Thursday, August 22, 2013

San Francisco Declares Local State of Emergency to Assist Ongoing #RimFire Firefighting Efforts. #CaFire

August 22, 2013
San Francisco, CA - Today, the City and County of San Francisco issued a local emergency
declaration to increase coordination and support local, state and federal agencies currently battling the “Rim Fire” in Tuolumne County.

The declaration, signed by Acting Mayor Mark Farrell, allows the City to increase coordination with local, state and federal agencies to provide staff, equipment and other resources to the firefighting efforts. This morning, the Rim Fire Incident Command Post requested and the City agreed to the use of Camp Mather, a campsite owned and managed by San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, to stage more than 200 firefighters and equipment being used to contain the fire.

In addition to damage to homes and the national forest areas, the fire has also caused some
damage to power and communications assets owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities 
Commission (SFPUC) as part of the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power System. This system, which originates from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park, provides water to 2.6 million Bay Area residents and businesses, as well as hydroelectric power for City services.

“This declaration will help San Francisco increase coordination and manage resources being
deployed to support our local, federal and state partners who are fighting this fire,”
said San
Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. “This measure ensures we do everything we can to support those fighting this fire and protect city property. I thank and commend the brave men and women who are on the front lines working around the clock to contain this fire.“

“After conferring with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Emergency Management and the Mayor’s Office, we are in agreement that an emergency declaration by the city is a responsible approach to better manage and protect city property".

Just as the fire situation is changing minute-by-minute, we need the flexibility in place to support the ongoing firefighting efforts during and after this fire,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell.

There are currently no impacts to water quality, water delivery, and water supply for the Bay
Area. Additional power needs to replace any offline hydropower plants are being met through 
agreements and power purchases made on the open energy market.

Contact: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, 415-290-0163
San Francisco Department of Emergency Management
1011 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Department of Emergency Management, 415-558-3830
Division of Emergency Communications - Phone: (415) 558-3800 Fax: (415) 558-3843
Division of Emergency Services - Phone: (415) 487-5000 Fax: (415) 487-5043
Anne Kronenberg -Executive Director
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1 comment:

  1. Nice post with great details. I really appreciate your info. Thanks for sharing. emergency management

    ReplyDelete

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****REMINDER**** Every fire has the ability to be catastrophic. The wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed. Growing numbers of communities, across the nation, are experiencing longer fire seasons; more frequent, bigger, and more severe, fires are a real threat. Be careful with all campfires and equipment.

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