Though he said he doesn't have the best of luck, Warren Fire Chief Alexander Galinelli will tag along with his sister when she heads to Los Angeles next month to vie for $1 million on the hit NBC show "Deal or No Deal."
Becky Cloutier, Chief Galinelli's sister, won the trip thanks to her husband Richard, who is legally blind. Mrs. Cloutier said she initially thought she lost on a scratch ticket that offered a trip to be on the show, but Mr. Cloutier examined it and thought different.
"My husband, who's legally blind, was looking at the back of it and said there was a second chance of winning the tickets," she said, which involved filling out an entry form.
"He kept bugging me to do it, and I put it in an envelope and mailed it, but we forgot about it. March 2 or 3, I got a phone call from the director of the lottery congratulating us on winning the grand prize! I thought it was a joke."
The prize includes a first class flight to Los Angeles on Monday, April 14, where the Cloutiers will spend the week, along with Chief Galinelli. Mrs. Cloutier will be interviewed for the show Tuesday, followed by a taping Wednesday. Mrs. Cloutier said the production company for "Deal or No Deal" fills the rest of the week with tours and trips.
Mrs. Cloutier said she originally wanted her son and daughter-in-law to come to Los Angeles, but because of a recent job change, they could not get the vacation time. So, her next choice was her brother, who said he was more than happy to take the vacation for them.
"I'm kind of glad my nephew couldn't go," Chief Galinelli said, laughing. "My sister doesn't have my luck. She's pretty good."
Mrs. Cloutier should hope she doesn't inherit her brother's luck for the week. Chief Galinelli said the last time he went to Los Angeles, he spent several hours in the hospital after something scratched one of his corneas while he was on a roller coaster.
"I've got to be the only person to go to L.A. and Disneyland and spend a couple hours at the hospital," he said. "I have bad luck like that."
Chief Galinelli said while his sister gets interviewed, he and Mr. Cloutier will take in the city's sights. Even on vacation, though, he said he would get some work done — he plans on trading some patches with the West Coast fire departments, and checking out the architecture.
"I want to look at the fire stations," he said. "When it flows in your blood, it's hard to take it out."
Mrs. Cloutier said she has worked as a bus driver for 26 years now, the last 10 in Barrington for special needs students. She said she loves the kids on her bus, but luckily, the trip coincides with school vacation anyway. But her boss promised her she could have the time off even if it hadn't.
"My boss had told me, 'Trust me, we'll make sure you go one way or another.'"
She said the whole situation really hasn't sunk in yet. She didn't even remember to tell her friends and co-workers. Mrs. Cloutier said they found out when the winners of the lottery were posted on the Internet.
Just in case his sister is picked, Chief Galinelli said he's prepared to get on stage. He appeared as an extra in "Gone Baby Gone," which he said took eight hours of filming for his three seconds. But if he gets to meet "Deal or No Deal" host Howie Mandel, who has an obsessive compulsive disorder related to germs, he said he has a surgical EMS glove prepared to shake his hand.
By Stephen Greenwell
sgreenwell@eastbaynewspapers.com