Cal Fire takes over Atwater Fire Department

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Cal Fire takes over Atwater Fire Department

Resistance is futile...

ATWATER -- The Atwater Fire Department has been dissolved.

On Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, officially took over operations from the city of Atwater in a ceremony at Station 21.

Under the contract between the state and city, the department will be run by the state's fire department at a cost of roughly $1.4 million a year.

While Cal Fire will run Atwater's fire department, the city will still be responsible for maintaining equipment and facilities.

"Service levels will be transparent," said Atwater City Manager Gregory B. Wellman. "When someone rolls up to an accident or a fire, services will be the same -- they'll just wear a different uniform."

The city estimates that in four to five years the city will see a savings of up to $500,000 a year, said Stanley Feathers, assistant city manager. Training and access to state fire resources will be available immediately in this deal, he added.

The city will save money and increase training opportunities and resources for local firefighters.

Almost all of Atwater's 14 firefighters will be sent to the state fire academy for training within the next 12 months.

Tim Adams, president of the now-dissolved Atwater Fire Fighter's Association, saw little to critique about the changeover. "Overall, I think the city will benefit, the employees will benefit," he said. Adams believes the increased weekly hours from 56 to 72 will give firefighters more income, which will help them concentrate more on their careers. Another boon, said Adams, is the range of advancement open to local firefighters in Cal Fire as a whole.

Since 1940, Cal Fire has been working with local governments in such agreements. Atwater's two stations will be two of 575 fire stations across the state that contract with Cal Fire. The department will now be led from Cal Fire's regional headquarters, which oversees Madera, Mariposa and Merced counties. Atwater is the first city in the county to enter such an agreement with Cal Fire, said Scott Newman, Cal Fire division chief for Merced County.

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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

Thursday, October 2, 2008