Star Report
The Cabrillo High School Aquarium’s first Open House of the school year will include a benefit for the family of fallen Ventura County firefighter Ryan Osler from 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28. Aquarium students will accept donations, which will be donated to a special fund established by the Ventura County Professional Firefighters’ Association that will go to his family.
The event will include a first look at many new animals in the Aquarium, as well the debut of the new Tropical Wetlab, which will be used for cultivating corals and other sensitive warm water organisms.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Osler was killed while he and another Ventura County firefighter were traveling in a water tender around 6:20 a.m. on Highway 246. As it approached the roundabout at Purisima Road, the truck struck the curb and overturned in dark and foggy conditions, the patrol said.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Capt. Dave Zaniboni said Osler, the passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, whose name hasn’t been released, was treated and released from the Lompoc Valley Medical Center.
Osler began his career in 1998 as a member of the Ventura County Fire Department’s hand crew, officials said.
When the white hearse left the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday afternoon, local firefighters from all around the county stood in honor of Osler on Highway 101 overpasses as the hearse made its way to Ventura County.
Osler is survived by his wife, Jennifer, their 12-year-old daughter, Amanda, and their 11-year-old son, Brandon.
Located in the front of the Cabrillo High School campus, the Cabrillo High School Aquarium has worked since 1986 to promote stewardship of our oceans through a student-run, cross-curricular, project-based learning environment. The Aquarium’s current 6,000 square foot facility opened in 2002 and now features over 20 live and static displays, maintained and hosted by Cabrillo High School students. The program welcomes over 7,000 visitors annually. For more information, contact Aquarium Director Greg Eisen at eisen.greg@lusd.org or (805) 742-2888. Regular Aquarium updates can also be found on the Aquarium’s Facebook page.
There has been a Go Fund Me account set up in Osler’s name for his family. If you wish to donate click https://www.gofundme.com/RyanOsler
