| News Release | |||
| Release Date: | 01/21/2008 | Release Time: | 5:13 PM |
| Contact: | Chief Kevin Turner or Chief Dan Johnson (951)659-3337 | Subject: | Red Hill North Pile Burning Operation To Take Place Throughout The Winter |
| Full Text: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will conduct debris and slash pile burning intermittently on weekdays, starting after January 14, 2008 and will continue throughout the winter into spring. The pile burning will take place below Highway 243, just north of Pine Cove Fire Station #23 on the south end to approximately Alhatti Lodge at the north end. This pile burning operation is part of the Red Hill North Vegetation Management Project (VMP), which is designed to reduce fuel loading and modify the fuel arrangement around the perimeter of the community of Pine Cove. This is part of a pre-fire plan to keep a major fire from moving into the community and to provide safe emergency egress for citizens and ingress for fire fighting equipment along Highway 243 in the event of a wildfire. In addition, the fuel-modified zone will better enable the fire department to keep fires that might start within the community or along the highway from moving into the surrounding wildlands. CAL FIRE engines and fire crews will conduct the pile burning operations. CAL FIRE staffs state engines year-round in Riverside County and one of their missions is to assist with pre-fire planning and hazard mitigation projects. The Red Hill North VMP is one of several planned programs in the Mountain Communities area to mitigate hazards and educate the public in advance of a major wildfire. Burning operations will typically begin after 8:30 AM and will conclude by 4:00 PM each day of burning. The burning operations will only occur on permissive burn days as determined by AQMD and CAL FIRE /Riverside County Fire Department. -END- | |||
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
CAL FIRE - RRU - Red Hill North VMP news Release
Cal Fire News Editorial: Staging on the reservation - politics?
Editorial: This situation seems to be more about the Sheriff losing a lucrative contract worth millions of dollars than the cover story of Fire fighter safety?
Using fire department resources this way when minutes count will most likely cause lost lives in the future !
Should the local Grand Jury being looking into this situation which reeks of outright prejudice and possibly qualifies as extortion, with the Sheriff asking his Cal Fire counter-part to cooperate and or misrepresenting the safety risk and possibly even lying to Cal Fire?....
And Should'nt the Fed's be helping out with policing cost's?
And Should'nt the Casino be helping out with policing cost's?
And Should'nt the BIA be doing the policing?
The spike in recent crimes, including a chase that ended up with deputies being fired upon, prompted CalFire to change policy and require its firefighters to wait for a sheriff's escort before responding to emergency calls on the reservation east of San Jacinto.
But a review of reported crime in 2006 and 2007 shows that calls for service dropped to 255 from 312 overall. In the same years, overall assaults also dropped to six from eight. Burglaries declined to eight in 2007 from 13 the previous year, while theft-related incidents dipped to 26 from 28. Drug-related calls dropped to 21 in 2007 from 36 in 2006.
There were increases in two categories, misdemeanor batteries, which rose to 15 in 2007 from eight the previous year, and robberies, which increased to three from two.
The reduction in crime has taken place since the 500-member tribe canceled its contract for law-enforcement services with the Sheriff's Department. The agency in 2005 signed a five-year contract with the tribe for a deputy to patrol the reservation exclusively, but tribal officials abruptly canceled the $400,000 annual agreement in August 2006, saying the tribe was not getting its money's worth.
Rose Salgado, a member of the tribal council and part of a longtime influential family, said she was surprised about the reduction in crime, given what was being said about the recent incidents.
"That is a good thing," Salgado said of the drop in crime. "I believe the recent incidents were very isolated and not reflective of what is happening."
Officials from CalFire said the policy change was prompted, in part, by a recommendation from the Sheriff's Department, which provides law-enforcement services for the reservation. The reservation is patrolled as part of the larger unincorporated area covered by the department's Valle Vista station.
The new policy does not include emergency calls from the Soboba Casino, where firefighters will proceed in as usual.
In an incident earlier this month, two deputies were fired at when a vehicle chase ended on the reservation. The unidentified driver had not yielded when a deputy tried to make a routine traffic stop on Castile Canyon Road northeast of Soboba Road, and the vehicle was pursued. Investigators have not determined why the driver did not yield.
Broken windshield glass grazed one of the deputies, but no medical attention was needed, authorities said.
The chase was similar to one in December that involved California Highway Patrol officers. In that incident, a CHP officer traded gunfire during a high-speed pursuit that started in Beaumont and ended on the reservation.
Lt. Kevin Vest, who serves as police chief in San Jacinto, said it is likely the recommendation to CalFire reflected the recent upswing in criminal activity, rather than any long-term analysis of crime on the reservation.
