BTU: CAL FIRE and the California Army National Guard will hold joint water rescue training exercises on April 18th

Monday, April 15, 2013

BTU: CAL FIRE and the California Army National Guard will hold joint water rescue training exercises on April 18th

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. April 15, 2013 – CAL FIRE and the California Army National Guard will hold joint water rescue training exercises on April 18th in the Feather River, downstream from the Vance Avenue river access in the Oroville Wildlife Area and in the Thermalito Afterbay near the Afterbay’s Larkin Road Launch ramp.

This special training will involve teams of water rescuers and up to five helicopters from CAL FIRE and the California Army National Guard and include teams of CAL FIRE rescuers that will travel from throughout the state to participate in week-long advanced water rescue training.

The training exercise will last most of the day, with the helicopters flying simulated rescue missions deploying rescue teams and conducting simulated rescues. The training is designed to enhance the level of training for both rescuers and pilots and increase the interoperability between agencies.

The Larkin Road Launch Ramp to the Thermalito Afterbay on the Oroville Wildlife Area will be closed to the public for the duration of the training.

The California Highway Patrol, Department of Water Resources and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will also assist in the training exercises.

CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department will be hosting a visiting firefighter from England during a week-long Water Rescue Training. Andy Reynolds, a full time firefighter with the Cornwall Fire Department is responsible for rescue services in his community will participate in the water rescue training exercises held from April 15th through April 19th.

Firefighter Reynolds is traveling to the U.S. on a Winston Churchill Fellowship provided by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, enabling British citizens from all walks of life to travel overseas to bring back knowledge and best practices for the benefit of the local profession and communities. The Higgins and Langley Foundation for Swift Water Recuse, a U.S. based nonprofit group that advocates for training and preparation in water rescue activities, helped facilitate the training exchange.

The workshop, training in local rivers and streams, will focus on advanced rescue scenarios and skills and planning and management processes used during flooding emergencies.

CFN - California Fire News 2013

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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

Monday, April 15, 2013