California Fire News

Monday, September 24, 2007

California Fire News

Black firefighter served dog food settles suit with L.A.

Posted: 23 Sep 2007 07:50 PM CDT

Associated Press (September 22, 2007)

LOS ANGELES - The City of Los Angeles will pay $1.43 million (euro1 million) to settle claims by a black firefighter who said he suffered harassment and discrimination after co-workers served him spaghetti laced with dog food, officials announced.

The settlement between the city and Tennie Pierce was reached before the firefighter's lawsuit was to go to trial Monday.

Under the terms of the deal, Pierce will receive about $60,000 (euro43,000) in back pay, city clerk Frank Martinez said in a statement. Pierce, who has been on unpaid leave, also agreed to resign from the Fire Department and drop all claims against the city.

The payment is considerably less than a $2.7 million (euro1.9 million) settlement the City Council agreed to pay Pierce last year. That deal was later vetoed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa when photos surfaced on a Web site showing Pierce participating in hazing pranks.

"Today's agreement is the best possible outcome for the taxpayers. It reduces the original settlement by nearly half, while protecting Angelenos from further liability," Villaraigosa said Friday.

Last week, legal experts warned the City Council that Pierce's lawsuit could cost the city more than $7 million (euro5 million) if it goes to trial.

An after-hours call to Pierce's attorney, Genie Harrison, was not immediately returned.

Pierce sued the city in 2005 after fellow firefighters mixed dog food into his spaghetti dinner. He said he suffered retaliation for reporting the incident as well as verbal slurs, insults and derogatory remarks, including taunting by firefighters "barking like dogs (and) asking him how dog food tasted."

Pierce's claim was one of several lawsuits alleging a pattern of harassment and discrimination against women or minorities working for the department.

The cases have cost taxpayers more than $15 million (euro10 million) since 2005, including a record $6.2 million (euro4.4 million) judgment to Brenda Lee, a black lesbian firefighter who said she was taunted and retaliated against for complaining.

Fire Chief William Bamattre was forced to retire last year amid accusations that he'd failed to root out hazing and harassment during a decade on the job. Douglas Barry, who served as interim chief for nine months, became the city's first black fire chief when he was sworn in last week.

If I was a Hemet California tax payer I would ask a lot of questions on this heavy tax proposal...

Posted: 23 Sep 2007 06:43 PM CDT

☺Calif. City Wants Tax Increase To Hire Paramedics For Fire Engines

THE TOWN OF HEMET, CALIFORNIA, IS ASKING THE VOTERS to approve a half-cent sales tax increase that would be spent for improved police and fire operations. The fire department plan would add a paramedic-trained firefighter to each engine, bringing the minimum staffing up to four per unit

read more | digg story

Burlingame Boy arrested in fire - $1 million in damage

Posted: 23 Sep 2007 05:44 PM CDT

A 13-year-old Burlingame boy was arrested Friday night on suspicion of starting a fire that caused $1 million in damage to a building that houses apartments and businesses, police said Saturday.

Burlingame Sgt. Dawn Cutler said the fire broke out at 4:30 p.m., apparently sparked by the boy tossing an unextinguished match into a garbage can. Flames and smoke forced the evacuation of residents from two apartments and several businesses in the two-story building in the 1200 block of Burlingame Avenue.

Police did not disclose what charges the boy was taken into custody for. There were no reported injuries. Police said the boy did not live in either of the apartments in the building.

Officials at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall in San Mateo would not say whether the boy was still in custody at the youth detention center.

The businesses in the building include a children's clothing store, a stamp collection business, a restaurant, an antique and jewelry store and a self-storage business.

Fresno Firefighter Chris Johnson dies at 32 - LODD

Posted: 23 Sep 2007 07:48 PM CDT

Chris Johnson was born on June 19th, 1975 Chris started his employment May 19th,1997 at Squaw Valley (Fresno-Kings) as a seasonal fire fighter. In April of 2004, Chris promoted to Fire Apparatus Engineer. He lost his lengthy battle with leukemia on September 20th, 2007.
His death is considered a Line of Duty Death*.

He is survived by Son, CJ (Chris Jr.) 2-1/2 yrs old, wife Rebecca -28 yrs old. They lived in Sanger, Ca.

Chris Johnson, a firefighter with the Fresno County Fire Protection District-Cal Fire, has died after three years of battling cancer.

Johnson, 32, of Sanger died Thursday at a cancer facility in Southern California where he was being treated for leukemia, and where he had been awaiting a bone marrow transplant, which he never received, said Capt. Mike Bowman, a fire spokesman.

A fire apparatus engineer, Johnson was an 11-year-veteran of the department and was assigned to the Del Rey station, Bowman said.

His body was returned to Fresno on Friday night. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Johnson's survivors include his wife, Rebecca, and a 3-year-old son, C.J.

A Chris Johnson Memorial Fund has been set up to help pay for funeral expenses and other costs for his family during his illness, Bowman said. Donations may be made to any Central Valley Community Bank branch, account number 3220692.

Donations may also be sent to the Fresno County Fire Protection District headquarters at 210 S. Academy Ave., Sanger, CA 93657.

More information is available by calling the fire district at (559) 485-7500, ext. 100.

*FF Johnson's death is covered under California's cancer presumption laws.

Money wasted on archaic / redundant reverse 911 backup to county's system

Posted: 23 Sep 2007 05:28 PM CDT

New $180,000 reverse 911 backup to county's system described as archaic

By Craig Gustafson
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 23, 2007

SAN DIEGO – This month, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and his staff gave a detailed demonstration of how the city's new $180,000 Reverse 911 system would be able to phone residents quickly in emergencies such as a fire or tsunami.

No longer would health or safety personnel have to go door to door as they did last year for a boil-water order after the discovery of E. coli in tap water in northeastern San Diego. What Sanders didn't say was that county government has purchased a newer, better, faster alert system for roughly the same price that the city can use for free.

Reverse 911 – which can send 30-second phone messages to land lines – is not new for San Diegans. The county bought the system in August 2005 and allows cities to use it for larger-scale emergencies. It was most recently used to notify residents during the Angel fire near Julian last weekend.

The county, however, has bought a brand-new, technologically advanced system that allows public safety officials to call cell phones as well as send text messages and e-mail. It was launched Thursday. The county is using its Reverse 911 system as a backup.

Several public safety officials describe Reverse 911 as archaic. At least one prominent politician is puzzled by the city's decision to buy it when a better system is available for free.

County Supervisor Chairman Ron Roberts, who also chairs the county's Unified Disaster Council, said the city could have found a better use for its money.

"I think it's kind of an extravagance. We will have a system that will be operating that'll be far superior. And I don't see us continuing with that other (Reverse 911) contract," Roberts said. "If the city thinks they have a reason to, God knows they'd have to explain that."

San Diego city officials purchased Reverse 911 in September 2006 shortly after the boil-water order. They wanted more control over how to release emergency information and didn't want to go through the sheriff as the county's Reverse 911 system required.

The whole article at Union Tribune