California Fire News

News: Forest Service instructed to retain SoCal firefighters Posted: 30 Dec 2007 10:31 AM CST By Jason Pesick, Staff Writer Article Launched: 12/29/2007 12:00:00 AM PST Members of Congress appear to be concerned the U.S. Forest Service is losing too many of its Southern California firefighters. An item in the massive $555-billion spending bill President Bush signed this week instructs the Forest Service to prepare a proposal by Feb. 1 to improve recruitment and retention of firefighters in Southern California's national forests. Firefighters in the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are on the front lines of wildfires in places like the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests. "I see that as positive," said Mike Dietrich, fire chief for the San Bernardino forest, of the recruitment and retention proposal. The item, inserted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., calls on the Forest Service to present its plan to the House and Senate appropriation committees by the February deadline. The San Bernardino National Forest, the nation's most urbanized forest, lost 60 of about 210 firefighters from October 2006 to mid-May, Dietrich said. He said the defections have slowed since then, but that he's nervous about what will happen during the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's next hiring round. The CDF had almost 500 vacancies as of Nov. 1. A number of Forest Service firefighters said they have applied to the CDF and that many of their colleagues have done the same. Forest Service firefighters have a number of complaints about how they are treated, but the gap between their salaries and those of other firefighters' arguably is the most significant. Base pay for a firefighter in the Angeles National Forest is $32,000. It's $50,000 in the CDF and $60,000 in the San Bernardino Fire Department. Earlier this year, six members of Congress with districts near the Angeles National Forest wrote a letter to the chief of the Forest Service, Abigail Kimbell, and the forest's supervisor, Jody Noiron, asking how the Forest Service is addressing retention problems. According to the letter, because of personnel problems, only 60 percent to 70 percent of fire engines in the Angeles National Forest are regularly staffed. "With large and difficult fires more likely, and more and more homes and businesses on the forest edge, it is exceptionally important that the National Forest system maintain enough trained, experienced fire crews to keep the forests and surrounding communities safe," the letter reads. Earlier this month, the Forest Service's California region held meetings to discuss the retention problems. No report has been released from those meetings. Dietrich said he has heard very little about what was discussed. The report should be released within two weeks, said Forest Service regional spokeswoman Janice Gauthier. The information in that report could be used to meet the Feb. 1 deadline, she said. "I think this group has taken a good analytical look," Gauthier said. Casey Judd, business manager of the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association, which represents federal firefighters, said he is happy Congress is starting to listen to firefighters. But he is not optimistic the Forest Service will improve unless Congress "takes the reins" of the fire program from the Forest Service. Jo Maney, a spokeswoman for Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, said firefighter retention is a top priority. "It's a matter of public safety," Maney said. "We just want to make sure they have everything they need." Source: Article

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EDIS: FIRE WEATHER WATCH - All of So Cal Posted: 30 Dec 2007 12:43 AM CST FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR CRITICALLY LOW HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A WIDESPREAD AREA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. PEAK GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH AND HUMIDITIES BELOW 15 PERCENT ARE EXPECTED FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible VENTURA COUNTY COAST-LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST- Update sent at 15:17 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA- Update sent at 15:17 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS-LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS- Update sent at 15:17 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible SANTA CLARITA VALLEY- Update sent at 15:17 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES AND THE COASTS AND VALLEYS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES Actual/Future/Severe/Possible VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS / LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST-LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS / ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST- Update sent at 15:17 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES Actual/Future/Severe/Possible ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-SAN DIEGO COUNTY INLAND VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE MOUNTAIN TOP AND