GIFT OF THANKS FOR DISABLED FIREFIGHTER.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - For Brian Prosser, the gift Friday of a brand-new, state-of- the art wheelchair was more than just a new set of wheels.

``To you, it's like getting a new car,'' the retired Los Angeles City firefighter joked to a gathering of well-wishers at Fire Station No. 39 in Van Nuys, where he worked for 13 years before suffering a disabling head injury.

``To me, it's like getting new feet. It's a great day in my life.''

The 65-year-old Frazier Park man said the new $30,000 electric wheelchair from the Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association will allow him to navigate the uneven terrain of his tree-studded ranch and reach kitchen cabinets now frustratingly out of reach.

``This will open up a whole lot of new doors for me,'' he said, adding that he felt ``overwhelmed and grateful.

``When you get messed up like this, little things become big things. Just looking people in the eye'' becomes difficult when you're permanently seated.

Prosser suffered a head injury in 1975 when he fell off a firetruck as it turned the corner at Sylvan Street and Sylmar Avenue. He was forced to retire a year later.

``Bill put his own personal health and safety on the line and paid the ultimate price,'' said Battalion Chief Richard Markota, who attended Friday's presentation.

Prosser was further injured in 1995, when he fell and became a quadriplegic, although he still has limited use of his arms.

He suffered yet another personal tragedy when his 28-year-old son, Cody Prosser, died in a 2001 ``friendly fire'' incident while serving with the Army's 3rd battalion, 5th Special Forces Group in Afghanistan.

Throughout the devastation, fellow firefighters have offered Prosser a comforting shoulder and sympathetic ear.

``This job is one of the best in the world for a number of reasons,'' Prosser said. ``The main reason is, it's a family. And the relief association is the epitome of that. It doesn't stop when you retire.''

Capt. Bill Wick, public information officer with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, said firefighters at the station still use a cribbage game board Prosser made for them in 1975.

``Nothing lasts in a fire station two weeks, the way we beat up stuff,'' Wick said, marveling. ``If we can't break it, nobody can.''

But Prosser said he wasn't surprised his cribbage board was still in good condition.

Firefighters ``take good care of their women and their cribbage boards,'' he said with a grin.

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Photo:

Brian Prosser examines a cribbage board he made for fellow firefighters in 1975. Injured on duty, Prosser received a $30,000 wheelchair, courtesy of a firefighters relief group.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer