San Bernardino County firefighters serving the communities of Phelan, Pinon Hills, Wrightwood and El Mirage celebrated the grand opening of Fire Station 10 at a ceremony on June 30th where First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt praised them for their service and resourcefulness, and welcomed them to their new facility. “This modern, state-of-the-art fire station replaces the previous facilities, which consisted of two aging mobile homes and a metal shed,” said Supervisor Mitzelfelt. “Even though those facilities were not ideal, firefighters still accomplished their mission. I want to thank the firefighters who have served here for their resourcefulness and patience, and congratulate them on getting the type of facility they deserve.” The previous facilities were meant to be temporary, but remained in place for 20 years. Supervisor Mitzelfelt was joined by San Bernardino County Fire Chief Pat Dennen, who praised the Supervisor for his commitment to the fire department and public safety in general. The $2.8 million station is located on the same site as the previous Station 10 at 9625 Beekley Road. The 6,997-square-foot station will be able to house the fire engine, ambulance and up to seven personnel. New driveways and parking areas were also constructed along with a separate 1,800-square-foot storage building. The project was constructed by RIC Construction Company of Hesperia and took nine months to complete.Station 10 covers over 100 square miles and serves the citizens of Phelan and Pinon Hills, as well as assists with calls in Wrightwood, West Cajon Valley, Baldy Mesa, Oaks Hills and El Mirage.
Story by: sbcfire.org
Yesterday, 25 Escondido employees became the first casualties of the city’s $6.7 million in budget cuts.
It was their last day, after they were given layoff notices June 11, although the City Council did not adopt a budget that included the layoffs until this week. Those eliminated included code enforcement officers, planners and the Fire Department’s entire team of 12 emergency medical technicians. No firefighter or police officer was laid off.
With the departure of the emergency medical technicians, the city will end its 10-year-old program that was instituted to supplement its paramedics. [click to continue…]
Calling it a “great day for Sacramento,” Mayor Kevin Johnson came out of a special session of the Sacramento City Council to announce that council members had approved a last-minute deal with city firefighters.
Sixty-eight firefighter positions would have been affected either through layoffs or demotions if a deal had not been reached. At the final hour, firefighters proposed a salary freeze with no cost of living increases for the next 30 months.
The city council agreed to the proposal in closed session, guaranteeing there would be no layoffs for the next year.
However, Johnson said council members did not want to “over celebrate” because it is still up to union members to ratify the agreement.
Voting should take place Thursday and Friday.
The layoffs would have taken place July 3, just at the start of the Fourth of July weekend, one of the busiest times of the year for firefighters.
by Jonathan Mumm
News10/KXTV
As part of his ongoing commitment to emergency preparedness, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued Executive Order S-12 -09 (EO) to reinforce California’s vigilance in protecting lives and property from wildfire. The EO directs the Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) to ensure that recommendations made by the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission, established after California’s catastrophic 2003 wildfire siege, continue to be implemented.
“As we head into the third straight fire season during a drought, California must be prepared to fight devastating wildfires any time of year,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “The state did a great job in quickly responding last year when California was engulfed by 2,000 fires and, with today’s action, we will ensure the state continues to be as prepared as possible when any disaster strikes.”
The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission was established in November 2003 by both Governor Schwarzenegger and Governor Gray Davis. In April 2004, the Commission issued 48 recommendations for improving emergency preparedness to prevent and respond to California wildfires.
California has made significant progress in meeting the Commission’s recommendations. More than 100 new engines have been purchased to replace aging CAL FIRE engines; more than 42 new engines have been purchased to replace aging California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) engines; and, 19 additional new engines have been purchased by Cal EMA. The BRTF will work to ensure the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Fire Commission recommendations continue to be implemented.
Additionally today, Governor Schwarzenegger announced the two co-chairs and 14 members of the BRTF. He designated California Professional Firefighters President Lou Paulson and Alameda County Fire Chief Sheldon Gilbert as members and the two co-chairs, and designated State Fire and Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, CDF Firefighter IAFF 2881 President Bob Wolf, Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper, Orange County Fire Chief Chip Prather, CAL FIRE Director Del Walters, San Diego City Fire Chief Tracy Jarman, Assistant State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Pat Dennen, California State Firefighters Association Member and Riverside City Fire Marshal Mike Esparza, United State Forest Service Region 5 Fire and Aviation Management Director Ed Hollenshead and Governor’s Office Public Safety Liaison Tom Sawyer as members of BRFT. [click to continue…]
Lightning from thunderstorms this afternoon caused at least seven fires on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which firefighters, smokejumpers and rappellers managed to contain.
