SPEEDY RECOVERY : CREW MEMBER CREDITS TRAINING FOR HEROIC DEED.

Byline: Eric Wahlgren and Jaxon Van Derbeken Daily News Staff Writers

In a split-second act of heroism, Surgey ``Guy'' Tomlinson threw himself onto the back of a burning comrade and into the path of the fireball that swept over the crew of Engine No. 10 as they battled the Calabasas Fire.

The 29-year-old firefighter from Saugus recounted matter-of-factly Thursday how training helped his beleaguered crew survive the wind-driven inferno two days before on a narrow mountain road in Corral Canyon in Malibu.

``You can talk about it all you want, but when it comes time to do it, you hope that all the training pays off,'' said the Los Angeles city firefighter as he was released from the burn center where crew mate Ross Torstenbo had just undergone surgery.

The four-man crew became trapped at midday, as fire rigs backed up on a treacherous one-lane road that was blocked by a fleeing motorist. They were left only with their rig and an aluminum fire shield to endure the flames.

``The fire had blown right through us,'' said Tomlinson, who jumped off the rig and tried to use it to seek shelter from the flames.

Then, Tomlinson said, his crew mate, Torstenbo, cried out in pain. ``I'm really burned bad

''

``I jumped on his back to get him some more protection,'' Tomlinson said, recalling the moment that the flames swept over them, burning him on his back and shoulders.

``I just knew my crew was outside - in a world of hurt, you might say,'' said Capt. Bob Mihlhauser, head of the Engine 10 crew, who jumped out of the rig last as Torstenbo was overcome by flames.

``Tomlinson was trying to deploy his heat shield, but Tomlinson's (shield) ended up getting knocked out of his hands,'' Mihlhauser said. ``Instead of trying to pick it up and redeploy it, he found himself sacrificing his own safety to shield his comrade.''

``Through the extreme heat and due to the wind, chaos, they all ended up under one fire shelter, standing on a running board, sitting in a jump seat,'' he said.

Mihlhauser struggled to start the engine, but it had stalled, and he called for help. He then got back under the aluminum thermal shield.

Tomlinson said he felt ``like a baked potato wrapped in foil'' while under the shield. ``You just sit there and let the fire go over you. It was hot, but just bearable.''

Mihlhauser credited training, the fast action of Tomlinson and ``the grace of God'' for the four firefighters' survival.

``Guy Tomlinson sacrificed his own safety,'' Mihlhauser said. ``He used his own body to shield Ross Torstenbo.''

``There's no words that can describe it - we were very fortunate, we could have had four dead people.''

Tomlinson's release from the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center marked the second time the six-year veteran had escaped a brush with death - the first time he broke his back and leg when a door fell on him as he battled a fire in downtown Los Angeles. He then suffered a jolt transmitted from a live wire in the building collapse.

``We knew we were going to make it (this time) because it was quite a bit worse last year,'' said the firefighter's wife, Heather.

Battalion Chief Roger Gillis said Tomlinson became known for his recuperative ability in the aftermath of the life-threatening injuries last year.

``You would not have expected him to be able to go back to firefighting,'' Gillis said. ``He'll do that from this as well.''

Joined Thursday by his wife and 3-month-old daughter, Tabitha, Tomlinson paused and wiped his eyes as he recounted how his thoughts of seeing his child helped sustain him through the ordeal.

``I knew that I would get to go see her, and I wanted to make sure she would see the real me,'' he said.

``It's nice to be going home,'' he told his family as he held his daughter.

The 42-year-old Torstenbo, who was burned on his arms and hands, remained hospitalized Thursday in fair condition.

Two Glendale firefighters also remained in the hospital Thursday, including William Jensen, who suffered burns over about 70 percent of his body when a 100-foot wall of flame swept over him and his colleague Scott French.

French and Jensen had been dispatched to protect three homes ringing the edge of Malibu Bowl when they were overcome by flames just down the road from where the fireball attacked Engine No. 10.

French, 41, was in good condition Thursday after surgery for burns to his ears, face and arms.

As Tomlinson left for home, he asked that the thoughts of the public be with the hospitalized firefighters. ``Keep thinking of Bill and Ross and Scott.''

Officials were guardedly optimistic about the chances for Jensen, a burly man known as ``Magilla Gorilla'' by his colleagues. He was conscious, in good spirits, and communicating with family and friends by squeezing their fingers, doctors said.

``You take it day by day,'' said Dr. Richard Grossman, medical director of the Grossman Burn Center, as he announced that Jensen, 52, remains on a respirator and will undergo skin graft surgery today. ``He has a tremendous will to survive.''

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PHOTO (color) L.A. city Firefighter Surgey ``Guy'' Tomlinso n holds his daughter, Tabitha, as he meets the press with Dr. Richard Grossman before his release Thursday.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News