Ten days out from the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, two drivers in town for the race swapped helmets today with two Long Beach firefighters who helped at the scenes of the Eaton and Palisades fires that tore through parts of Los Angeles earlier this year.
It was a show of solidarity and appreciation organized by the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach outside Downton’s Fire Station 1.
LBFD Captain Brian Sher handed over a custom fire helmet to WeatherTech Sportscar Championship driver Colin Braun, who in turn gave a custom race helmet to Sher.
Sher has served with LBFD for 29 years, including 12 years with the Urban Search and Rescue team.
He spent four days at the Eaton fire and a week at the Palisades fire searching the fire areas for specific hazards and mapping the fire areas for hazardous waste identification and cleanup.
LBFD Engineer Tyler Vanderstelt, who has driven a fire engine for the past three years, exchanged helmets with Colton Herta, who won the 2021 Long Beach race and finished in third place during last year’s NTT Indycar Series race.
Vanderstelt spent 11 days driving an engine at the Eaton fire.
After the ceremony, Vanderstelt took both drivers for a spin in the Long Beach fire engine he drives.
Sher said he plans to display the racing helmet on a shelf in his home.
The 50th edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is set to take place April 11-13.
Editor’s note: the last two photo captions have been updated to correct the driver’s name.