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100-plus people do ‘hero workout’ on anniversary of Long Beach Capt. David Rosa’s death

More than 100 people gathered at the beach along Bayshore Avenue, in Long Beach, Thursday, June 25, for a grueling workout honoring fire Capt. David Rosa on the second anniversary of his death.

Rosa’s family, friends and fellow firefighters participated in the “hero workout,” which included swimming — an activity Rosa loved.

Firefighter Nick Marantz organized the inaugural hero workout with input from Rosa’s wife, Linley. Besides honoring Rosa, the workout was meant to raise money for the L.A City firefighters burned in the Skid Row explosion in May and Long Beach police officer Anton Fischer, who was killed in a traffic collision on his way to work earlier this month.

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“My goal was to sell T-shirts and raise some money,” Marantz, “but I was happily surprised at the large turnout.”

Rosa, a San Juan Capistrano resident, worked for the Long Beach Fire Department for 17 years. But on June 25, 2018, he and other firefighters responded to an explosion at high-rise retirement home, where the captain was gunned down by a 77-year-old resident of the facility. Two other people were injured and the 77-year-old man was charged with murder, in an attack that authorities said initially had targeted the suspect’s neighbor.

Rosa was the first Long Beach firefighter killed in the line of duty in 44 years. About 8,000 people attended his memorial service at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Last year, Long Beach renamed the Fire Department’s training center after him. In April, a stretch of the 5 freeway in San Juan Capistrano was named after him.

Thursday’s event was scheduled for 9 a.m., but firefighters who had to report for their shifts were at the beach three hours early. By the official start time, more than 100 people had done the workout and more were just starting.

The workout consisted of 17 rounds, timed. Participants did six burpees — where you go from standing, to a squat, to a plank and then reverse it — swam 25 meters, and did 18 walking lunges. That added up to Rosa’s time with the Fire Department and the date he was killed.

“It’s a tough day,” Linley Rosa said, “but I am super humbled and honored to see all of these people who came out.”

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Source: Orange County Register

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