Memo: CAL FIRE Furlough plan released

State of California Natural Resources Agency
M e m o r a n d u m
To: ALL CAL FIRE EMPLOYEES Date: February 4,2009
Telephone: (91 6) 653-7772
Website: www.fire.ca.gov
From: RUBEN GRIALVA, Director California Dd p artment of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
Subject: FURLOUGH IMPLEMENTATION
As you are aware, all State departments to implement a two-day furlough of all State
employees in an effort to partially address the current fiscal crisis. Unless directed
otherwise, furloughs are to begin on February 6, 2009, and will continue for 17 months
through June 2010.
Below is information we have received so far on how the furlough program will be
implemented. Please keep in mind the information could be modified as the
Administration progresses with the implementation of the furlough program.

OFFICE CLOSURES
CAL FlRE adrr~inistrativeo ffices (Headquarters' Offices, Region Offices, Unit
Headquarters and the Academy administrative office) will be closed to the public on the
specified furlough dates. With a few exceptions, all employees will be furloughed on the
first and third Friday of the month beginning February 6, 2009.

PAY REDUCTION
Effective with the beginning of the February pay period (January 30, 2009), all
errlployees will receive a pay reductioli of 9.23 percent of their base salary. State and
Federal taxes will be calculated on the reduced amount however, the reduction will not
affect retirement contributions or pay differentials that might be received such as
Extended Duty Pay or Bilingual Pay. The overtime pay rate will not be affected as well.

FURLOUGH CREDITS
Full-time employees will receive 16 furlough hours at the beginning of each pay period.
Intermittent and part-time employees will receive a pro-rated amount of furlough hours
(e.g. a half time employee will receive eight hours instead of 16 ho1.1rs). A pro-rated
schedule will be published in the near future on the CAL FlRE Intranet.
Employees furloughed the first or third Friday of each month, will show the appropriate
furlough hours on their timesheet on the furlough days.
Employees in classifications approved to participate in an alternate furlough plan, as
identified below, will bank their furlough hours and will use them at a later date similar to
vacation or annual leave hours. The hours used will be shown on the timesheet on the
actual days used.
Furlough hours that cannot be used within the same month must be taken within 24
months following the end of the furlough program. Furlough hours will not be cashed
out if an employee retires or separates.
ALTERNATE FURLOUGH PLAN
The Department has an approved alternate furlough plan for specific classifications.
Under this plan, the salary reduction will take place beginning with the February 2009,
pay period. However, employees will not be furloughed on the first and third Fridays of
the month. Each employee approved to participate in this plan will receive the
appropriate amount of furlough hours to be taken at a later date.
Approved classifications for the alternate furlough plan are:
Classifications identified in Sections 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 of the Bargaining Unit 8
(BU 8) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Air Operations Officers
Communication Operators
Academy kitchen staff and Custodians
Err~ployeesin Section 8.4 of the BU 8 MOU, with the exception of Air Operations
Officers, on a 40-hour duty week will be furloughed on the first and third Friday of the
month.

MANAGERS. SUPERVISORS, AND EXEMPT EMPLOYEES IN FIRE PROTECTION POSITIONS
Individual Units or Headquarters' Offices shall determine by operational need the
utilization of either 'the designated furlough days or the alternate furlough plan.

OVERTIME
For employees in classifications that are designated Work Week Group 2, hours on the
furlough days (first and third Friday of the month) will not count toward the 40-hour
threshold for overtime purposes. Additional hours worked during the furlough week will
be compensated as straight time until all hours worked reach 40 for the work week.
Overtime for BU 8 employees will not be affected.

ALTERNATE WORK WEEK SCHEDULES
Direction on the management of alternate workweek schedules will be released in the
near future. However, alternate workweek schedules will not routinely be cancelled.

RETIRED ANNUITANTS
Information onhow the furlough program will affect retired annuitants will be released in
the near future.