Salgado said tribal officials are worried because the policy change means response times for emergency calls, now about six minutes, likely will increase to as long as 15 minutes or longer.
There are 10 to 40 calls for service a month from the reservation, according to one CalFire estimate.
Salgado said tribal officials are talking to CalFire representatives in hopes of getting the policy reversed or modified.
It is not uncommon for firefighters to wait -- called staging -- for deputies to clear the scene of an emergency call in which the safety of responders is an issue, such as a shooting or a domestic violence call. But other medical aid calls, such as those involving a heart attack or a disoriented person, generally do not require firefighters to wait for an escort.
There was a similar policy in place over the years whenever an upswing in violence occurred on the reservation. During the 1970s, a CDF squad and fire engine were shot at as firefighters responded to a call on the reservation.
Salgado said tribal officials are taking steps they hope will improve security on the reservation, including the construction of a guard shack on Soboba Road that will limit access to the reservation. The facility, located between the casino and the tribal hall, is expected to be completed next month, Salgado said.
"We'll have better control over who enters the reservation," Salgado said. "That should be something that helps, too."
The structure is similar to one on the Morongo Reservation that limits access to the reservation near Cabazon.
Soboba tribal officials have long argued that much of the crime on the reservation is committed by outsiders who make their way onto the reservation.
While the issue of outsider crime can be debated, Vest said limiting access to the Soboba Reservation will likely help reduce crime.
Source: pe.com
Using fire department resources this way when minutes count will most likely cause lost lives in the future !
Should the local Grand Jury being looking into this situation which reeks of outright prejudice and possibly qualifies as extortion, with the Sheriff asking his Cal Fire counter-part to cooperate and or misrepresenting the safety risk and possibly even lying to Cal Fire?....
And Should'nt the Fed's be helping out with policing cost's?
And Should'nt the Casino be helping out with policing cost's?
And Should'nt the BIA be doing the policing?
Chase incidents run counter to declining crime on Soboba Reservation
While there may have been a recent surge in violent incidents, the rate of reported crime on the Soboba Indian Reservation has generally dropped over the past two years, according to figures compiled by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.The spike in recent crimes, including a chase that ended up with deputies being fired upon, prompted CalFire to change policy and require its firefighters to wait for a sheriff's escort before responding to emergency calls on the reservation east of San Jacinto.
But a review of reported crime in 2006 and 2007 shows that calls for service dropped to 255 from 312 overall. In the same years, overall assaults also dropped to six from eight. Burglaries declined to eight in 2007 from 13 the previous year, while theft-related incidents dipped to 26 from 28. Drug-related calls dropped to 21 in 2007 from 36 in 2006.
Story continues below
Paul Alvarez / The Press-Enterprise
Henry Garcia, left, and Willie Salvador work on the foundation of a new guard shack on the Soboba Indian Reservation on Tuesday. Tribal officials are taking steps that they hope will improve security on the reservation, including the guard shack on Soboba Road that will limit access to the reservation.
There were increases in two categories, misdemeanor batteries, which rose to 15 in 2007 from eight the previous year, and robberies, which increased to three from two.
The reduction in crime has taken place since the 500-member tribe canceled its contract for law-enforcement services with the Sheriff's Department. The agency in 2005 signed a five-year contract with the tribe for a deputy to patrol the reservation exclusively, but tribal officials abruptly canceled the $400,000 annual agreement in August 2006, saying the tribe was not getting its money's worth.
Rose Salgado, a member of the tribal council and part of a longtime influential family, said she was surprised about the reduction in crime, given what was being said about the recent incidents.
"That is a good thing," Salgado said of the drop in crime. "I believe the recent incidents were very isolated and not reflective of what is happening."
Officials from CalFire said the policy change was prompted, in part, by a recommendation from the Sheriff's Department, which provides law-enforcement services for the reservation. The reservation is patrolled as part of the larger unincorporated area covered by the department's Valle Vista station.
The new policy does not include emergency calls from the Soboba Casino, where firefighters will proceed in as usual.
In an incident earlier this month, two deputies were fired at when a vehicle chase ended on the reservation. The unidentified driver had not yielded when a deputy tried to make a routine traffic stop on Castile Canyon Road northeast of Soboba Road, and the vehicle was pursued. Investigators have not determined why the driver did not yield.
Broken windshield glass grazed one of the deputies, but no medical attention was needed, authorities said.
The chase was similar to one in December that involved California Highway Patrol officers. In that incident, a CHP officer traded gunfire during a high-speed pursuit that started in Beaumont and ended on the reservation.
