May 2009

Salinas Firefighters Respond to Major Chemical Explosion

May 30, 2009

A chemical explosion ripped through the offices of a paint-mixing company in southeast Salinas on Friday evening, destroying half of a large commercial building on Dayton Street but causing only minor injuries to one man. Seventeen fire engines from Salinas, Soledad, Gonzales and other Monterey County departments were dispatched to fight the resulting fire. It [...]

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Santa Maria Fire Dept. Gets OES Engine

May 30, 2009

The Santa Maria Fire Department’s newest piece of equipment is the final contribution from a state program to position resources throughout the state in case of an emergency. In a hand-over ceremony Friday at Fire Station No. 4 on South College Drive, city and state officials said the state-of-the-art engine is the last of more [...]

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Manteca Firefighters’ Retirement may be in Jeopardy

May 30, 2009

The city has been whittling down a projected $11.3 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year starting July 1. As of two weeks ago, the deficit had been slashed to $2.5 million through leaving positions open and reorganizing operations plus putting new fees in place. The state is expected to “borrow” $1.2 million in property [...]

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2 Young Boys Killed, 2 Hurt In Rialto House Fire

May 29, 2009

Two young boys have died and two other people have been hurt in a house fire in San Bernardino County. Fire officials say the blaze erupted around midnight Friday in Rialto, 50 miles east of Los Angeles. City fire spokesman Matt Payne says firefighters found flames coming through the roof. He says they took a [...]

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Garage blaze injures two Fresno Firefighters

May 28, 2009

Fresno firefighters responded to a report of a garage fire just after 8 p.m. Thursday on the 1300 block of North Lucerne Avenue, near Olive Avenue. Fire Department spokeswoman Shandy Rodems said firefighters arrived to find the garage fully engulfed. Soon after they started to fight the fire, an explosion in the garage injured one [...]

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SBFD Fire Chief Responds to recent cutbacks and complaints

May 28, 2009

As the city of San Bernardino’s fire chief, I am compelled to provide this commentary because of the continuing flow of misinformation that is being passed on to the public as fact. The specific issue is whether or not the budget-driven requirement to reduce staffing from four personnel to three on some, not all, of [...]

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Turlock City firefighters tackle Restaurant Fire

May 28, 2009

The Red Steer Restaurant, an eating institution in Turlock for decades, was gutted by a fire early this morning. Turlock City firefighters responded to the fire at 4:15 a.m. It was under control by 6:30 a.m. Battalion Chief Gary Lunsford estimated the damage at $1 million, and said the cause of the fire is still [...]

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Long Beach Firefighters Stop fast moving Apartment Fire

May 28, 2009

LONG BEACH – A fire inside a baby’s room Thursday caused $5,000 in damage, but the infant was not harmed, authorities said Thursday. It was not clear what sparked the blaze, but the fire underscored the need for working smoke detectors in the home, and in all homes, Long Beach Fire Department officials said. Firefighters [...]

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LAFD’s Fire Chief announces surprise Retirement

May 28, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Douglas Barry, who became the city’s first black fire chief as the department wrestled with claims of discrimination, hazing and sexism, announced Thursday he will retire at the end of August. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa chose Barry as chief in 2007 after his predecessor, William Bamattre, was forced to retire amid allegations that [...]

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Inside the Command Post – Episode #16 – SBFD

May 28, 2009

A look Inside the Command Post. SBFD Company and Chief Officers arriving on scene and their Size-Up process. This video clip was shot during the Memorial Day weekend of 2009. First arriving SBFD units found a single family dwelling with potential backdraft conditions. The need to perform and coordinate vertical ventilation is crucial for firefighter [...]

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