BANKING FURLOUGH CREDITS
For employees in classifications approved to participate in the alternate furlough plan,
furlough credits not taken as leave during the month "earned" will be accrued, and are
required to be used within 24 months of the end of the furlough program. Per the
Department of Personnel Administration, all unused furlough credits existing 24 months
after the end of the furlough program will be lost. Furlough hours will not be cashed out
if an employee retires or separates.
Pursuant to Section 10.2 of the BU8 MOU, BU 8 employees may request to take their
furlough hours off in a manner consistent with first-come, first-serve vacation requests.
The conversion schedules for vacation and annual leave will apply to BU 8 employees
that work either a 72 or 84 hour duty week.
In the event of a fire emergency, CAL FIRE must have the ability to self-implement the
alternative furlough plan for all Departmental employees.
I understand there will be a significant number of questions regarding the
implementation of the furlough program. The Labor and Human Resources Office will
be posting a question and answer document on the CAL FlRE lntranet in the near
future. Once this information is posted, employees will be notified. Additional
information, as it becomes available, will also be provided.

LBFD NEWS ALERTS: Crane accident with a trapped victim

IA: At 7:22 pm this evening, Long Beach Fire Department units responded Pier J Berth 243 to a reported crane accident with a trapped victim.

Sizeup: Upon arrival units found the 42-year-old male driver pinned in the cab of his truck by a container that had fallen from the top of a stack. The container had been knocked free from the stack by the moving crane, bringing it to rest on the cab.

It took fire crews approximately 15 minutes to remove the patient from the wreckage. The driver was transported to a local trauma center in stable condition. The crane operator was taken by private vehicle to the hospital for evaluation.

There were no other injuries reported.

Resources: 13 firefighters from USAR 6, Truck 1, Engine 6, Rescue 1 and BC 1 as well as BLS 4 and PIO 2 responded to this incident that occurred in council district 2.

Info Source: LBFD News Alerts - Link

Breaking news: CAL FIRE Chief Ruben Grijalva has resigned

Ruben Grijalva has resigned, going to work as a private consultant and possibly
an interim chief for Milpitas.

Facts: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Ruben Grijalva as the director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) on April 24, 2006. Chief Grijalva had filled that position as acting director since January 2006. Prior to this appointment, Governor Schwarzenegger had named Grijalva as the 13th State Fire Marshal of California on August 16, 2004. Chief Grijalva continues to manage State Fire Marshal duties at this time. Previously, Chief Grijalva was the fire chief for the city of Palo Alto, California for 10 years. He has 32 years experience working in the field of public safety.
CAL FIRE Chief Ruben Grijalva last memo: Message from the Chief
Chief’s Memo – February 4, 2009
Last Chief’s Memo

Yesterday I submitted a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger to advise him of my intent to retire from state service to pursue other opportunities.

I have not come to this decision easily, although I have been preparing for it for some time. I truly have enjoyed my time as the 13th State Fire Marshal of California and the 13th Director of CAL FIRE. “13” has been a lucky number for me. My first date with my wife in 1973 was on Friday the 13th. The time has come for me to spend more time with my family who has sacrificed much to allow me the opportunity to pursue my 34-year career in public safety.

My initial plans to retire in December 2007 were altered by the onslaught of the October 2007 fire siege and its aftermath. I then moved my prospective retirement date back to July 2008. But, once again, fate intervened when the unprecedented June 2008 dry lightening siege struck California. In this unpredictable line of work there is never an ideal time to leave.

However, I am now confident that I can move on to pursue other challenges in the field of public safety knowing that I leave behind a highly qualified team of professionals to continue with CAL FIRE’s important mission. The department has been undergoing an eight month process of succession planning at the executive level. If a transition of leadership is to take place at CAL FIRE, it is best to occur well in advance of the peak fire season.

During my tenure as chief of CAL FIRE, we have successfully faced wildfires of historic magnitude. I am grateful to all of you for your dedication, courage, and leadership. I am proud to have been associated with such an outstanding organization and I will cherish the friendships and professional relationships that have been developed. I am proud of the men and women that carry out the diverse and complex mission that provides protection year-round to all Californians.

