California Fire News

CALIFORNIA DOZER OPERATORS GROUP MEETING

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 09:55 PM CST

Its official !!! The 2008 Annual CALIFORNIA DOZER OPERATORS GROUP Meeting will be held on Thursday March 6, 2008. Location to be announced soon. So mark your calendar. See you all there!!

CHECK OUT THE CALIFORNIA DOZER OPERATORS GROUP WEBSITE

SAR: Locates missing snowboarders at Heavenly

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 03:27 PM CST

Search and rescue locates missing snowboarders at Heavenly

On Thursday evening, January 10^th, 2008, at approximately 5:30 p.m., members of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a call of two snowboarders who had become lost while snowboarding at Heavenly Valley Ski Resort. The snowboarders had purposely snowboarded off-trail and were unable to get back to the customary operated trails. The snowboarders had reported this information to a friend via cell phone. The friend, in turn, contacted DCSO.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team was toned out at approximately 5:50 pm to search for the two lost snowboarders. Twenty-four members of the Search and Rescue Team responded and set up a staging area at the Heavenly Boulder parking lot, off of Kingsbury Grade. The snowboarders remained in intermittent contact with the lost subjects via cell phone. Information gathered from the lost subjects provided Search and Rescue members a clue as to the general area where the subjects might be.

A team of Search and Rescue members snow-shoed approximately one quarter of a mile into the Palisades area off of lower Kingsbury Grade, utilizing portable lights to help find their way to the subjects. They located the two lost snowboarders at approximately 7:55 p.m.

The snowboarders were found cold and tired, but otherwise unharmed. With assistance from the Search and Rescue Team, utilizing additional snowshoes carried by the team members, the lost subjects were extricated from the area.

The Search and Rescue Team returned with the lost subjects to the Heavenly Boulder parking lot, reaching the staging area at approximately 9 pm. The two located subjects, Craig Finnegan and Kirk Goldsand, both 21 years of age, were extremely grateful to the Search and Rescue Team for locating and extricating them.

Source: News 4

Southern California wildfires - $2.26 billion in claims

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 02:29 PM CST

Recently, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner hosted a town-hall style Insurance

The California Department of Insurance announced that
since the wildfires broke out in Southern California in October 2007, 37,117 claims have been filed, and 1,531 of those claims are known to be total losses, with an estimated exposure for insurers of $2.26 billion. More than $1.26 billion has been paid out by insurers so far, the DOI indicated.

Recovery Forum for in La Mesa, Calif., where representatives from the insurance industry and the DOI answered questions for fire victims.

"Thousands of homeowners were hit hard by the October wildfires in Southern California, and my heart goes out to all fire survivors for everything they have had to endure," Poizner said. "The Harris fire ripped through the La Mesa community, destroying one hundred eighty-six homes. But I want all fire victims to know that they are not alone on the road to recovery. My Department is here to help until every last insurance claim is paid."

In San Diego County, 27,011 claims have been filed, and 1,127 of those claims are known to be total losses, with an estimated exposure for insurers of more than $1.8 billion. More than $1 billion has been paid out by insurers to San Diego County residents. Commissioner Poizner has ordered his Department to continually monitor these numbers to make certain that insurers are meeting their obligations to pay all valid claims presented to them.

Rest of story at: Insurance Journal

News: Surcharge sparks firestorm - Fire Tax

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 11:01 AM CST

Governor's fee faulted; without it, he will warn, Cal Fire faces cutbacks

By Michael Gardner

COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

January 10, 2008

K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune

As part of his fire protection plan, the governor wants to buy 11 new "all-weather, 24-hour-capable" helicopters. Crews battled the Witch Creek fire along the edge of Lake Hodges in Del Dios in October.

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to warn today that if lawmakers reject his proposed fire protection surcharge, the state could be forced to dramatically reduce spending on front-line defenses, including shutting down 11 conservation camps and 20 small fire stations.

Nevertheless, judging from initial reviews, the governor's budget plan to impose a 1.25 percent surcharge on all property insurance policies is meeting a cross-section of resistance.

Anti-tax groups believe that Californians already pay enough and that public safety should be a funding priority. City homeowners could resent subsidizing those living in more fire-prone rural regions.

