California Fire News

News: Cal Fire Battalion Chief Zimmerman retires from service

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 12:48 AM CST

Bill Zimmerman will retire from the California Department of Forestry.

As a youngster growing up in Blythe, Bill Zimmerman never thought much about working in the fire service. A regular at Sunday school and church, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would often respond that he would like to be either a pastor or a doctor.

He remembers school field trips to the fire station on Barnard, where the foreman (the old title for fire captain) Johnny Reams would give them the grand tour of the station and the equipment. But he still didn't really think that being a fireman was what he wanted to do.

"I think my dad would have liked me to follow in his footsteps and sell insurance," Zimmerman said, referring to his father, Frank, who had a successful insurance agency in Blythe for over 25 years. "I thought about that, too, but it just didn't interest me all that much."

One day in 1974, while working at Imperial Hardware, which was then located on Spring Street, he remembered hearing the old city fire siren that was used to summon the Blythe Fire Department to fires. He watched out the old loading dock door as the volunteers began showing up at the fire station just across the railroad tracks.

"I told the guy that I was working with that one day I would be doing that," Zimmerman said. "I was thinking more in terms of being a volunteer fireman than a career firefighter."

Soon after, Zimmerman joined the Palo Verde Valley Volunteer Fire Department, which his brother, Bob, had been a member of for a few years. At the time, the volunteer fire company supplemented the Riverside County Fire Department in the Palo Verde Valley.

"Once I got involved with the volunteers, I was hooked," Zimmerman said. "Fighting fires and responding to emergencies was very exciting; you got to be where the action was."

In July of 1977, after three years of volunteer service and numerous tests, Zimmerman was finally selected to be a fire apparatus engineer with the California Division of Forestry, now Cal Fire. (Riverside County contracts with Cal Fire for fire protection in the unincorporated areas of the county).

"I knew I wanted to work in Blythe and because there were a couple of openings here and I was the only person who actually asked to come to Blythe, they gladly complied," he said. "

After a six-week academy, he was back in the valley alternately manning the four county fire stations in the area; Blythe, Ripley, Blythe Air Base and Lake Tamarisk in Desert Center.

"Back then there was only one person on duty at all but one of the stations, Blythe, where there were two," he said. "When you went to a fire, you were on your own until another engine showed up or the volunteers arrived in their own cars."

He remembered a fire he went to in Ripley shortly after graduating from the academy.

"Someone came to the door one night and said that a house was on fire down the street," he said. "I looked out the door and I could see flames from the fire station. I donned my turnouts and drove down Neighbors Blvd. to the fire. The house was about half involved so I pulled some hose, put on my breathing apparatus, charged the hose and it broke. I had to pull another hose and there were people throwing rocks through the windows to try to help, but that only helps the fire breathe better. I had to yell at them to stop and I dragged the hose around to the back of the building to try to make an interior attack but I could only go in about 20 feet. I sprayed a bunch of water but it didn't do any good and with only 500 gallons of water in my fire engine, I knew I was fighting a losing battle. More engines finally arrived and we put the fire out but not before the house was a total loss. It was quite a baptism by fire."

After working in the area for about eight years, Zimmerman accepted a position as a fire crew captain at the Owens Valley Conservation Camp in Bishop and moved there in the summer of 1985.

As a crew captain he supervised up to 17 California Department of Corrections inmate firefighters on what is commonly referred to as a hand crew. On a daily basis he supervised his crew on projects ranging from picking up trash along the highways to construction projects. In addition, the crews responded to fires all over the state.

"I remember one of my first assignments on a large fire in 1986," he said. "We were in the Stanislaus National Forest in central California and we could see a smoke column that just seemed to disappear in space. It was huge. We were sent out to the line and our three crews stopped in a clearing to try to figure out exactly where we were supposed to be. All of a sudden flames started jumping up out of a deep gully behind us. I'm thinking we're not going to put this fire out with shovels and dirt and what the heck are we doing here? Well, I was the only one concerned. We were much farther away from the fire than I thought but it sure got my attention."

Zimmerman spent almost a month in the Klamath National Forest and responding to fires in other areas of the state during the fire siege of 1987.

After about three years, he began to miss Southern California and applied for a transfer.

"The Owens Valley and the Inyo National Forest, which surrounds it, is an incredible area with so many beautiful places," he said. "Working in the area I was able to see places and things that most people don't even know exist. I was very lucky to have been able to work there. I learned a lot in the Camp Program, it was great exposure to other aspects of Cal Fire."