Lt. Kevin Vest, who serves as police chief in San Jacinto, said it is likely the recommendation to CalFire reflected the recent upswing in criminal activity, rather than any long-term analysis of crime on the reservation.
Salgado said tribal officials are worried because the policy change means response times for emergency calls, now about six minutes, likely will increase to as long as 15 minutes or longer.
There are 10 to 40 calls for service a month from the reservation, according to one CalFire estimate.
Salgado said tribal officials are talking to CalFire representatives in hopes of getting the policy reversed or modified.
It is not uncommon for firefighters to wait -- called staging -- for deputies to clear the scene of an emergency call in which the safety of responders is an issue, such as a shooting or a domestic violence call. But other medical aid calls, such as those involving a heart attack or a disoriented person, generally do not require firefighters to wait for an escort.
There was a similar policy in place over the years whenever an upswing in violence occurred on the reservation. During the 1970s, a CDF squad and fire engine were shot at as firefighters responded to a call on the reservation.
Salgado said tribal officials are taking steps they hope will improve security on the reservation, including the construction of a guard shack on Soboba Road that will limit access to the reservation. The facility, located between the casino and the tribal hall, is expected to be completed next month, Salgado said.
"We'll have better control over who enters the reservation," Salgado said. "That should be something that helps, too."
The structure is similar to one on the Morongo Reservation that limits access to the reservation near Cabazon.
Soboba tribal officials have long argued that much of the crime on the reservation is committed by outsiders who make their way onto the reservation.
While the issue of outsider crime can be debated, Vest said limiting access to the Soboba Reservation will likely help reduce crime.
Source: pe.com
News: Man held in Catalina Island fire inquiry
Island fire - Man held in Catalina fire inquiry
LONG BEACH - An Indiana man has been charged for allegedly starting the Santa Catalina Island fire in May, authorities said Tuesday.
Gary Dennis Hunt, 49, was charged with two felony counts in his arrest warrant: one for recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure and one for recklessly causing a fire to a structure or forest. Three Catalina Island addresses were listed in the counts.
According to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, Hunt was a subcontractor working on the island. Despite posted signs about extreme fire danger and prohibition of open flames, he allegedly used an open-flame torch on May 10 to cut the cables on the island's radio tower, Ambrose said.
That allegedly started the fire, which burned 4,750 acres and cost $5 million to fight.
Hunt is scheduled to be brought to Los Angeles County by county fire investigators this week, according to Deputy District Attorney Ann W. Ambrose. His arraignment is tentatively set for Monday at the Long Beach Superior Court.
If convicted, Hunt faces a maximum prison term of eight years.
Hunt was arrested Jan. 19 in Indiana and is currently in custody of the Gibson County Sheriff's Department.
In a past interview, Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau president and CEO Wayne Griffin estimated that there was $11.5 million in property damage to one home and six industrial storage buildings, and a $2 million loss of tourist
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dollars from the fire.
For three days, tourists were advised against visiting the island while city and county fire departments battled the blaze. In addition, 479 buildings in Avalon were under mandatory evacuation at the height of the fire.
Source: Press-telegram
Blogs: Thank God for United States Firefighters
Editor: Found this story on a foreign blog(11-25) probably Singapore or Hong Kong, Wow what a completely different view of firefighters and suppression methods, And a complete lack of professionalism.
A Public Disservice
Last December 13, 2007, a fire nearly razed the apartment I was renting in Project 4, QC. To date there is no sufficient explanation about what started the fire. Well, there are rumors but this is not about rumor mongering but this about getting my frustrations out.
Around 8:30 in the evening my landlord rather nervously shouted that there was a fire. For the first time in my life, I panicked. Not because everyone was caught off guard but everything I own in this world is in my apartment including my life's works. To lose them would not only be unthinkable but a huge blow to my morale and well being.
The first thing I did was call my dad for help then I stuffed my laptop, videocam, passport, wallet, Zinedine Zidane France jersey and some discs (containing my work) into a duffel bag and backpack. I had to forcibly grab my dog that hid under the bed and push her out to safety. The flames threatened to engulf the entire neighborhood and put a huge damper on the Holiday cheer. People were clambering over the roofs of the other houses to get to safety. They were carrying everything they could possibly carry; adrenaline giving them an extra dose of strength to carry the improbable. A neighbor's roof was unable to support the weight that it gave in with a hideous and sickening roar that added to the panic and chaos.
I stood shocked and felt totally helpless. It isn't so much about being materialistic but damn... that's everything that I own.