Our experienced team of leaders at CAL FIRE has had many successes:

Adopted Wildland Urban Interface Building Standards
Adopted International Code Council (ICC) Building and Fire codes for CA
Built strong relationships with local government through cooperative fire agreements delivered in a customer-oriented manner
Confronted salary inversion and compaction issues
Filled key leadership positions
Replaced aging infrastructure at an accelerated rate
Replaced an aging emergency fleet at an accelerated rate
Addressed forest practice regulatory responsibilities and the future management of the state demonstration forest system.
Developed 2-Year Work Plans for every CAL FIRE Program.
Completed a reorganization that better integrates Fire Protection, Resource Management, and State Fire Marshal responsibilities.
Clarified the mission of the organization and re branded CAL FIRE’s all-risk capabilities,
Coordinated with other state agencies on statewide emergency responses.
Made significant progress preparing the next generation of leaders and retaining our talented and diverse workforce
Ensured that personnel selected for any position were qualified by training and experience.
Reviewed and updated job classifications (firefighter 1, dispatcher clerks, etc) to ensure appropriate responsibilities and compensation levels
Maintained aviation capabilities to ensure that CAL FIRE fixed-wing and helicopter fleet is able to meet all necessary response mission needs.
Prepared necessary reports for the Governor’s Emergency Response Initiative for future emergency needs and capabilities.
Provided innovative use of “Supertanker” aircraft to battle California wildfires.
Maintained staffing levels at 4-person staffing during peak fire season.
Developed and rolled-out Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps for State Responsibility Areas (SRA) and Local Responsibility Areas (LRA), working with local government to implement newly adopted Building Standards with the fire hazard severity zone maps.
Increased defensible space inspections, enforcement, and monitoring of overall compliance.
Completed State Fire Training Master Plan to improve/standardize fire training for state and local agencies.
Improved and expanded arson prevention measures with federal, state and local enforcement agencies.
Created penalty-based funding mechanisms for fireworks enforcement to reduce the use of dangerous fireworks.
Enhanced program to pursue cost recovery for the department and take enforcement actions where appropriate for large fires where responsible parties can be identified.
Developed comprehensive action plan to meet the Governor’s Climate Action Goals.
Maximized the use of bond funds to expand and increase urban and rural tree planting.
Completion of a new management plan for Jackson Demonstration State Forest. Currently reviewing Timber Harvest Plans (THP) with stakeholders (Jackson Advisory Group).

While this is only a partial list of CAL FIRE successes, they were only possible because of our dedicated and talented employees, outreach to and participation by our stakeholders, and partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies.

As I have discussed in the past, leadership is about caring more about others than you do about yourself. People will follow when they know you are working toward common goals and a shared vision. I am confident you will continue to lead as CAL FIRE confronts future emergency and non-emergency challenges.

There are far too many people to thank. But, I must mention a few. First, I want to thank Governor Schwarzenegger for giving me the opportunity to serve in this capacity. His support, for me personally, and for CAL FIRE during the historic wildfires is something I will remember always. He led the State of California through these major disasters with courage, effectiveness, and compassion for our employees and for the people of California.

Secondly, I must thank Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman. He has been a leader, a friend, a mentor, and a supporter. It was his leadership at the Agency level and his support for CAL FIRE through the many challenges we have faced that has been instrumental to our many accomplishments.

Finally, I want to thank my executive team, our managers and supervisors, and the men and women of CAL FIRE. Your loyalty to our organization, your hard work and devotion, and your tireless efforts has greatly benefited the public we serve. We exist to serve the people of California. You have always gone above and beyond the call of duty to meet the public needs. I salute you!

Regards,
Ruben Grijalva, Chief

Ruben D. Grijalva
Director California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

http://www.fire.ca.gov/about/about_executive_chief_weekly_memo.php

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area - Pile burns

WHISKEYTOWN NATIONAL RECREATION AREA — Smoke rising over Redding’s western skyline early this afternoon is from a string of controlled burns lit by crews at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

Fire crews at the park about eight miles west of Redding are burning debris piles and lighting five- to 10-acre control burns, said Carol Jandrall, Whiskeytown spokeswoman.

