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Pleasanton North Rotary Club representatives including local artist Deb Covert contributed her original painting “The Firefighter” to Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department officials last month, a special presentation nearly four years in the making.
Described as “paying tribute to the men and women who fought some of the most destructive wildfires in Northern California history,” the painting depicts “the figure of a lone firefighter wearing a full brim helmet, protective bunker gear and holding an axe while appearing to emerge from the stripes of an American flag,” according to club officials.
“Covert completed the painting in the summer of 2020 during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her inspiration was the firefighters who fought the catastrophic 2018 Camp Fire (in Paradise),” club member Jim Brice said in a recent press release.
“The Firefighter” was originally set to be auctioned off at the club’s annual A Starry Night gala in October 2020 — during a time when LPFD crews were on hazardous duty for more than two months — but the fundraiser was ultimately converted to a virtual version because of the pandemic.
“The winning bid for the painting from (past club president) Tom Hall added to thousands of dollars raised that night for food, clothing and other essentials for fire victims and firefighters on the fire line,” Brice said. “However, donation plans were delayed for more than 3-1/2 years because of the lingering pandemic and more wildfires. Even the actual painting presentation this June was cut short when firefighters at the ceremony were called away for an emergency.”
Covert was joined by her husband and four children, along with fellow club members, the Hall family and LPFD officials, to hand off her painting at Fire Station 1 in Pleasanton on June 3. It will hang at the union hall of Livermore-Pleasanton Firefighters Local 1974, according to Brice.
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