North Pass Fire: Grower Pulls Shotgun on CAL FIRE Firefighter

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

North Pass Fire: Grower Pulls Shotgun on CAL FIRE Firefighter

A CAL FIRE firefighter had a shotgun pulled on him by a suspected marijuana grower while battling a wildfire on Aug. 30.

The firefighter was in his gear while operating in a mandatory evacuation zone in the Blands Cover area near the North Pass Fire when he was confronted by a man, according to The Willits News.

The firefighter left the area and Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies moved in.

Firefighters in the county reportedly spot marijuana grows occasionally but typically ignore them and go about suppression efforts.

The firefighter kept fighting the flames until he was approached by a man in a vehicle who ordered him to leave before aiming the shotgun at him, officials told the news station.

Deputies searched the evacuation zone and located a man and vehicle at a residence.

The man admitted to confronting the firefighter and told police he was growing marijuana and decided to stay at the residence instead of obeying the evacuation order.

Veda Bennett-Swank was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a firearm in a threatening manner, interfering with a firefighter at a fire and issuing criminal threats.

Source: Firehouse.com - Link

Another Version:

FIREFIGHTER THREATENED WHILE WORKING NORTH PASS FIRE JH 09/04/12

A FIREFIGHTER WORKING THE NORTH PASS FIRE WAS THREATENED WITH A GUN NEAR A MARIJUANA GARDEN.

THE CAL FIRE FIREFIGHTER WAS ON A VACANT LOT OF LAND IN THE BLANDS COVE AREA, WHICH IS ALSO PART OF THE MANDATORY EVACUATION AREA.

THE FIREFIGHTER WAS INVOLVED IN SUPPRESSION DUTIES AND DOCUMENTING FIRE DAMAGE, WHEN HE CAME UPON A MARIJUANA GARDEN. HE IGNORED IT AND CONTINUED WITH HIS WORK.

A VEHICLE THEN APPROACHED, AND 21 YEAR OLD VEDA BENNETT-SWANK TOLD THE FIREFIGHTER TO LEAVE. THEN LOOKED DOWN AT AN OBJECT BETWEEN HIS LEGS. THE FIREFIGHTER THEN LOOKED, AND SAW A SHOTGUN POINTED DIRECTLY AT HIM, AND FEARING FOR HIS LIFE, LEFT THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.

DEPUTIES RETURNED AND LOCATED VEDA BENNET-SWANK WHO ADMITTED TO THE CHARGES AND WAS ARRESTED.

Source: http://945kwine.wordpress.com/

CFN - California Fire News 2012

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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

Wednesday, September 5, 2012