Democrats would rather seek a broader tax increase to avert sweeping cuts in education and other priorities because of a growing budget deficit. And some insurers worry that a fire surcharge could set a precedent for tapping policies to fund the next emergency response.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers pledged to reject any funding cuts in front-line fire protection.

"We will not let that happen. They are unrealistic proposals," said Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego. "The basic services government provides are police and fire protection. We have to fulfill our obligation."

Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman of Tustin declared: "We're not going to be shutting down fire stations."

The surcharge, which would cost the average homeowner and small business about $10 a year, would raise about $125 million annually. The governor has labeled the surcharge a fee, thereby avoiding the two-thirds vote required to pass a tax increase.

Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines of Clovis said GOP lawmakers consider the proposal a tax and plan attempts to block implementation – regardless of the governor's warnings that it could have repercussions on the Cal Fire budget.

"There are no threats, no bluffs, that will move us," Villines said.

Schwarzenegger wants to use the surcharge to improve fire defenses, including more air support and crews on the ground. Those are top priorities of fire officials who reviewed weaknesses in the state's responses to firestorms in 2003 and in October that swept through Southern California.

The added revenue would eliminate the need to include Cal Fire in a proposed 10 percent across-the-board cut to most state agencies, potentially saving about $45 million in programs and 380 positions, Schwarzenegger is expected to argue as he releases his budget today.

The governor appears to be telling lawmakers to either accept the proposal or brace for painful and potentially life-threatening reductions in fire prevention.

"Elimination of (fire) stations would have an effect on response times, risk to citizens, as well as (on) Cal Fire's ability to meet initial attack efforts," according to the administration's assessment of the consequences.

The surcharge money would be earmarked for firefighting, and it would take a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to divert it to other uses, administration officials say.

The governor's team argues that the entire state will benefit. The additional crews and equipment will be available to respond to a range of emergencies.

"Every California taxpayer foots the bill when fires strike," according to the governor's budget documents

But a major insurers' coalition is wary. "It isn't something we would have offered up, and it isn't something that we will deal with very enthusiastically," said Ken Gibson of the American Insurance Association, a trade lobby of about 350 members.

Gibson said association members are looking for assurances that it won't be the first such surcharge as the state struggles with its debt.

"That's the biggest concern – the precedent," Gibson said. "What happens if we need to fix levees or build a bridge?"

The governor has attracted some supporters, including San Diego City Councilman Jim Madaffer. "Local jurisdictions are typically staffed to deal with typical city fires," he said. "When you have a conflagration of epic proportions, that's when it's important for the state to help . . . We're one state. We ought to take care of each other."

Fire chiefs and a state firefighters union endorsed the surcharge.

"The risk is statewide, the response is statewide and the economic impact is statewide," Lou Paulson, president of the California Professional Firefighters, said in a statement.

Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-La Mesa, is not convinced. "The state should look to streamline regulation and improve our ability to fight fires without imposing more fees or taxes," he said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said he supports the proposal in concept, but has concerns about the fairness of making some residents pay local fire fees and the surcharge while others may not be paying taxes toward a fire department.

There is precedent, however, for the state to rally to the aid of one region where tragedy strikes. The state enacted a temporary quarter-cent sales tax to help the San Francisco Bay Area rebuild after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that killed 67 people.

Kehoe said yesterday that she is exploring legislation that would impose fees on new homes in wildland areas to provide more fire protection, much like developers now pay in park and school impact assessments.

Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata, D-Oakland, said he prefers Kehoe's approach. "It would have a lot less opposition, I'm sure," he said.

However, Schwarzenegger and lawmakers repealed an unpopular parcel tax levied on homes in wildland areas a few years ago that also was entangled in litigation. Voters in San Diego have rejected higher taxes to pay for public safety.

Source: SignonSanDiego

MT - BLM - Marsh Assist Fire - 1000 acres

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 09:09 PM CST

Update 2: 1500 to 2000 acres, WUI threat reduced Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation said the fire advanced to within a mile of three houses. Weather forecasts call for wind gusts of up to 25 mph Friday and Saturday.

Update 1: Fire probably has burned between 1,000 and 1,500 acres. There have been no evacuations.