FRONT COUNTRY RANGER DISTRICTS OFTHE SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE SAN JACINTO RANGER DISTRICT OF THE SAN BERNARDINONATIONAL FOREST-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE TRABUCO RANGER DISTRICT OF THE CLEVELAND NATIONALFOREST-SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE PALOMAR AND DESCANSO RANGER DISTRICTS OF THECLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST- Alert sent at 10:36 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible VENTURA COUNTY COAST-LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST- Alert sent at 10:13 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA- Alert sent at 10:13 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS-LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS- Alert sent at 10:13 PST on 2007-12-29 FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON Actual/Future/Severe/Possible SANTA CLARITA VALLEY- Alert sent at 10:13 PST on 2007-12-29 A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES AND THE COASTS AND VALLEYS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES Actual/Future/Severe/Possible VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS / LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST-LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS / ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST- Alert sent at 10:13 PST on 2007-12-29

News: Patterson Hero recovering in Hospital Posted: 29 Dec 2007 12:15 PM CST Rescuer wishes he could have done more David Gillespie, recovering from injuries incurred when he helped pull two accident victims out their burning car gets a hug from his mom Maretta Moore as his dad, David C. Gillespie watch at Emanuel Medical Center, Friday, December 28, 2007. Photography Credit: (Debbie Noda/The Modesto Bee) 'Angels' pulled two to safety but couldn't save everyone By BEN van der MEER bvandermeer@modbee.com TURLOCK -- A Patterson man who helped pull two men from a flaming car wreck in Grayson on Thursday said he's no hero. He's just sorry he couldn't save the three people who died. David Gillespie, 37, spoke Friday from Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, where he was being treated for smoke inhalation after he worked with other unidentified passers-by to pull a Ceres man and a Utah man from a burning, overturned Toyota Camry. The Camry was involved in a head-on accident that killed three people and sent three to the hospital. Two of the survivors, Walter Holcher, 32, of Ceres and Burris Fisher, 21, of Utah, were in the intensive-care units at, respectively, Memorial and Doctors medical centers in Modesto. A California Highway Patrol officer identified the three men killed in the accident as John Rivera, 26, of Waterford, Brandon Mil-ler, 25, of Modesto and Cody Butler, 20, of Keyes. Gillespie said he came upon the crash while coming home from his job as a truck driver in Keyes. He arrived minutes after the wreck, about 5:15 p.m. When he got there, Gillespie said, the Camry was on its side, and two people in the back seat were partially trapped, with their torsos out of the vehicle but their legs pinned. Gillespie said he and a few other people tipped the overturned Camry back on its tires. He said he quickly realized that Rivera, who was in the front seat, would not survive. Gillespie said he then punched out the front driver's side window and pulled Fisher out. "He was going to burn to death if I didn't get him," Gillespie said, adding that Fisher cussed at him while he struggled to save the man. "I figured, 'You can be mad at me later.' " Accord driver still in hospital Fisher was driving the Camry when it went out of control and collided head-on with a Honda Accord driven by Jose Barahoma, 40, of Delhi. Barahoma was taken to Memorial Medical Center with unspecified injuries. According to the CHP, Barahoma still was there Friday, but further details were unavailable. Gillespie said he and the other passers-by pulled Holcher from the back seat of the Camry while the car was burning, and used bottled water and fire extinguishers to douse him and the people inside the car. They tried to get the Camry's door open, but couldn't get Mil-ler and Butler out of the back seat in time. About then, Gillespie said, he began to realize how dangerous the situation was when the car's battery exploded, followed by the four tires. "There was nothing we could do at that point," said Gillespie, who added that a water tender from the Westport Fire Protection District had arrived by then. "It was the most helpless feeling I've ever had, and I hope to never have that again," said Gillespie, who suffered only minor cuts on his hands. He added that the other volunteers who helped deserve as much credit as he does. A grateful sister Gillespie said he checked into Emanuel on Friday after suffering chest pains, and said doctors told him it came from smoke inhalation and they would keep him overnight. Fisher's sister, Heather Davis of Riverbank, wept as she described her gratitude to Gillespie. "If he hadn't stopped, my brother wouldn't be here," she said from Fisher's room at Doctors Medical Center. Fisher, originally from Ceres, was visiting from Utah for the holidays, she