Zimmerman's transfer came in August of 1988 and he found himself stationed at the Yucca Valley Forest Fire Station in Yucca Valley. Again he was in a somewhat unfamiliar environment but because of the people working at the station, quickly felt at home.

"I was at Yucca for over six years and I'd have to say it was probably the best six years of my career," he said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my co-workers and it was just a great place to work. We always had a lot of fun."

While stationed in Yucca Valley, because it was a state funded fire station, he again found himself "touring" the state during the summer fire season. In 1989 he was sent to central California again, this time on a fire engine. As part of a five-engine strike team, his engine went to the Madera Fairgrounds where they commonly stage fire engines for deployment to fires in the foothills of the Sierras when all of the local resources are busy on other incidents. While heading north to another staging area, they were diverted to a fire somewhere in Northern California.

"To this day I'm not exactly sure where we were," he said. "We were sent in at night and were some of the first fire engines on the fire. My engine and another engine were sent up this road to try to keep the fire from crossing to the other side. It was thick vegetation and I don't think we ever had a chance of stopping the fire.

"Anyway, we got a ways up the road and the fire is burning pretty hot on our right. All of a sudden my engine dies. I remember trying and trying to start my engine without success. I radioed the engine in front of us and they came back to help. I jumped out to start the auxiliary pump for protection and one of my firefighters said to me 'you're not going to let us burn up, are you Cap?' I told him no but even I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. We finally figured out that the engine had sucked an ember into the air cleaner and set it on fire. We tossed the air cleaner and made a hasty retreat, watching the fire cross the road as we backed out. It was a scary few minutes."

At the end of 1994, opportunity came knocking in the form of an offer to join the Fire Prevention Bureau in the San Bernardino Unit of Cal Fire.

"Not everybody gets asked to go into fire prevention, so I was honored to be considered," Zimmerman said. "It wasn't easy to leave Yucca. I really liked it there but this was something I almost could not turn down."

The Fire Prevention Bureau provides the public with information on how to prevent fires, but is also the law enforcement arm of Cal Fire.

"I went through our law enforcement academy in Ione for 16 weeks in 1996 and came out a state peace officer with about the same authority as a CHP or a Fish and Game officer," he said. "It was a big deal for me."

Zimmerman worked in fire prevention in San Bernardino until the end of 1998 when he got an opportunity to transfer back into Riverside County. He was working out of Perris and Indio in 1999, when a fire occurred in the foothills above Corona. Zimmerman was the on-duty investigator and responded to the fire.

After talking to a few people, he and another investigator were able to develop some leads that eventually led to the arrest of an arsonist who had intentionally set the fire. Because of their hard work, the two investigators were commended by the city of Corona in their annual police and fire recognition dinner.

"It was certainly a great honor for me," Zimmerman said. "You don't expect to have someone make a big deal out of you just doing your job. The fact is that arson is quite often a very difficult crime to prosecute. In most cases, the evidence is destroyed by the fire. In this case we just got lucky and had some good witnesses and, frankly, some criminals that were not too smart."

In 2000, Zimmerman learned that the battalion chief in the Blythe area was thinking about retirement. While Zimmerman had not given much thought to ever returning to work in Blythe, this seemed like another golden opportunity.

"I waited patiently for two years, making sure all of the right people knew that I was interested in the job if it became available," he said.

Finally, in 2003, he was offered the job and was able to return home.

"I'm the first person from Blythe to become the battalion chief in the Blythe Battalion, and the first volunteer firefighter from Blythe to promote through the ranks and return as the chief," he said. "Actually, I consider myself a very lucky man."

Since his return, the local county fire stations have seen many changes. In 2003, two brand new fire engines were delivered to the battalion, one to the Blythe Station and one to the Blythe Air Base Station on the Mesa. In addition, in 2004, the three valley stations all increased their staffing level from two to three permanent firefighters on each engine, including one paramedic.

"We have come a long way from the days of one-person engines," he said. "I still have a hard time believing that this is the same department I came to work for in 1977. The Riverside County Fire Department is the third largest fire department in the state."

Additionally, last year construction was started on a new fire station in Ripley, with completion expected very soon.