The widespread storms began about 2 p.m. and produced at least 380 lightning strikes across Northern California, the Forest Service reported.
Three fires, estimated at one-tenth of an acre each, were discovered near the headwaters of the Trinity River about eight miles northwest of Coffee Creek.
A fire burned about 1 acre five miles west of Lake Siskiyou.
A fire five miles south of Burnt Ranch and another one five miles northwest of Hyampom were suppressed at one-tenth of an acre.
A quarter-acre fire north of Mount Shasta near the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial on Highway 97 was contained to a quarter-acre.
“We’ve ordered an additional aerial reconnaissance flight tomorrow and will probably find new fires,” Fire Chief Arlen Cravens of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest said tonight.
“We’ve got all our fires staffed and ninety-eight percent of the time we succeed if we can get them knocked down in the first twenty-four hours,” Cravens said.
Spokesman Kent Romney said a threat of dry lightning from thunderstorms could continue through Thursday and that firefighters will be closely monitoring the situation.
Story by The Record Searchlight / photo via Spotfireimages.com
YERMO • San Bernardino County Fire officials found the remains of a Victorville man after they extinguished a blaze that broke out at a home in Yermo, officials said. Firefighters arrived at a home in the 200 block of E. Yermo Road around 9:49 p.m. on Saturday, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner officials. After they extinguished the fire, officials said they found a man with extensive heat and burn injuries inside the home. “We still haven’t been able to identify him,” said Sandy Fatland, spokeswoman for the coroner’s office, on Monday morning. However officials said the man is believed to be a 51-year-old resident of Victorville. Sheriff’s officials are investigating the incident.
Story by: Victorville Daily Press
SACRAMENTO, CA — The Sacramento Fire Department union says it is going back to city leaders with another proposal to ensure firehouses stay open and firefighters remain on the job. The proposal also happens to save the city $10 million, according to union spokesman Chris Harvey. Firefighters are offering a 5 percent pay cut for 30 months in exchange for maintaining current levels of public safety in fire protection for the fiscal year 2009-2010.
Firefighters hope city councilmembers will return before the Fourth of July holiday to approve the deal. If the deal is not accepted, the council already voted to lay off 68 firefighters on July 3. “The 4th of July is a day when all firefighters report to work to promote fire safety, protect neighborhoods and prevent tragedies from occuring,” said Harvey. “But on this holiday weekend, 68 fewer firefighters will be on the job unless city councilmembers return from vacation to accept” the offer.
Story by: News10 ABC
PALERMO — Flames sparked by a lawnmower, fueled by Monday’s triple-digit temperatures and strong south winds, destroyed a home and scorched almost 50 acres in the Palermo area. It was the fourth consecutive Monday that a mower has triggered a fire. It was the largest of four fires that firefighters were called to Monday in Butte County, though in one case, they weren’t needed. At 11:47 a.m., firefighters responded to the largest fire, located just north of Palermo Road between Power House Hill Road and Lone Tree Road. Cal Fire-Butte County Battalion Chief Mike Shorrock said the blaze spread quickly, partly due to the weather conditions, which Shorrock said created “extreme fire behavior.” In just 20 minutes, the blaze consumed 40 acres, and by the time firefighters arrived at Palermo Road, a house that sits off the roadway was already fully engulfed in flames. A giant column of black smoke could be seen miles away as the flames consumed the home and several cars on the property. [click to continue…]
After the scorching weekend, Raul Bendaras started work Monday morning on the air conditioning system at a Santa Clara County building on North First Street. But the county refrigeration mechanic fell 20 feet down a chute and spent more than two hours trapped, first calling out for help and then falling in and out of consciousness as San Jose firefighters delicately cut the steel panels so they could free him. “This is what we’re trained to do,” said Fire Capt. B.J. Yendrey, who coordinated the rescue. “Football players are trained to play football. We’re trained to do this.”
[click to continue…]
Costa Mesa arson Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a fire that raged through a single family home on Saturday. The firefighters arrived at the home on Colgate Street at approximately 6:40 p.m. Their efforts were frustrated by intense smoke and heat, and by the detonation of small rounds of ammunition that were located in the garage. Firefighters extinguished the fire using a technique that involved cutting into the roof to ventilate the area. It took a total of 21 personnel from the fire department to bring the fire under control. Authorities from the Costa Mesa Fire Department say the severity of the fire damage in the garage has impeded the pace of the investigation. Fire damage estimates are still being calculated. The fire department’s arson Investigation team is handling the investigation.
Story by: Daily Pilot
