California Fire News

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

California Fire News

Winter staffing in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties

Posted: 11 Dec 2007 03:16 AM CST

SAN ANDREAS -- Fire season has finally ended in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, as well as the eastern edges of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, Cal Fire announced Monday.

It is the latest end to a fire season here since 1986 officials said that they officially closed the season Saturday, which ties the Dec. 8, 1986, closing. Only once in the past 60 years has the official fire season lasted longer. That was in 1958, when it did not end until New Year's Eve.

The Tuolumne-Calaveras unit of Cal Fire responded to 303 vegetation fires during the 2007 season. Those fires burned 1,874 acres, causing an estimated $1.8 million in damage. The agency also responded to 344 other fires, including structures and motor vehicles, that caused more than $5 million in damage

Unmanned copter crashes, starts fire

Posted: 11 Dec 2007 03:03 AM CST

Boeing is testing A160 Hummingbird helicopter at SCLA for Defense Department

HILLARY BORRUD Staff Writer

December 10, 2007 - 3:02PM

VICTORVILLE — An unmanned helicopter known as the A160 Hummingbird crashed north of Southern California Logistics Airport Monday afternoon, where Frontier Systems Inc. and Boeing have been testing the aircraft since 2002.

This is the first time the Hummingbird, a 35-foot-long helicopter with a 36-foot rotor, has crashed, said Boeing Advanced Systems spokesman Robert Villanueva.

No one was injured, and Boeing employees at Southern California Logistics Airport, or SCLA, are investigating the cause of the crash.

"We apparently lost one of our test vehicles early this afternoon," Villanueva said. "The good news is, it's an unmanned vehicle" so there were no deaths.

Boeing is developing the A160 "Unmanned Air System" under a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA, the central research and design organization of the U.S. Department of Defense, Villanueva said. The A160 was not carrying weapons when it crashed.

Victorville firefighters stationed at SCLA responded to the crash at Colusa Road and Helendale Road after it was reported at 2:08 p.m. Monday, said Battalion Chief Warren Peterson of the Victorville Fire Department.

A San Bernardino County Fire Department engine from Adelanto was also called in to assist.

The fire had mostly burned out by the time firefighters arrived, and it covered an area about 30 feet in diameter of desert brush. One injury in the crash was a Joshua tree that seemed to have caught on fire after the Hummingbird hit it.

Pieces of the Hummingbird were scattered widely around the crash site, and much of the craft appeared to have been consumed by the fire.

The A160 is built in Irvine and its missions will include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance attack, according to background material supplied by Boeing.

It can fly at speeds of up to 140 knots at up to 30,000 feet, about 10,000 feet higher than conventional helicopters currently fly, according to Boeing.

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Oakland Fire hiring fiasco part 2 - Oakland Fire chief picks his own son?

Posted: 10 Dec 2007 01:20 PM CST

Oakland Fire chief hand picks his own son in the hiring process?

OAKLAND, Calif. (CFN)-- Earlier this week, the Oakland Fire Department passed out more than 8,000 applications. Only the first 1,000 would be accepted that was only the start of this ill conceived hiring process.

Some people began lining up three days ahead of time just to turn in applications for the 23 available positions.

Hundreds of people spent a cold Friday night near Oakland's City Hall forming a organized line, hoping to become firefighters.

Then the Oakland fire department perverted the process by hand selecting specific people out of the line resulting in a near riot! And of those few selected during the process...

The Oakland Fire Chief Daniel D. Farrell's son!

Applicants claimed that some minority applicants, specifically African-American and women, were hand picked over others which sems to be shown in the news videos, There also have been rumors that relatives of high-ranking City Hall officials or people with connections to the fire department were singled out to submit applications.

"That's not true," said Farrell, adding that people who were chosen were in the "right place at the right time."

"With the crowd pushing forward, we tried to get some people from the right side of the crowd, some from the left side of the crowd and some from the middle of the crowd. There were no defined lines," he said.

Farrell admitted that one of his two sons in the lines was picked, while the other was not.

"I didn't personally pick him. He was picked by someone else," he said.

Many of those who came to turn in their applications were turned away, while most others were hand picked out of the line, causing unrest with the obvious favoritism displayed towards certain candidates.

It was suspected that factors such as hiring goals leading to race and sex selection, and favoritism might have come into play.

"It seems like there were people who knew firefighters and they were more likely to be picked than someone who didn't know someone out there," applicant Eddie Grant said.

Others, the lucky special few, said they were content with the selection process.

"I feel like that unfair, but I got picked so I got to be honest, I'm happy about it. And I don't care anymore, cause I got picked," applicant Mohammed Ahmed said.

Oakland officials denied foul play, but said they feel the process didn't go smoothly as planned.

In an interview with NBC11, Oakland human resources official Jacquelyn Edwards said: "Our goal was to attempt to find some kind of way to mitigate between -- and this is kind of a life issue -- between the people that follow instructions, that do what they're asked to do�� and the people that make it up." ( Official Physco Babble?)

Video proof: The hand selection of specific applicant's can be clearly seen in the various news videos including the Chief Daniel D. Farrell pointing out who got in, Including his own son! and 13 more city employee relatives...Video-1, Video-2, Photo- 3

Edwards said she did not think there was any favoritism in the process.

Would-be Oakland firefighters will continue the controversial process in January
In response to the critics, the city is offering a second chance to those that were turned away at the Oakland Fire Department's Training Center on Jan. 12 at 8:30 a.m.

Officials said the 1,000 people selected took written tests Saturday.