May 2011

Local firefighters were at Lodi Lake on Monday morning, giving the mechanical equivalent of a physical to some of the department’s fire trucks. The annual checkups give crews a chance to make sure the truck’s water pumps are operating at maximum efficiency and don’t have any serious leaks. “A lot of people think when firefighters [...]

After a year as chief and more than 37 years as a firefighter, Doug Robertson will soon say good bye to Vallejo. The 51-year-old Vallejo native began as a young Vallejo fire cadet and newspaper delivery boy in 1974, and eventually settled in with Vallejo Fire Department for good in June 1982. He’s now retiring [...]

An explosion triggered by illegal drug activity rocked a Livermore apartment complex late Saturday and critically burned three people, police said. The 5:15 p.m. blast happened in a unit where two of the victims lived at 3624 Silver Oaks Way, said Livermore police Lt. Mike Peretti. Police and firefighters found Paul Lom, 35, of San [...]

Fire has a rich, and devastating, history all its own. The Summit Fire ripped through more than 4,000 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains three years ago, on May 22, 2008, destroying 34 homes and 82 “outbuildings” and more than 160 vehicles. Lasting five days, it also destroyed residents’ treasured possessions, killed their animals and [...]