Retired Redlands Fire Captain and Wife Die in Collision

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Retired Redlands Fire Captain and Wife Die in Collision

DESERT CENTER — A recently retired Redlands fire captain and his wife were killed when the Harley-Davidson motorcycle they were riding collided with a pickup truck near Granite Pass in rural north Riverside County, the California Highway Patrol reported Saturday.

Fire Capt. Darrell Feuerhahn, 52, and his wife, Debbie, 54, were riding east on Aqueduct Road, also known as Highway 62, near the San Bernardino County line, shortly before noon Friday, when their Harley collided head-on with a Chevrolet pickup truck, according to the CHP and Redlands Fire Chief Jeff Frazier. Both died on impact, according to the CHP. Feuerhahn had just retired from the Redlands Fire Department on Sept. 7, Redlands officials said.

The Feuerhahns were riding east on Highway 62 — the captain in front and his wife as passenger — when the Harley drifted across the solid double yellow lines and into the westbound lanes, the CHP said. The driver of the pickup had no time to respond and the vehicles collided head-on, according to a collision report.

Authorities said there was no indication the couple were heading to the American Heat Motorcycle Weekend in downtown Palm Springs. ‘‘My understanding is they were going to the river,'' said Redlands fire spokesman Carl Baker. ‘‘I don't know if they have family there or not.

‘‘This has been hard on all the firefighters because he retired just last month,'' Baker said. ‘‘He was a leader and he was well thought of by all the guys.''

Source Article: The Desert Sun

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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.

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Sunday, October 12, 2008