She said the fires are on Whiskeytown’s east boundary and aimed at reducing the risk of wildfire for Shasta and western Redding.

CA-MVU- Felipe - Vegetation fire - 20 acres

IA: Felipe IC Fire Command t requesting crews and water tenders
Sizeup: Major spotting up to .5 mile, hose lay tied in despite delays due to minimal staffing, Contained tonight, 20 acres. Engines, crews and water tenders for day shift.
Location: S2 near the 10 mile marker.
Resources: 6 Hand Crews responding, SDFD Copter 1, CNF also assisted on this fire.
Comms: CMD1 Tone 11, Tac 5

CA-VNC- Conoco - Rincon Bluff - Vegetation Fire - 5 acres

Ventura County Fire working a 5 acre vegetation fire near Ventura County oilfield where a gas line is leaking, County fire spokesman Bill Nash says firefighters and oil production personnel are shutting down the leaking line and securing oil facilities in hilly Rincon Bluff area.
IA: blaze broke out shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday and has spread over three acres .
Location: Oil field in coastal bluffs northwest of the city of Venturafire, which is bordered by three highways.
Resources: 9 engines, 3 crews, 2 dozers, water tender and copter. SLU crews-Ventura Camp and Ventura City Fire also assisting.

Earthquake 3.3 M - Offshore Northern California

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.3
Date-Time	Wednesday, February 04, 2009 at 17:14:23 UTC Wednesday, February 04, 2009 at 09:14:23 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	40.382°N, 124.919°W
Depth	15.6 km (9.7 miles)
Region	OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances	54 km (34 miles) W (277°) from Petrolia, CA 60 km (37 miles) WSW (249°) from Ferndale, CA 69 km (43 miles) WSW (251°) from Fortuna, CA 78 km (49 miles) SW (235°) from Eureka, CA 359 km (223 miles) NW (306°) from Sacramento, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 1.3 km (0.8 miles); depth +/- 1.2 km (0.7 miles)
Parameters	NST= 52, Nph= 52, Dmin=50 km, Rmss=0.17 sec, Gp=245°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	nc40231327

College buys water tender for "shelter-in-place" fire plans

Westmont purchases water-pumper truck

When flames roared down the hillside and across the Westmont College campus in mid-November, eucalyptus trees lit up like kindling and cut off dozens of faculty, staff and neighbors from the safety of Murchison Gym.

And while Westmont officials certainly aren’t hoping for a repeat of the Tea Fire, they have already started preparing for one with the purchase of a 350-gallon water truck.

“We’re not planning on being a firefighting force and will not be involved in battling structural fires,” Troy Harris, Westmont’s director of risk management, explained in a news release. “But the Tea Fire showed us that we need to have the ability to deliver water from a safe distance. Our ambitions are understandably narrow.”

Officials hope the truck will offer the ability to put out spot fires and protect those on campus who participate in the college’s “shelter-in-place” program.

During the Tea Fire, approximately 800 students, faculty, staff and neighbors waited out the flames overnight by sheltering in the fire-resistive, cinder-block gymnasium.

“That’s one of the things that Westmont has tried to do from the beginning, to have the shelter-in-place program so students don’t get in their cars and drive down the narrow, winding roadways,” Westmont Spokesman Scott Craig said. “It worked well and that’s the plan we want to keep.”

But improvements are necessary, officials acknowledged, pointing out that flames not only cut off access to the shelter for some, but also threatened the gym’s generator.

Tom Beveridge, the director of physical plant at Westmont, said workers had to use garden hoses and fire extinguishers to keep the fire from reaching the generator.

“Our physical plant workers were heroes,” he said in a prepared statement. “They protected the shelter-in-place by keeping the flames at bay with what little they had, but we don’t want to be in that position again.”

The Dodge pumper truck, which cost the college $28,000, is equipped with an infrared camera and a large hose. Craig said officials made the purchase last week and have yet to determine who will be trained to operate the vehicle.

Safety officials from Pepperdine University, which operates its own fire department, will provide basic training to Westmont officials.