said. Davis, 34, said she didn't know where Fisher was heading when the accident happened. Fisher suffered two broken legs, a ruptured spleen, broken ribs and a skull fracture in the accident, she said. Donna Rice, Holcher's girlfriend, said he suffered two broken legs, a ruptured spleen and a punctured lung in the accident. She said Holcher has been sedated since undergoing surgery Thursday. "They're angels," said Rice, 35, of Gillespie and the others who stopped to help. "He's hurt pretty bad." A CHP official said the accident is under investigation, but equipment failure or alcohol have been ruled out as possible causes. He said investigators will conduct tests to see if drugs may have contributed to the accident. Original Source: Article Modesto Bee Map: PDF Graphic: Site of accident Video: Truck driver describes rescuing 2 men from fiery wreck

News: Fire crews lured away Posted: 29 Dec 2007 11:08 AM CST Fire crews lured away State, SB offer higher pay rate Jason Pesick, Staff Writer Article Launched: 12/28/2007 10:17:40 PM PST Download: Letter from Congress Members of Congress appear to be concerned the U.S. Forest Service is losing too many of its Southern California firefighters. An item in the massive $555 billion spending bill President Bush signed this week instructs the Forest Service to prepare a proposal by Feb. 1 to improve recruitment and retention of firefighters in Southern California's national forests. Firefighters in the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are on the front lines of wildfires in places like the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests. "I see that as positive," Mike Dietrich, fire chief for the San Bernardino forest, said of the recruitment and retention proposal. The item, inserted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., calls on the Forest Service to present its plan to the House and Senate appropriation committees by the February deadline. The San Bernardino National Forest, the nation's most urbanized forest, lost 60 of about 210 firefighters from October 2006 to mid-May, Dietrich said. He said the defections have slowed since then, but that he's nervous about what will happen during the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's next hiring round. The CDF had almost 500 vacancies as of Nov. 1. A number of Forest Service firefighters said they have applied to the CDF and that many of their colleagues have done the same. Forest Service firefighters have a number of complaints about how they are treated, but the gap between their salaries and those of other firefighters' arguably is the most significant. Base pay for a firefighter in the Angeles National Forest is $32,000. It's $50,000 in the CDF and $60,000 in the San Bernardino Fire Department. Earlier this year, six members of Congress with districts near the Angeles National Forest wrote a letter to the chief of the Forest Service, Abigail Kimbell, and the forest's supervisor, Jody Noiron, asking how the Forest Service is addressing retention problems. According to the letter, because of personnel problems, only 60 percent to 70 percent of fire engines in the Angeles National Forest are regularly staffed. "With large and difficult fires more likely, and more and more homes and businesses on the forest edge, it is exceptionally important that the National Forest system maintain enough trained, experienced fire crews to keep the forests and surrounding communities safe," the letter reads. Earlier this month, the Forest Service's California region held meetings to discuss the retention problems. No report has been released from those meetings. Dietrich said he has heard very little about what was discussed. The report should be released within two weeks, said Forest Service regional spokeswoman Janice Gauthier. The information in that report could be used to meet the Feb. 1 deadline, she said. "I think this group has taken a good analytical look," Gauthier said. Casey Judd, business manager of the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association, which represents federal firefighters, said he is happy Congress is starting to listen to firefighters. But he is not optimistic the Forest Service will improve unless Congress "takes the reins" of the fire program from the Forest Service. Jo Maney, a spokeswoman for Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, said firefighter retention is a top priority. "It's a matter of public safety," Maney said. "We just want to make sure they have everything they need." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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LAPD Air Unit - Emergency Landing - No Injuries Posted: 29 Dec 2007 12:53 AM CST *Los Angeles Police Aircraft Incident* Location: 1521 N Highland Ave; TG 593-E4; FS 27, An LAPD Air Unit made an emergency landing on the football field at Hollywood High. It landed safely and there were no injuries reported. LAFD E27 and RA82 were standing by. Ch:7, TAC 12