The first fire trucks (they had QC markings) arrived some 10 minutes after I had gotten out. To my horror, they had no water! That snapped me out of my stupor. I immediately gathered my neighbors to combat the fire using pails, garden hoses, jugs of mineral water, and cube ice! Thank God for firewalls because the inferno would have devoured everything in the neighborhood. With us at the wall fighting the fire (the firemen just stood by smoking cigarettes), we had a chance to keep it from spreading into our side of the street until help arrived. The blaze wasn't something that was going to be easy to put out. It had already razed several dozen houses in the area and as it tore through a nearby squatter area it was like pouring gasoline into the conflagration.
I'm not sure how long it took but after a spell, the fire trucks from the Chinese Volunteers arrived. Mercifully, they had water.
It was a surreal moment. There were people up on the roof taking videos of the fire with their camera phones. There was no police line to hold back the onlookers or even direct traffic. Home owners who saved what they could would throw their belongings to the ground and rush back to grab whatever they could. With their belongings unattended, opportunistic thieves wasted no time in pilfering whatever was left of their lives. Two looters were caught but were let go since there was no time to take them to the precinct. Instead they were slugged a couple of times in the face to leave them with a telling reminder of their crime. Now whether that would have effect on them we'll never know.
My two brothers soon arrived separately and began helping save what they could of my belongings. After that they climbed up the roof to help with the fire fighting.
By 1230, the fire trucks incredulously began to pull out despite the fire not totally put out. Their fire chief said that it had been "contained" and posed no further danger. I grabbed him by the hand and pointed to the embers that were floating skyward. Obviously the fire wasn't out. If there were smoldering embers that were floating into the night sky that meant the fire was still feeding on some things. Just as the fire trucks (there were 16 of them) were pulling out, the blaze roared back to life and rose high. These firemen were unreal. Some of them went around the neighborhood asking homeowners for juice. Yup, juice. Not water!
The walls of the apartment were smoking. If left unchecked, it could have exploded and let the fire inside the compound walls. By now, we had been fighting the fire for like four hours and I could feel my body and all its unused muscles aching. I was drenched with sweat and water and black from the smoke.
Two more fire trucks arrived and by 330am the fire was finally put out.
The apartment was a mess. It was black and sooty from the fire. The ceiling and the roof damaged from both the fire and water. The whole place smelled of smoke. Some of my belongings were destroyed from either the rush to save them or from the fire. I lost some precious items to looters.
I wasn't able to sleep anymore that day and immediately began to clean what I could. My body gave in from nearly seven hours of fire fighting and fatigue that I would be bogged down by a fever for nearly two weeks.
There are still moments when I wake up at night to check if I am still alive and that there's no fire threatening to take my life and what I own. If anything, that moment of clarity that spurred me to action was a sign from God not to take things for granted.
I came away from that experience with more distrust and disgust in our police forces and fire department. How many times have we heard about firemen looting the homes they were supposed to save? How many times have we heard about cops not being where they are supposed to be?
I never liked them. And I never will.
EDIS: FLASH FLOOD WATCH - SoCal Burn areas
EMERGENCY DIGITAL INFORMATION SERVICE SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS
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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
SAR News: SAR Team locates trapped vehicle
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The Sheriff's Department Search & Rescue team, along with California Highway Patrol officers, spent Monday night searching the mountains east of Bakersfield to find a vehicle stuck in the snow.
Details were sketchy at first as police headed up Breckenridge Road east of Bakersfield about 20-30 miles east of Comanche Drive.
There were no injuries as a family of tourists got stuck in the snow on Mt. Breckenridge.
Source: turnto23.com
Details were sketchy at first as police headed up Breckenridge Road east of Bakersfield about 20-30 miles east of Comanche Drive.
There were no injuries as a family of tourists got stuck in the snow on Mt. Breckenridge.
Source: turnto23.com
USFS: aerial tour San Bernardino National Forest
Acting U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner is scheduled to take an aerial tour today of the San Bernardino National Forest -- the site of recent major wildfires -- before visiting local officials at an air tanker base in San Bernardino.
"It's just to get more information about the forest and the fires," forest Fire Chief Mike Dietrich said of the tour's purpose.
Conner's department oversees the U.S. Forest Service.
Among the fire scene's he will view are those of the 12,759-acre Slide Fire and the 1,247-acre Grass Valley Fire, which burned during October in the San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs, and the 2006 Esperanza Fire that killed five firefighters in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County.
After the tour, Conner is scheduled to land at about 3:30 p.m. at San Bernardino Air Tanker Base to meet with local politicians and federal, state and local fire officials, Dietrich said.
