July 2008

Division Supervisor From WA Dies in California Wildfire

July 31, 2008

With a slow salute and pipers playing, the East Pierce Fire & Rescue family welcomed Dan Packer home Wednesday at the Tacoma Narrows Airport. Packer, 49, of Lake Tapps, died Saturday while fighting a wildfire in Klamath National Forest in Northern California. He had deployed to the site the day before. The U.S. Forest Service [...]

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Burning Body Found Inside San Jose Home

July 31, 2008

San Jose police are searching for a man in connection with a homicide early today after finding a woman’s body on fire inside a house near downtown.Officer Enrique Garcia would not disclose any details about the man. And he added that the manner and cause of the woman’s death will be determined after an autopsy [...]

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Ventura Firefighters may get 3% at 50

July 31, 2008

Ventura officials have negotiated a new labor contract that would give sworn firefighters raises and a costly pension upgrade at a time of struggling city finances. Officials say the enhanced benefits unveiled Wednesday are necessary to recruit and retain a work force in an area where other agencies offer sweeter compensation packages. But promising more [...]

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San Leandro Woman Jumps From Apartment Fire into Blanket

July 30, 2008

It was like something out of an old movie, but it really happened last night in San Leandro: A woman jumped from her burning, second-story apartment and was caught by four strong neighbors holding a blanket. “It’s common seeing people helping others during a fire,” Alameda County Fire Battalion Chief T.J. Welch said. “But I [...]

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Las Vegas Firefighters Snuff out Auto Shop Blaze

July 30, 2008

5:34 a.m. Auto repair shop fire, 716 Stewart Ave, building was destroyed, $200,000 damage, no injuries, cause under investigation. E1,201,4, T1, R1, HR44, CB8, AR1, B1, PIO1, 6i2, 6i7, 6i11 I was on 2nd in engine (E201). E-1 crew (first in) pulled the 2 1/2 pre connect off the rear of E-1 and went to [...]

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Paid-Call Firefighters Filling in The Gaps

July 29, 2008

BALDY MESA — As this perilous fire season continues, many rural areas of the Victor Valley are not serviced by full-time firefighters. Several areas are serviced by San Bernardino County Fire stations manned by paid-call firefighters. Paid-call firefighters are usually training to become full-time firefighters and use this opportunity to gain hands-on training. “I started [...]

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Crews Fighting CA Fires Get No Rest

July 29, 2008

Reaching a milestone in their fight against the Basin Complex blaze, fire officials have little time to celebrate. Sunday evening, 37 days after the massive fire was sparked by lightning June 21, officials declared the fire fully contained and started sending crews on their way. But the crews aren’t going home. Instead, firefighters are headed [...]

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Mariposa County Fire – Video Coverage

July 28, 2008

The fire in Mariposa County continues to grow. Firefighters are facing a tough time getting this wildfire contained so far since the terrain is so difficult. The number of firefighters that have arrived to assist now nears 2,000. West Coast 911 firefighting news source – KCRA

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Missing Firefighter Feared Dead – Shasta Trinity Fire

July 28, 2008

It’s not yet known exactly what happened Saturday, when Dan Packer, a Pierce County fire chief, went missing — and is now presumed dead — in a California wildfire. But it’s clear Washington state lost someone who was respected throughout the state for his ability to bring people together. “He’s an icon for the Washington [...]

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Yosemite Fire Claims 12 Homes; More Threatened

July 28, 2008

MARIPOSA – Hot weather hampered efforts to contain a fast-moving wildfire near an entrance to Yosemite National Park that had already destroyed 12 homes and forced the evacuation of nearly 200 others.The blaze had charred more than 26,000 acres since Friday as wooded slopes ignited amid the hot, dry conditions that have plagued California for [...]

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