Flames from the Tea Fire destroyed eight structures on the campus, including three residence halls. A total of 15 faculty homes and a retired professor’s home were also lost, officials said.

“Regardless of how often we use the pump truck, every piece of fire equipment is an asset to the community,” Tom Bauer, the college’s director of public safety, said in the news release. “We’re still determining how to deploy the truck, but we had a lot of willing participants on campus during the Tea Fire and we could have been more effective in containing spot fires.”

Editor comment: "Stay and defend" "shelter-in-place" "Limited firefighting" these phrases and pro-active fire plans will probably irk Schaitberger
- Harold A. Schaitberger is the General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, representing professional fire fighters and has come out against the stay and defend policy being studied for wildland urban interface areas in California.
The fact that this college was proactive in purchasing firefighting equipment for civilian use will probably get him going...

Article source: thedailysound.com - Link

Milpitas Fire: Chief Clare Frank has accepted a job with the State of California.

Milpitas Fire department - Chief Clare Frank has accepted a job with the State of California.

"I've accepted a position with the state fire marshal's office," Frank said Tuesday, about a week after she tendered her resignation to City Manager Tom Williams.

Her new position of assistant chief, which she will begin the first week of March, comes under Cal-Fire operations. Her last day in Milpitas will be Feb. 13. Her office will be based in Sacramento but her work will allow her to refrain from moving from the South Bay, she said.

Frank, 43, rose within the ranks of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (the official name for Cal-Fire) starting in 1982, to be a division chief, before becoming Milpitas Fire Department's first woman chief in 2005.

Frank maintains her active bar status. She practiced law for five years in between working for the CDF.

According to Frank, her new state job will involve fire and related legal aspects. She said her position will include improving the cost recovery process in civil litigation cases. Frank said she will push for legislation strategies to prevent more mass home losses during large blazes that rage in wildland and urban interface settings.

"I get to have the heart of a firefighter and the head of a lawyer," Frank said of her next job. "My whole motivation is to have an opportunity to create change that could be lasting in order to save a lot of homes and a lot of lives."

City Manager Williams said Tuesday that he has yet to decide on an individual to lead the department short-term.
"We've started on the search," Williams said this week.

He added that he was looking first for an interim fire chief to lead the city's fire department, which is comprised of 80 authorized employees.

"In the long term we're going out for a more permanent position," Williams said.

More info:Facts about the Chief Clare Frank
Chief Frank began her fire service career in 1982. Starting as a firefighter, she promoted through the ranks, gaining experience in all aspects of fire and rescue operations, including emergency medical services, hazardous material responses, heavy and technical rescue operations, structure fires and wildland-urban-interface conflagrations. She also held specialized assignments in training, prevention, and administration. Chief Frank has served in line or command positions in many of the most notable major disasters that have befallen California during the past twenty-three years.

Chief Frank was valedictorian of her graduating class at the National Fire Academy’s Bachelors Degree program at Cogswell Polytechnic. She also graduated with honors from the Santa Clara University School of Law and is a member of the California Bar. Chief Frank is an instructor and a consultant on curriculum development for the National Fire Academy’s higher education program.

Kern County Fire Department: DC 3 Aircraft down with fire: Santa Monica Airport - Crash kills two

KCFD - DC-3 Plane crash in Mojave

IA: Wednesday, February 4th 2009 at 8:55 a.m. the Kern County Fire Department responded to the report of a plane down at the Mojave Airport - Mojave, Ca.
Sizeup: Upon arrival, the Airport Fire Crews were face with a DC 3 aircraft which had veered off of the runway during take off and came to rest in the dirt with its nose on the ground. Fire crews assisted with evacuations of two persons.
Injuries: The 2 occupants on board were transferred to a local area hospital, 1 by ambulance and the other by private vehicle.
Resources: Approximately 15 firefighters from Kern County, California City and Mojave airport Fire Departments responded to the scene.
Actions: Fire crews laid a blanket of foam on the ground around the plane and removed any possible ignition sources as approximately 600 to 700 gallons of Jet A fuel had leaked from the aircraft.
Cause: No reported cause, The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been informed.