Heads up! - Sundowner winds - New Years Eve Posted: 29 Dec 2007 12:36 AM CST SUNDOWNER WINDS - FIRE WEATHER WATCH - NEW YEARS EVE AND FOLLOWING DAY Predictive weather services such as Ontario Weather Service (OWS) and even NOAA are calling for a severe weather event on New Years eve and following day. Ontario weather service is calling it a Fire Weather Watch and NOAA is predicting what they term a Sundowner Event whatever you want to call it this could be bad. Heads up! expect Downslope - Offshore winds, sudden high temperatures, sudden humidity drops possibly into the single digits. These severe weather events usually occur in the late afternoon or early evening with increased strong winds becoming downslope and offshore with sudden warming and a corresponding RH drop. This weather event is predicted for New Years evening into the next day... The Santa Barbra area is historically very vulnerable for severe damage during these events and many of the most destructive conflagrations that have occurred in the Santa Barbara region, including the Painted Cave fire of June 1990, which was among the more devastating fires in California history occurred during one of these wind episodes and even without fire damage occurs such as New Years Eve 1995 Sundowner event.(1) In this event temperatures remained somewhat moderate but wind speeds reached damaging levels. A statement issued by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Oxnard at 0645 UTC 1 January 1996 (2245 PST 31 December 1995) noted that in the coastal areas of Santa Barbara County "several roads were closed due to debris cluttering the streets" and that "wind speeds of 40 to 45 mph with gusts to near 60 mph were reported in the Santa Barbara area. National Weather Service - NOAA -Link THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE.. TODAY HIGH SURF HAS SUBSIDED ALONG THE CENTRAL COAST THIS MORNING. MODERATE TO STRONG RIP CURRENTS MAY STILL PERSIST...SO PERSONS GOING INTO THE OCEAN ALONG THE CENTRAL COAST SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH WATER RELATED ACTIVITIES AND USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN ENTERING THE OCEAN. WHEN IN DOUBT...JUST STAY OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN.. SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A REBUILDING NORTHWEST SWELL SATURDAY COULD BRING HIGH SURF AND STRONG RIP CURRENT TO THE CENTRAL COAST ONCE AGAIN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND. OFFSHORE FLOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BEGINNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON BEHIND A FRONTAL BOUNDARY. A WEAK TO MODERATE SUNDOWNER EVENT IS POSSIBLE SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SATURDAY EVENING. WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH MONDAY...AFFECTING PORTION OF LOS ANGELES.. VENTURA...AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES. STRONG OFFSHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO NEW YEARS DAY. A STORM SYSTEM COULD IMPACT THE AREA AFTER MIDWEEK NEXT WEEK BRINGING POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION AND STRONG WINDS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERT.

FIRE WEATHER WATCH - SANTA ANA WIND EVENT NEW YEARS EVE Posted: 28 Dec 2007 03:48 PM CST FIRE WEATHER WATCH - Red Flags flying New Years eve and New Years day ALL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ONTARIO WEATHER SERVICE - Fire weather center DECEMBER 28, 2007 - 6AM ALL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, EXCLUDING THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DESERTS.... VALID NEW YEARS EVE AND NEW YEARS DAY FIRE WATCH : THE ONTARIO WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN ADVANCED OF THE POTENTIAL DAMAGING AND WARM SANTA ANA WIND EVENT ON NEW YEARS EVE, AND NEW YEARS DAY. THIS FIRE WATCH IS MAINLY FOR THE WARMTH THESE WINDS WILL BRING, AND DRY SURFACE LEVEL AIR. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO GET INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS THESE DAYS. WE ARE GETTING THIS WORD OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE DANGER OF THIS EVENT IS NOT ONLY THE WINDS, BUT THE FIREWORKS ON NEW YEARS. ILLEGAL, AND LEGAL FIREWORKS WILL MEAN AN EVEN GREATER RISK OF WIDESPREAD FIRE DANGER POSSIBILITIES SO PLEASE TAKE THIS AS A NOTE. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH WILL DIE WITH THE WINDS ON WEDNESDAY AS ONSHORE FLOW RETURNS, UPPING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FIRE DANGERS MAY BE JUST AS BAD AS SEEN ON OCTOBER 2007 BECAUSE OF FIREWORK PURCHASES AND USES DURING THE NEW YEARS EVE AND DAY TIME-FRAME. OWS USES EVENTS TO DETERMINE FIRE DANGERS NOT JUST METEOROLOGICAL DATA. NEW YEARS AND JULY 4 ARE BIG EVENTS. FIRE WEATHER WATCH WILL TURN TO FIRE WEATHER WARNING ON SATURDAY NIGHT, INTO SUNDAY MORNING WHEN THE EVENT NEARS. AM CONFIDENT IN MY FORECAST FOR THE WINDS, AND FIRE DANGERS. Source: OWS

CHP - Victim ID's still unknown - Christmas Day crash Posted: 28 Dec 2007 03:37 PM CST SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY- The identities of the five people who died on Christmas night in a fiery crash on Highway 46 remain a mystery. Investigators with the California Highway Patrol say they are still trying to identify the victims. The county coroner's office says the case is moving quicker than expected, but it will likely be several days before positive ID's can be made.