"Both the Ripley Station and the Blythe Station are over 50 years old and we outgrew them several years ago," Zimmerman said. "I had hoped that I might see the completion of the Ripley Station and a new Blythe Station on the drawing board before I retired but I'll have to be happy with just seeing a new station in Ripley this year. I know they will eventually build a new station to replace the one on Barnard.

When asked what he plans to do after retirement, Zimmerman said that he has a lot of projects in the works around the house that need to get finished.

"Then I'll decide what I want to do after that," he said. "I definitely plan on staying in Blythe for several more years. It's my home. It's was a great career, and all of a sudden, 30 years doesn't seem like all that long of a time. I'll miss putting out fires and being where the action is; I guess I could become a volunteer again."

Source: Times

News: Fire captain receives medal from Germany's fire service

Posted: 11 Jan 2008 12:14 AM CST

Fremont Fire Department captain receives second highest medal from Germany's fire service

In summer 1997, Ben Brockemuehl was visiting from Germany and stopped into a local Fremont Fire Department station.

Brockemuehl shared his interest and passion for the fire department with firefighters working that day.

Since he was visiting for a number of months, he was invited to join the Fremont Fire Department Explorer Division.

Brockemuehl returned a number of times through the years, visiting the department and taking various fire services courses.

Today, Brockemuehl is a battalion chief for the Aichach-Friedberg Fire Department in Germany. He believes his success comes from much of the training and experience obtained during his time with the Fremont Fire Department.

One person specifically, who he feels not only impacted his experience, but played a major role as a Explorer adviser, was Fremont Fire Capt. Rick Bota.

Brockemuehl submitted his experience of Bota's managing Fremont's Explorer Program to the president of Germany's fire service for consideration, among many applicants to receive Germany's second highest medal given out to non-citizens.

Bota was selected and Brockemuehl returned to Fremont on Jan. 5, representing the president of Germany's fire service to award the medal to Bota.

Source: Milpitas Post Staff - Fremont Bulletin Online

Breaking News - California budget firefighting impacts

Posted: 10 Jan 2008 04:44 PM CST

Governors new budget firefighting impacts: The Governor's 2008-09 budget proposal supports California's ability to prepare for and respond to the wide range of emergencies and natural disasters and significantly strengthens the state's wildland firefighting capabilities for the benefit of all Californians.

Highlights include:

$3 million General Fund to replace older Office of Emergency Services (OES) radios.
$2 million General Fund for OES to enhance OASIS, a satellite-based communications system that helps different operational areas and regions communicate during an emergency or disaster.
$1.6 million General Fund and $1.6 million in federal funds to increase OES staff in order to enhance emergency preparedness, response and recovery operations.
$1.3 million General Fund to provide 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-per-week staffing at the state's Joint Operations Center (JOC). This will enable the California National Guard (CNG) to rapidly deploy personnel and equipment during an emergency or disaster.

Wildland Firefighting Initiative

The Governor's 2008-09 proposed budget enhances California's wildland firefighting capability to prepare the state for the next, inevitable round of wildfires.

(New Taxes) The Wildland Firefighting Initiative will not be funded through the General Fund. It will be financed through a 1.25 percent surcharge(Tax) on all property owners statewide, amounting to approximately $10-12 per property owner each year.
CAL FIRE ($77.8 million):

$28.9 million and 1,100 seasonal firefighters to staff all 336 state fire engines with full four-member crews during peak and transition fire seasons.
$4.2 million and 3.8 positions to install GPS tracking on key pieces of equipment, such as fire engines and aircraft, linked to computer-aided dispatching.
$44.7 million in 2008-09 to backfill the budget balancing reductions CAL FIRE is taking to its fire protection budget. Restoring these budget-balancing reductions will prevent the closing of 20 one-engine fire stations, 11 conservation camps and 1 helitack base.
A multi-year expenditure plan to enable CAL FIRE to purchase 11 new, all-weather, 24-hour firefighting helicopters over the next six years.

OES: ($12.1 million):

$8.1 million in 2008-09 to purchase 26 fire engines as part of the first year of a five-year cycle to purchase and maintain a total of 131 additional fire engines.
$1.9 million in 2008-09 to backfill the budget-balancing reductions OES is taking to its Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Response section and its Warning Center/Information Technology/Telecommunications section.
$1.6 million and 9.2 positions in 2008-09 to enhance response to wildland fires throughout the state.
$480,000 to fund the increased maintenance and fuel costs of OES' existing fleet of fire engines and vehicles.
The Office of Homeland Security will make grant funding available to ensure that telephone emergency notification is available in all counties that do not currently have these systems. Learn more about this proposal at http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/8396/.