LNU News: Berryessa Estates - Prescribed pile burning

Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit (LNU) plans controlled pile burn near St. Helena.

What: The Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will conduct prescribed pile burning
Where: BLM property around the community of Berryessa Estates in Napa County starting on Feb. 5, and continuing on rainy days for approximately the next two months.
When: The prescribed burning will be conducted starting at 10 a.m. and end at 1 p.m Thursday and will be located in and around Berryessa Estates.
Smoke: Smoke from the pile burning may be visible from parts of Napa and Lake counties.

Why: The return of winter moisture will enable Cal Fire personnel to implement the vegetation management tool of prescribed burning for the purpose of burning piles of vegetation that were removed to create a shaded fuel break around the community of Berryessa Estates.

Prescribed vegetation management burns are carefully planned and controlled burns and must meet strict criteria of ecological benefit, weather parameters, smoke management, and fire safety guidelines. When all conditions (prescriptions) are met, trained firefighter’s burn, while monitoring the set criteria, fire behavior, and designated fire control lines.

Shaded fuel breaks are designed to reduce the threat to a community in the event of an unexpected wildland fire by removing shrubs, small trees, and down woody materials, but leaving large overstory trees.

By leaving the larger trees, the fuel break will maintain a higher degree of shade cover, lessening the rapid re-growth associated with direct sunlight and retaining higher fuel moisture in the fuels within the fuel break.

These projects are designed to remove the understory ladder fuels and the dead/down fuels that could become hazardous in case of extreme fire behavior. Shaded fuel breaks are often constructed in strategic areas along roadsides and ridgetops to provide firefighters with improved access to suppress unwanted wildfires and to manage prescribed burns more safely.

For more information about fire safety or prescribed fire and its benefits you may go to the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov or your local Cal Fire facility.

Riverside County Fire engine in traffic accident - One dead

Video of crash scene
Update Firefighter injuries: Three firefighters injured - Three firefighters were injured. Two of them sustained moderate to minor injuries and remained hospitilized. The third, a fire captain, was treated for a head laceration and was released, Herrera said.
Two FD personnel transported to Riverside Community Hospital where they underwent evaluation. Preliminary indications are no serious injuries, experiencing blunt force trauma pain only. Anticipate treat and release at this time.
Update: More photo's at Firegeezer.com
Update: 0506 - RVCFD E17 - TC - Riverside County fire Capt. Julie Hutchinson said one person in the passenger vehicle was killed and two firefighters suffered "moderate" injuries.
The circumstances of the collision were under investigation. The fire truck was on its way to a call for service when the collision occurred, said fire Capt. Fernando Herrera.

Update: Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said the accident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday when Engine No. 17 was heading to a traffic collision.
Herrera said the fire truck, which had its lights and sirens on, collided with the pickup at an intersection in Mira Loma, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

The single occupant of the civilian vehicle was declared a fatality at the scene.
One civilian dead, Two firefighters injured.

One killed in crash between pickup, fire engine in Mira Loma

A man was killed this morning when his pickup crashed into a fire engine responding to an injury accident in Mira Loma.

The fire truck was on its way to a collision on Etiwanda Avenue at Bellgrave Avenue when it passed through an intersection at Van Buren Boulevard. It collided with a Dodge Ram truck in the center of the intersection, according to California Highway Patrol officer Sylvia Mosley. The driver side of the pickup was crushed against the passenger side of the fire engine.

The pickup's driver died at the scene. A firefighter in the front passenger seat suffered broken bones while a firefighter in the rear passenger seat complained of pain, Mosley said. Both were taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Mosley noted the fire engine was headed south in northbound lanes with its lights and sirens on prior to the crash.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the crash.
Source: PE.com Blog - Link
Photo source: CBS2.com - Link

Chicago: Three alarm fire - Holy Name Cathedral

Update: Crews have extinguished fire at Holy Name Cathedral, There were no injuries.
Flames burned through the church's roof for about an hour before they were replaced by plumes of white smoke. The fire was struck at around 8 a.m.
Church officials say there was extensive water damage and fire officials were pumping water out of the basement. The fire also burned gaping holes into the roof.
Chicago Archdiocese Chancellor Jimmy Lago expects the church to be closed for months.