GRAYSON - MVA / FIRE - Three people dead Posted: 28 Dec 2007 03:30 PM CST GRAYSON -- Three people died Thursday when the car they were in burst into flames after a two-car head-on collision on West Grayson Road, the California Highway Patrol reported. A Patterson man passing by pulled two people from a Toyota Camry, likely saving their lives, said CHP officer D. Crooker. The driver of the second car also was in serious condition but expected to survive. The three survivors suffered major injuries. The accident occurred about 5:15 p.m. just west of Laird Road, Crooker said. Burris Fisher, 21, of Utah was driving a gray Camry west on Grayson when he lost control of the car, spun counterclockwise into the oncoming lane and collided with an eastbound Honda Accord driven by Jose Barahoma, 40, of Delhi, Crooker said. Barahoma was alone in his car. The Toyota Camry flipped onto its right side from the impact and caught on fire. Moments later, two vehicles arrived at the accident. The good Samaritans pushed the Toyota onto its tires and smashed the left-side windows to reach its driver and passengers. A Patterson man, David K. Gillespie, 37, pulled Fisher and one of his passengers, Walter Holcher, 32, of Ceres from the Toyota, Crooker said. The three other passengers in the Toyota died. Their names were not released pending notification of family. "He's a hero," Crooker said of Gillespie. The name of the second person who stopped and helped was not available. Holcher was taken by helicopter and Barahoma by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, Crooker said. Fisher was taken by ambulance to Doctors Medical Center, also in Modesto. About 7:15 p.m., rescue workers from the Westport Fire Protection District pulled off the Toyota's roof to reach the three bodies. Grayson Road was closed from Laird to Shiloh roads for several hours as rescue workers investigated and cleared the scene. The CHP is investigating and will recommend appropriate charges to prosecutors, Crooker said. Alcohol was not involved, but the CHP is trying to determine whether drugs could have been a factor. Source: Modesto Bee

Editorial: TENS - Telephone emergency notification systems Posted: 28 Dec 2007 02:20 PM CST TENS - Telephone emergency notification systems, Well what ya think do we have a new moniker for Telephone emergency notification systems? Whether creating new headlines or a memo in a EOC we all certainly need a shorter name than "Reverse Call-Back system", Reverse 9-11 system 0r "Telephone emergency notification system" for one thing it is to long for Headlines! and really could save vital time in critical situations from incident command level to tactical communications level. I have never tired to coin a term before but as of now at Cal Fire News we will refer to these systems as the TENS or the TEN System. Quick research on Google shows no significant prior usage of this term. Comments welcome TENS or the TEN System. - (Acronym) Shorthand for the for Reverse 911 Telephone Emergency Notification System. The TENS Emergency Notification System allows local government to rapidly send telephone notifications to all residents and businesses in an affected area in the event of an emergency. An operator using the system can identify a affected neighborhood or a region of a city and record a message that describes the situation. The TENS will automatically call listed and unlisted telephone numbers (including TTY/TDD) within the affected area and deliver the recorded message. If phone lines are busy, the system will attempt to redial those telephone numbers to make contact. If an answering machine picks up the call, the emergency message will be left on the machine. A work in progress - Copyright reserved - Cal Fire News

News: Governor funds TENS for needy counties Posted: 28 Dec 2007 02:25 PM CST CALIFORNIA COUNTIES WITHOUT EMERGENCY TELEPHONE WARNING SYSTEMS may apply for funding January 31 28 December 2007 Governor Schwarzenegger today announced that he is setting aside $2 million from the State's share of fiscal year 2007 Federal Department of Homeland Security grant funds for counties without telephone emergency notification systems to purchase and install them. By prioritizing federal grant funding for programs similar to the "reverse 9-1-1″ system used in San Diego during the recent firestorm to warn residents, local officials will help implement a statewide alert and warning initiative while improving local emergency response capabilities. Counties will be able to apply for grant funding at ohs.ca.gov starting on January 31, 2008. "We must remain vigilant in ensuring we're