CNG ($9.2 million):

$4.4 million in 2008-09 and 36 positions to provide 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-per-week coverage and full-time helicopter crews to be able to respond to any emergency situation in California in a matter of four hours or less.
$2.6 million in 2008-09 to purchase the first of two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) over two years for the Military Department's C-130J aircraft.
$2.2 million in 2008-09 to purchase the first of three Firehawk firefighting systems over three years.

This is the official release from the governor's office on his proposals for the 2008 state budget:

01/10/2008 GAAS:12:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gov. Schwarzenegger Proposes Budget, Declares Fiscal Emergency, Calls Special Session to Immediately Address Current Year Shortfall

SAR - Green Valley Lake - Search Continues Day 5

Posted: 10 Jan 2008 07:55 PM CST

The search for part time resident 62-year-old former school teacher Dean Christy continues with additional out of area Search and Rescue Teams arriving, The teams are utilizing the San Bernardino Sheriffs helicopters and San Bernardino County Fire Snow Cats to search a expanding area around Green Valley Lake.

Mr Cristy left his home for a short hike last Friday when he became disorientated in a fog that descended on his area, He used his cell phone twice to call for help because he was lost and was last in cell phone contact with rescuers early Saturday morning around 1:00 am when it was believed the cell phone batteries gave out.

The next day severe snow storms enveloped the area leaving a few feet of snow in the area before clearing early Monday morning.

Searchers have not given up hope that Mr. Cristy a very experienced hiker will be discovered alive in this very rugged snow bound mountainous terrain...

"Conditions in the search area are extremely severe," according to Michael Jones from the San Diego Mountain Rescue unit. "The snow is extremely hard in the morning and it's hard to move with all the gear we bring."

One of the newest search teams working the area includes a five-person team from the Nordic Ski Team (national ski team from Southern California).
They concentrated their search on Wednesday in the Crafts Peak Road area, north of Little Green Valley.

Single person tracks were spotted near Forest Service Road 2n13 Wednesday afternoon and crews were shuttled into the area by snow cats operated by San Bernardino County Fire personnel.

Photo By Michael P. Neufeld - ROTW.net

Command post: Green Valley Lake Fire Station
Maps: Search teams are looking in the Green Valley Lake area, Link to Google Map of Green Valley Lake general area of search, Searchers are currently concentrating on a three-mile radius north and east of Green Valley Lake, which is east of Running Springs, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.

Comms: SBCFD TAC-2, Air TAC-2
Notes: (1) Mountain lion sighting @ 34 15.711 117 4.311
Resources: San Bernardino County Fire snow cats, San Bernardino Sheriffs FLIR equipped helicopters, SBCFD SAR, The search has included a dog trained to track scents but it is believed any scents were covered with snow.

New teams: Tahoe Basin Ski Patrol, Bay Area Search & Rescue, Nordic Ski Team, Contra Costa, Ventura and Marin Counties search and rescue teams have arrived and are expected to stay through the weekend.

Scanner resource: Rimoftheworld.ne t is transcribing public safety SAR radio traffic at incident/4038
Weather: Raws - So Cal ROMAN
Last Contact: Cell phone contact with tower on Strawberry peak, He believes his location was a couple miles east of Green Valley Lake in the snow slide area then became disoriented and off trail. He was on snow slide road then attempted a trail for a shortcut.

USFA: Fires Caused By Smoking Materials

Posted: 10 Jan 2008 01:28 PM CST

U.S. Fire Administration Kicks Off Public Safety Campaign to End #1 Cause of Preventable Home Fire Deaths – Fires Caused By Smoking Materials

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) announced today a Smoking & Home Fires Campaign to put an end to the number one cause of preventable home fire deaths – fires started by smoking materials. The campaign is designed to alert smokers and those who live with smokers about simple steps they can take to stop the fire before it starts in their home. The USFA, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is encouraging smokers to "Put It Out. All the Way. Every Time."
"Most smoking-related home fires happen on beds, furniture, or in trash when smokers do not put cigarettes all the way out, toss hot ashes in the trash or fall asleep while smoking," said U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. "What's important to remember is that smoking home fires can easily be prevented. It just takes a few seconds to light up – and a few seconds to make sure that cigarette is really out."

Rest of the story at: USFA Press releases

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