Placer County Board of Supervisors yesterday approved funding for Placer County volunteer firefighters #CaFire

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Placer County Board of Supervisors yesterday approved funding for Placer County volunteer firefighters #CaFire

SUPERVISORS OK FUNDS FOR VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTER EQUIPMENT;

2014 VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER ACADEMY SCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN FEBRUARY

The Placer County Board of Supervisors yesterday approved funding to purchase equipment for use by Placer County volunteer firefighters. The funding OKd by the Board will be matched by funds from a federal program administered by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

In unincorporated Placer County, firefighting and emergency medical services are provided by CAL FIRE, which operates under contract as Placer County Fire, and six volunteer fire companies: Dry Creek, Fruitvale-Fowler, Thermalands, Paige, Sheridan and Dutch Flat. The approved funding will purchase equipment for those volunteer agencies. The equipment includes: Nomex fire retardant pants and shirts; emergency fire shelters; firefighting boots; headlamps and gloves; and web gear with hydration packs.

“The passage of this budget item shows the Board’s foresight to provide for our volunteer firefighter program,” said John McEldowney, Placer County Office of Emergency Services Program Manager. “This expenditure will provide the volunteers with key equipment that will enable them to be superb firefighters for the county and stay safe.”

In related news, the 2014 Volunteer Firefighter Academy is scheduled to begin in February, 2014. Placer County Fire leads the efforts for this three-month academy, but it is an inter-agency academy, open to volunteers from other fire agencies in Placer County, including Alta Fire Protection District, Placer Hills Fire Protection District, Foresthill Fire Protection District, and Auburn Fire Department.

Becoming a volunteer firefighter is an excellent way to serve the community. Volunteers, like their paid counterparts, respond to different incident types including: emergency medical, hazardous material, technical rescue, natural disasters, wild land fires, structure fires, vehicle collisions, and public assists.

Volunteers can serve at many different levels and in many different positions. To help meet the needs of both the volunteer fire companies and potential volunteers, Placer County Fire has established five volunteer positions:

Support Volunteer;
Emergency Medical Responder;
Water Tender Operator;
Volunteer Full Attack Firefighter; and
Volunteer Firefighter Operator/Engineer.

For anyone interested to applying to become a volunteer, please contact the Fire Chief at CAL FIRE headquarters (530) 889-0111. The Fire Chief will assess interest, answer questions, and refer individuals to the Volunteer Fire Station Captain at the nearest station. Those interested may also directly contact the Fire Station Captain at one of the local volunteer fire stations. Upon completion of the formal application process, hired Volunteers will then be required to meet attendance requirements for both training and call response.

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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

Wednesday, December 11, 2013