Fire burning at Chicago Holy Name Cathedral.
Firefighters are battling a three-alarm blaze at the 135-year-old Holy Name Cathedral, a Chicago landmark, The Chicago Tribune reports.
According to Fire Media Affairs spokesman Will Knight, the fire started on the 'pitch of the roof' of the historic Holy Name Cathedral, Flames are shooting off the roof, where the fire appears to be centered.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford as saying the fire hasn’t yet spread from the roof to the church’s sanctuary, although a considerable amount of water has poured into the building.
Chicago Holy Name Cathedral - .Holy Name is the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago the cathedral was built after the Holy Name Church burned down in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

MMU News: New Chief Dale Hutchinson

Merced County supervisors endorse new chief for local Cal Fire unit
The state manages the department for rural areas.

By CORINNE REILLY

A veteran firefighter from Southern California with nearly three decades of experience will serve as Merced County's new fire chief.

Dale Hutchinson started Monday as the new Cal Fire chief for the Madera-Mariposa-Merced unit. That means he'll also serve as the county's fire chief; the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to endorse his appointment.

Hutchinson, 45, comes to the Central Valley from Riverside County, where he last served as deputy chief of western operations for Riverside's Cal Fire unit. He's worked for Cal Fire, the state's fire department, for his entire career. He began in 1980 as a volunteer firefighter and was hired three years later.

Dale Hutchinson - Cal Fire chief MMU

He's served in a variety of posts since then, including municipal and rural assignments. He's also worked in fire investigations and on prevention and planning teams.

Hutchinson's new post is a promotion. He replaces Mikel Martin, who also was recently promoted within Cal Fire.

"I've wanted to be a unit chief for a long time and this opportunity was too good to pass up," Hutchinson said. "The Merced, Madera and Mariposa areas have a lot of characteristics that make them challenging in terms of fire protection, and I'm looking forward to that."

Martin said Hutchinson's breadth of experience makes him a good fit for his new position. "I've had my eye on him for a unit chief job for a long time," he said. "He's incredibly capable." In a statement issued Tuesday, Board of Supervisors chair Deidre Kelsey welcomed Hutchinson.

"We hope to continue the strong working relationship that we have had with our previous chief and work to ensure that Merced County residents are well protected against fire dangers," she said.

Hutchinson lives in the Riverside County town of Banning with his wife, who is a Cal Fire captain, and their two children. He said his family hasn't decided where they'll live in the Valley once they relocate.

Cal Fire unit chiefs earn a base yearly salary of roughly $96,000.

Source: mercedsunstar.com - Link

Ventura County Fire: Controlled Burn - Sisar Road, Upper Ojai

Ventura County Fire VMP - Controlled Burn - Sisar Road, Upper Ojai
Ventura County Fire Protection District proceeding with a vegetation management/controlled burn plan - prescribed burn
Location: Sisar Road, Upper Ojai - Ventura County
When: Wednesday February 4, 2009
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
WEATHER PERMITTING

The Ventura County Fire Protection District, in cooperation with Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (APCD), the U. S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE), and with the support of the local residents, is proceeding with a vegetation management/controlled burn plan. The plan is intended to reduce the threat of damage from wildfires in the area. The planning and preparation for this project has been ongoing to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the operation. The project will consist of the burning of vegetation piles that have been cut stacked and dried for burning.
Fire department units will closely monitor each burn for safety.
The Ventura County Fire Department works closely with APCD on all smoke management and health concerns, therefore, the 412-acre project area has been broken into smaller units to reduce smoke in the area. Each burn is scheduled begin at 10:00 a.m. and be completed by 4:00 p.m. Pile burning will only be done under optimal weather conditions and is subject to cancellation.
Please watch road signs or postings in the area announcing these prescribed burns. We encourage and need the community’s support for this safety project.
Source: .PDF - Link

Recently retired Willits fire chief found dead in garage

A retired Little Lake Fire Chief Jeff Smith
has died from what early reports indicate may have been exhaust from a car he was working on inside a garage on Sherwood Road, near Willits, about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Geoffrey Perry Smith, 60, was Little Lake fire chief for many years. Smith's death appears to be accidental unless toxicology and autopsy reports indicate otherwise, the Sheriff's Office stated.

