News: CAL FIRE Extra Staffing this Holiday

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

News: CAL FIRE Extra Staffing this Holiday

Christmas Day should be sunny, but Cal Fire wary of high winds

San Diego County residents will be celebrating Christmas under sunny skies today although firefighters will be bracing for potential wind-driven fires.

While recent rains have helped dampen some areas, high winds are expected to keep firefighters on alert for much of the day throughout Southern California.

Wind warnings are expected to be issued in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. In San Diego County, winds are not expected to be as strong, Stan Wasowski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said yesterday.

Santa Ana winds of up to 50 mph are expected to blow across San Diego County mountains until the afternoon, he said. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-70s along the coast and valley areas, 70 in the desert and low 60s in mountain areas.

Cal Fire, the state's forestry and fire protection agency, plans to have extra firefighters on duty today. Additional helicopters will be available, said Kevin O'Leary, a division chief with Cal Fire.

“We're ready for it,” he said.

Shifting winds and lack of firefighting resources were major factors in the October wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes across the county.

The Navy and Marine Corps each will have two helicopters ready to help out, O'Leary said. The state sent an additional helicopter, which arrived at the Ramona airport yesterday, he said.

Firefighters who were scheduled to be off today were told to report for duty, O'Leary said. Volunteer fire stations in backcountry areas were expected to boost staffing today, he said.

Fire officials said areas that did not get much rainfall recently are the most vulnerable, mainly in South County.

O'Leary said extra engine companies were being added to stations in Campo, Monte Vista and Ramona.

The San Diego Fire Department does not plan to increase staffing today but will be monitoring weather conditions closely, spokesman Maurice Luque said.

“If there is a need we'll do it,” he said.

Recent rains reduced fire danger in the city by moistening areas with heavy brush, he said.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, December 25, 2007