WINTER STORM WATCH - SO CAL MOUNTAINS
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KCFD - 2008 Pierce Quantum delivered
2008 Pierce Quantum - 550 horsepower engine
Ready to Serve
Story at: Tehachapi news
“It shows the commitment of Kern County Fire by supplying Tehachapi with the most efficient and effective equipment available to serve the community.”
These words were spoken by Kern County Supervisor Don Maben as he, along with Tehachapi interim City Manager Greg Garrett and assorted guests attended a christening ceremony for Tehachapi's newest “state of the art” fire engine as it was being delivered to Fire Station-12 in Tehachapi.
Personally delivered by Kern County Fire Chief Dennis Thompson and Deputy Chief Mike Cody, this 2008 Pierce Quantum 550 horsepower engine replaces the older, high mileage engine. The older engine will most likely be stationed in Lake Isabella where it will supplement the county's fire needs in that area.
With some of the most advanced mechanical features, as well as the newest and lightest rescue equipment on board, Station-12’s Captain Tom Franchere explained, “This new engine is far more user friendly. Its lighter weight rescue equipment will help firefighters be more efficient, less prone to injury and, in general, live longer.” Franchere continued, “Our newer and more sensitive infrared cameras will help locate heat inside walls and attic spaces and lessen the need of ripping open the walls or punching a hole in a ceiling to look for hidden fire spread.”
Deputy Chief Cody thanked Supervisor Maben for his efforts in making it possible for the department’s newest engine to be stationed in Tehachapi.
“It was a year-long process from budget approval to delivery. Three separate inspections were performed during the building process. Each engine is then driven out from the factory in Appleton, Wisc.,” said Cody.
After arriving in Kern County, the engine was outfitted with all new hand-selected equipment to best serve the needs of the area it's assigned to.
Chief Cody continued, “Each engine cost $400,000 out the factory door and normally an additional $100,000 is needed to outfit each engine with firefighting tools and rescue equipment.”
In addition to this new engine, about eight months ago Station-12 received a brand new patrol truck with all new equipment at a cost of $100,000. Thus, Kern County has recently invested upwards of $600,000 in equipment to serve the community of Tehachapi.
Supervisor Maben christened the new engine by breaking the champagne bottle over the bumper of the new truck, followed by a compartment-by-compartment tour of the truck for those in attendance.
The tour, led by Battalion Fire Chief Steve Kinsey, was cut short, as within less than 45 minutes after its arrival to Station-12, the new engine rolled out on its first call to serve the citizens of the Tehachapi area.
California 9-11 rescue workers abandoned by White house
911 Rescue and Recovery workers: 9-11 rescue workers abandoned by White house:
Bush Administration avoiding hearing on aid for out-of-state 9/11 responders
The White House is ducking Tuesday's hearing on why it scrapped a plan to help ailing 9/11 responders who live outside New York.
The decision to skip the hearing is angering critics who say the Bush administration has all but abandoned the generous souls who raced to New York after 9/11.
'Responders rushed from all over the country to help New York on 9/11. But [the U.S. Health and Human Services Department] couldn't find one person in the building to come to New York?' said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens).
'They don't fight for 9/11 health programs. Instead, they fight to stop them.'
A spokeswoman who returned a call to the Health and Human Services Department said officials would answer questions at another time.
That's not good enough for Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn), who leads the House oversight subcommittee on government management, organization and procurement.
'If I must issue subpoenas, that is what I will do,' Towns vowed. 'The administration's handling of 9/11 health care is one of the worst-managed programs I have ever seen.'
The nationwide 9/11 health program would have offered pharmacy"
Bush Administration avoiding hearing on aid for out-of-state 9/11 responders
The White House is ducking Tuesday's hearing on why it scrapped a plan to help ailing 9/11 responders who live outside New York.
The decision to skip the hearing is angering critics who say the Bush administration has all but abandoned the generous souls who raced to New York after 9/11.
'Responders rushed from all over the country to help New York on 9/11. But [the U.S. Health and Human Services Department] couldn't find one person in the building to come to New York?' said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens).
'They don't fight for 9/11 health programs. Instead, they fight to stop them.'
A spokeswoman who returned a call to the Health and Human Services Department said officials would answer questions at another time.
That's not good enough for Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn), who leads the House oversight subcommittee on government management, organization and procurement.
'If I must issue subpoenas, that is what I will do,' Towns vowed. 'The administration's handling of 9/11 health care is one of the worst-managed programs I have ever seen.'
The nationwide 9/11 health program would have offered pharmacy"
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