RRU: CALFIRE/Riverside PIO Cheri Lynn Patterson Will Be Missed. #CaFire #CALFIRE

Saturday, May 11, 2013

RRU: CALFIRE/Riverside PIO Cheri Lynn Patterson Will Be Missed. #CaFire #CALFIRE

One of the voices for CalFire/Riverside County Fire Department is silent.

Cheri Lynn Patterson, 46, who had been a 911 dispatcher and public information officer in the county for 26 years, died May 4 at Hemet Valley Medical Center after a four-year battle with breast cancer.

Mrs. Patterson was one of the voices people heard on radio and at fire scenes. She was a seasonal firefighter in San Bernardino County before she sustained burn injuries and switched to command center work.

“What an asset, with her command center background and her fire background, and to develop those relationships with the media and the public,” said Julie Hutchinson, of her friend and coworker.

They both joined the public affairs bureau in 2005.

Hutchinson, now CalFire Southern Region public information officer, came to know Mrs. Patterson when Hutchinson was a fire engine captain for 16 years.

“I can’t tell you the relief I had when Cheri came on the radio,” Hutchinson said. “She understood what it was like to be on the engine.”

And Mrs. Patterson “had that passion for training people and training them to the highest level,” including many who promoted to higher fire service positions.

Born on Halloween, one of her nicknames was “Scary Cheri,” but she was also everyone’s mom and someone Hutchinson called a “nurturer.” Being a mother came first.

Son Tyler Mello said he will remember her for “her sense of humor.”

Mrs. Patterson, a Salinas native, lived in Hemet and retired last year.

In addition to her son Tyler, she also is survived by her husband, Glenn Patterson, a Riverside County deputy fire chief; two other sons, Brandon Mello and Garrett Patterson; her parents; and three siblings.

A celebration of her life is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at Valle Vista Assembly of God church. Miller-Jones Mortuary in Hemet is handling arrangements.

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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

Saturday, May 11, 2013