doing everything possible to prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "The ability of local and state agencies to provide timely and accurate information to the public about threats and safety instructions before, during and immediately after emergencies is a top priority for my administration. A warning system that is effective, integrated and comprehensive is critical to saving lives." The Governor's Offices' of Homeland Security (OHS) and Emergency Services (OES) and other state agencies are working to enhance efforts to develop a statewide alert system. This funding allocation is designed to work towards that goal. It is also part of the State's Metrics Program to identify, strengthen and build on our public safety capabilities. "We always are working on assessing needs and finding grant sources to satisfy those needs. These grant funds will go a long way toward implementing systems that will protect the public in a variety of emergencies and also help our first responders do their jobs more safely and efficiently," said OHS Director Matt Bettenhausen. "Coordination among local, state and federal agencies in issuing alerts and warnings is as critical as it is in coordinating fire, law enforcement and other resources," said OES Director Henry Renteria. Under the allocation, the funding will be available to thirteen counties currently without telephone emergency notification systems. With these funds, the thirteen counties may purchase and install telephone emergency notification systems as well as pay for the first two years of maintenance of the systems. The following thirteen counties do not have telephone emergency notification systems and will be eligible for the $2 million in funds: Colusa, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Mendocino, Plumas, San Benito, San Joaquin, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity and Tulare. To date, OES and OHS have allocated billions of funds to California 's first responder entities to assist with the prevention of, mitigation against, preparedness for, and response to natural, human caused, and technological disasters. Source: Article

News: Corral Fire - Malibu - Suspects tell a story Posted: 28 Dec 2007 12:38 PM CST Two Sets of Malibu Wildfire Suspects Proceed to Next Court Dates • Five Men Charged with Starting or Causing Conditions that Led to Devastating Corral Canyon Blaze • BY HANS LAETZ - Malibu Surfside news Last week's bail hearing for three Los Angeles men provided the first details about what arson detectives say happened at the now notorious cave at the end of Corral Canyon Road the night that Malibu's worst brushfire in 12 years was ignited. In remarks from the bench, Judge Michael Kellogg went beyond what is usually discussed at routine bail hearings by reciting the alleged events of that night in great detail, and offered conclusions as to the chain of events and the suspects' likely guilt. "Careless" and "callous" were the terms that the judge— himself affected by recent Malibu brushfires—used to describe the acts by the three Los Angeles men who went before him last Friday seeking reduced bail. Attorneys for the men argued that they are being made scapegoats by a community hungry for retribution. At issue last week was a request by William Thomas Cop­pock, 23, and Brian David Franks, 27, that the two men be released on their own recognizance pending their trial. Coppock's bail was reduced from $230,000 to $100,000, but his public defender said Coppock is broke and would spend Christmas in jail. The judge denied a request to release Coppock to the custody of a Los Angeles woman who said she had raised him after his mother was murdered when he was a child, and attested that "he doesn't have a mean bone in his body." Coppock's lawyer said the defendant, an employee at a Starbuck's, had a criminal record consisting only of a seat belt violation fine that had been paid. Codefendant Franks won a $10,000 reduction in his bail, to $230,000, based on a recalculation of state bail guidelines. He was released shortly after Friday's hearing in Van Nuys. Judge Kellogg noted that, although the defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty at a trial, all unproven charges must be considered to be true when a judge sets bail. "There is nothing to show me that there wasn't this callousness," Kellogg said, "and a high level of carelessness. And all the sorries in the world don't change that." Already free on bail is Brian Alan Anderson, 23, who was painted by prosecution documents as the ringleader of the trio of men who went to the mountaintop cave overlooking Malibu