Wildfire threatens three homes in eastern Montana

SHEPHERD, Mont. (AP) - A wildland fire threatens three homes in eastern Montana in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties north of Shepherd .
The Wildfire started late Thursday night and had burned an estimated 500 acres to 1,000 acres by this morning.
Initial Sizeup: 10 acres
Size: 800- 1000 acres - An accurate estimate of acreage burned is not yet available.
Location: 252 Marsh Road, The blaze is about 20 miles north of Shepherd in the Marsh Ranch area and about 15 miles southeast of Roundup..
Resources: 10 fire engines from Yellowstone and Musselshell counties were fighting the fire this morning. About four engineers were on the fire overnight and two bulldozers.
Firefighters from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the state natural resources agency and local fire departments responded.
WUI: No structures lost, Current threat - 3 homes
Fuels: Burning grass and timber on BLM, private and state land.

Notes: Larry Elder, intelligence coordinator of for the Billings Interagency Wildfire Dispatch Center, Interagency Fire Center

Technical Recovery: North of San Simeon - 2 Female victims

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 03:14 AM CST

Two bodies pulled from the shoreline

Coroner's investigators are trying to figure out how a woman and young girl died near Pico Creek and Highway 1; autopsies are set for Wednesday

By Kathe Tanner

TRIBUNE PHOTO BY MERLE BASSETT

The bodies of a woman and young girl were recovered south of San Simeon Bay on Thursday after visitors called 911 to report seeing them in the surf. Their names and cities of residence were not released.

Click any image to enlarge.

It was a mystery that authorities could not solve Thursday: how a woman and young girl died along the rugged shoreline north of San Simeon.

Volunteer divers pulled the bodies of a woman and girl from the ocean near Pico Creek and Highway 1 on Thursday morning.

Visitors had called 911 about 10 a.m. to report seeing two bodies in the surf. They were pulled out about an hour later.

Coroner's investigators with the Sheriff's Department are trying to find out how the pair ended up in the water.

Officials on Thursday would not release their names, whether they are related or where they lived.

Sheriff's spokesman Rob Bryn said late Thursday that autopsies are tentatively scheduled Wednesday. Toxicology tests for alcohol and drugs could take up to four weeks to process.

Firefighters at the scene said the woman and girl might have been swept off rocks on the shore by a rogue or "sleeper" wave— a large wave that breaks without warning.

A couple of rescuers said the woman might have gone into the water to rescue the girl.

Crews on two U.S. Coast Guard boats searched the sea to make sure there were no other victims.

Investigators checked out a Mitsubishi SUV parked on the bluff that may have belonged to the woman.

County/Cal Fire Capt. Phill Veneris said the shoreline in that area is treacherous and tricky.

"There's a lot of swell, a lot of big waves, a lot of rocks and riptides," he said.

The ocean floor drops suddenly and steeply there from being about 6 inches deep to 4 or 5 feet deep, he said.

"Once you get into the water, it's hard to get back out," Veneris added.

The high tide at 10:15 a.m. was 5.8 feet, considered high for the area.

Emily Torlano, an off-duty Cambria firefighter and paramedic, was walking at San Simeon Cove about 2 miles north shortly before the call came in.

She said the sea was "perfectly flat, except for some giant waves coming out of nowhere" occasionally.

Torlano said those waves were so tall that they rose about three-quarters of the way up the San Simeon Pier's pilings.

Cambria fire Capt. Steve Bitto said the wave faces at the time were "easily 8 to 10 feet" high, with "lots and lots of water moving real fast."

Lee and Madeline Kuo of Irvine were on a spur-of-the-moment vacation and had arrived in the area a bit early for a 10:20 a.m. tour at Hearst Castle.

He pulled into a vista point about a mile north of San Simeon so they could watch the high-tide waves and take photos of the birds.

Madeline Kuo said a couple of tourists from Germany asked for help in identifying something in the surf.

After Kuo looked through her binoculars and saw two bodies floating together in the ocean, she immediately called 911 on her cell phone.

A shaken and saddened Kuo said later, "There was nobody around.Why did they go down there?"

Doing so "is bad judgment any time," she said, because the waves can be so unpredictable.

Veneris estimated that about 20 firefighters from Cambria, Morro Bay, Hearst Castle and Cal Fire responded, along with the North Coast Ocean Rescue Team, county Technical Rescue Team, Cambria Community Healthcare District paramedics, State Park rangers and county sheriff's deputies and coroner's investigators.

Source: sanluisobispo.com