Smith's body was found in the garage by his family. Little Lake Fire Department Chief Shane Burke called Ukiah Ambulance and paramedics confirmed Smith was dead, a Tuesday report from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office stated.

Family members said he had been feeling ill and had said he was going home to work on his vehicle and rest, MCSO stated.

He is survived by his wife Jann, and sons Shawn and Chad.

Smith retired in March 2008 after serving the Willits community as a firefighter for 31 years.

Smith received an unprecedented two Medals of Valor from the California State Fire Fighters Association.

Funeral arrangements: Will be posted here, details are still pending.

Cal Fire news expresses its condolences to Smith's family.

Related post: News: Willits - Fire Chief Jeff Smith retires

Lake Tahoe Basin: Prescribed fire operations Kingsbury Grade area

Tuesday, February 3, South Lake Tahoe, CA. --US Forest Service fuels management crews will be conducting prescribed fire and pile burning operations in the Kingsbury Grade area and continuing through the week.

LAKE TAHOE — Prescribed burning is planned today in the Kingsbury Grade area at south shore Lake Tahoe, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

Forest Service Fuels Management crews will conduct the work through the week if favorable conditions continue.

Residents and travelers can expect to see smoke from prescribed fire project areas.

Other fire management agencies, state and local, may also be conducting prescribed fire activities during this period.

This and other prescribed fire projects are designed to reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential smoke impacts on community areas.

To learn more about the efforts to reduce catastrophic wildfire risks in the Tahoe Basin, visit:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/documents/fuel-reduction-projects/10-year-plan/LTBCFP_Public_Presentation_8_3.pdf

RRU News: Harassment, cruel, demeaning treatment suit

Ex-Temecula city employee sues, alleging harassment

A former Temecula city employee is suing the city, Riverside County and a Cal Fire captain, alleging the captain subjected her to cruel, demeaning treatment while at work.

Janet Beauchamp, 54, also alleges she was fired for reporting the harassment by Capt. Timothy Buckley, and that the city and county failed to prevent or adequately deal with Buckley's conduct.

The lawsuit filed Jan. 16 in Riverside County Superior Court seeks unspecified damages for loss of earnings and benefits and emotional injury.

Buckley could not be reached for comment. Capt. Fernando Herrera, a Cal Fire spokesman, confirmed Buckley is still employed by Cal Fire but declined further comment. City Attorney Peter Thorson also declined comment.

The city has a contract for fire services with Cal Fire, which also serves as the county Fire Department.

Employed by Temecula for more than four years, Beauchamp coordinated the Temecula Citizen Corps, a group of more than 400 volunteers, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses Buckley of creating a hostile work environment based on Beauchamp's sex and age. Buckley would belittle Beauchamp to the point where she cried daily, the lawsuit alleges.

"(Buckley) would scream and yell at plaintiff and call her stupid, telling her that she couldn't do anything right," the lawsuit reads. "He told her to get on her hands and knees and clean the scuff marks off of the floor and to clean the (urine) off the bathroom floors."

The lawsuit also alleges Buckley had a personal relationship with another woman and "he would yell and scream at plaintiff for telling his wife (when she called) that he was not there, because plaintiff refused to lie."

Buckley was eventually removed as Beauchamp's supervisor, but he continued to demean her by calling her new boss and telling him her work was "all wrong," the lawsuit alleges.

Beauchamp lost her job May 15, 2008, and was told funding for her position no longer existed even though it was funded through June 30, according to the lawsuit.

"In truth and in fact, plaintiff was wrongfully terminated in retaliation" for reporting Buckley's conduct, the lawsuit reads.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_slawsuit04.46f5908.html