and the San Fernando Valley to drink beer and other alcohol the Friday night after Thanksgiving, as Santa Ana winds howled through the hills. As pieced together from details revealed in court by attorneys and the judge on Friday, Anderson, Coppock and Franks went to the cave after allegedly stealing between three to four packages of precut firewood from the Ralph's Market at Malibu Colony Plaza. Coppock also allegedly purchased lighter fluid, and someone bought a case of either 18 or 30 cans of beer, and hard liquor. It was cash register receipts from those purchases that allowed sheriff's arson investigators to subpoena bank records and find the three alleged arsonists, who stand charged with recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, recklessly causing fire to an inhabited structure, and arson during a state of emergency. All three of these crimes are felonies, and each carries a sentence of between 2-4 years. Prosecution reports revealed last Friday allege that the three men apparently drove to the cave and encountered two teenagers from Culver City: Dean Allan Lavorante, 19, and Eric Matthew Ullman, 18, and their girlfriends. Those men had a small bonfire going inside the cave, but left shortly after the other men arrived and started partying heavily. Lavorante and Ullman are also charged with the same crimes, but are being tried separately because the evidence against them is different than that targeting the three L.A. defendants. The Culver City men are free on bail and will face preliminary hearings on Feb. 14. According to a sheriff's report read by one of the attorneys in court last week, Anderson reportedly kicked burning logs out of the cave and into the surrounding brush. A drunken Anderson al­legedly ordered Coppock out of the cave to put it out. "Anderson kicked a burning log out of the cave and said, 'Here, put this out,'" Franks' public defender, Douglas Jay Goldstein, said. A pillow of some sort was then lit on fire, and thrown to­ward Coppock, who tried to stomp out the burning logs, pillow and embers in the volatile brush and whipping winds. "Guys were laughing," Goldstein maintained, adding that his client not only did not start the fire, "but [he] seemed to be a good Samaritan." The defense attorneys maintain that the three L.A. men did not start the fire, and left the cave thinking that the fire had been put out. But Judge Kellogg, during an unusual spoken review of the state's evidence, scoffed at that. Kellogg said he had carefully reviewed arson investigators reports, and looked at what each man had been seen doing that hot and windy night. The judge noted that the fire injured firefighters, one of them with second-degree burns, and one with a broken ankle. The judge added that the arson crimes do not charge that the men actually started the fire, but that their actions caused it to spread. Before the bail hearing began, Kellogg made it clear to attorneys that he was personally affected by the Malibu Canyon fire that took place a month earlier, when he had to rescue a friend's horses as a firestorm approached. He emphasized there was no local pressure in the case. "No one from Malibu is knocking on my door, saying we have to convict these men," the judge said. All three attorneys said they knew and trusted the judge and did not take him up on his offer to hand the case to another judge for the bail hearing. However, another judge will handle the preliminary hearing. Because Coppock is in jail, his attorney would not allow a waiver of the laws that requires a preliminary hearing within 10 court days. That means the other two defendants must rush through hundred of pages of sheriff's and fire department reports as they prepare for the Jan. 7 preliminary hearing date. At that session, the state must produce witnesses and evidence showing the likelihood that a crime was committed by the defendants. The defenders will be able to cross-examine witnesses and try to knock out the charges. Expected to testify is one woman who was at the party and gave sheriff's deputies a lengthy description of the night's events, which culminated in a fast-moving blaze that destroyed 53 houses between 2:30 and 7: 30a.m. No official damages tally has yet been released, but the figure of above $100 million has been estimated by the Malibu Surfside News and was quoted as accurate by Sheriff Lee Baca. No one was killed, but one firefighter from the Sacramento area suffered second-degree burns to his face when a burning garbage can exploded molten plastic as a stream of water hit it. Source: Article

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