario Gardea, former Stockton Professional Firefighters Local 456 union president and current San Joaquin County supervisor of District 1, said.
It was four years ago, on Jan. 31, 2022, when Fortuna was shot and killed on a working structure fire.
"Honestly, I still don't sleep with my phone next to my bed because it reminds me of the day that he passed," Gardea said. "So, I currently, I live in a two-story. I leave [my phone] downstairs because I don't want to be reminded of what happened that day. It's crazy, it's been four years. I feel like I just worked with him last week. What makes Max special is he is a definition of legacy."
Gardea used to drive the truck Fire Engine Station #2 truck that Fortuna was captain of. Gardea said the veterans remind the new guys who didn't work with Max "what made him legendary", which included him working three hours of overhaul in 110-degree weather, not complaining, cracking jokes, and loving and serving the community.
"I think it comes down to this — I'm a father — if that was my son, I would want my kid to grow up like Max," Gardea said. "And as a new firefighter, if they can at least get up to the level that he was or close to the level he was, they're going to be not only great firefighters but they're going to be great men, good fathers, just a good person, a good person in the community. So, it's tough. It doesn't get easier. He is a person that you would put under legacy as a definition."
The Local 456 union has been stepping up to help Max's mother, Rosalinda, a cancer survivor, including partnering with Golden Gate Ornamental Ironwork to help design and install a custom handrail for her last week, so she can walk up and down the stairs to her front door. The Stockton Firefighters Relief Association helped fund this gift to Rosalinda.
"We've been there for his mother since Max's passing, especially in Local 456," Matt Knierim, Stockton Fire deputy chief of operations, said. "Anytime that they something or support from the department, the members of Local 456 are there for his family, specifically his mother."
Chief Knierim, similar to Gardea, remembers most about Max's work ethic, with a great heart, a great sense of humor, and was always up to the challenge with a positive attitude.
"He was a prankster, a man of faith, but a prankster and cracked jokes," Gardea said. "But when it came time to work, man, he worked his butt off and he was just such a great team player."
A team player who Gardea told CBS Sacramento also loved sports, that he was a big San Francisco Giants fan and played on the softball team. Gardea remembers playing soccer with him in a match against the Stockton Police.
This month, Gardea says Inspiration Park will be dedicated to Max and Stockton police officer Jimmy Inn, who was lost in the line of duty.
