Monday, January 12, 2009

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

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Link to California Fire News - Structure, Wildland, EMS

World Fire News: German Town loses fire engines in blaze - again

Posted: 11 Jan 2009 10:21 AM CST

German village of Syke loses Fire Station and six fire engines in blaze - again

All six fire engines in the village of Syke, have been written off after catching fire – the second time it has happened in the small Lower Saxony town.

This time the blaze destroyed the entire fire station as well as the engines.

No-one was hurt in the blaze, but it is estimated the damage could cost at least three million euros.

Nearby houses had to be evacuated due to the thick smoke coming from the fire station, while a total of 250 fire fighters fought to bring it under control.

A police spokeswoman said that the fire department in Syke had lost all its engines in a fire in 1994 and that the ones which were destroyed at the weekend had been bought new then.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the fire.

Source article: The local - Link

Los Angeles: Red Flag parking restrictions in effect

Posted: 11 Jan 2009 09:56 AM CST

Red Flag

A Red Flag Condition has been issued for Los Angeles City.

Red Flag Restricted Parking will be in effect from From
Sunday, January 11, 2009 08:00 AM
to
Monday, January 12, 2009 08:00 AM or
until further notice.

California Fire weather: Drying trend is underway

Posted: 11 Jan 2009 03:05 PM CST

California Fire Weather: Despite the strong offshore winds across Southern California through early next week, there will be very
little or no fire activity across the entire region through the forecast period due to high fuel moisture levels.
Fire weather in SoCal – Fire weather conditions remain critical today and tonight for parts of Southern California. Strong Santa Ana winds are expected to gust from 50 to 70 mph tonight into Monday morning for favored areas. Red flag fire warnings are in effect through Monday for the Ventura County Coast, the Ventura County Mountains, Los Angeles County Mountains, Los Padres National Forest and Angeles National Forest.

Current Fire Weather Summary for Northern California
Weather Synopsis: Strengthening high pressure will dominate the weather pattern for the next week to 10 days. Between now and midday Tuesday there will be occasional periods of N-NE-Easterly winds that will enhance the dry conditions from the west slopes of the Sierra to the coast. The first such period is occurring this morning with gusts in exposed areas in the 30-40 mph range, and isolated exposed areas are seeing stronger gusts. This dry pattern may eventually cause increasing fire potential in areas with a heavy buildup of dry dead and dormant fine fuels.

Fire Potential Discussion: A drying trend is underway and it will last more than a week in most areas. Fine dead and dormant fuels will dry out during this time, especially in the lower elevations from the west slopes of the Sierra to the coast as offshore/NE-ly winds occur. Some localized areas will see a slight increase in fire potential with this pattern, but this will be offset by existing green grass, and the pockets of higher fire potential will be of a much smaller scale than PSA-size.

Resources: Northern California Geographic Area Preparedness Level 1, MACS Mode 1.
NOAA Northern Raws - Link
http://gacc.nifc. - Predictive outlooks - link

Current Fire Weather Summary for Southern California
Weather Discussion: ***STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH WARM TEMPERATURES AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY OVER
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING***
A strong ridge of high pressure will build into California from the Pacific Ocean bringing a slow warming
trend and very low humidity to the region through the end of next week. Temperatures will be well above
normal Sunday through the end of next week. There will be strong and gusty north to east winds over the
mountains and below the canyons and passes of Southern California through early next week. Winds will
be 20 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph over the wind prone areas.

Fire Potential Discussion: Despite the strong offshore winds across Southern California through early next week, there will be very
little or no fire activity across the entire region through the forecast period.

Resources: CWCG Preparedness Level: CWCG Preparedness Level 2, MACS Mode 2
NOAA Southern California Raws - Link
http://gacc.nifc. - Predictive outlooks - .pdf

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San Jose firefighters - Jail safety protocols / procedures

Posted: 11 Jan 2009 09:08 AM CST

San Jose firefighters are trying to refine their duties in treating prisoners at Santa Clara County Jail, and they have been training with jail workers in recent weeks to improve their understanding of the jail's rules.

Firefighters from Fire Station 1 at 225 N. Market St. typically respond to 911 calls at the county jail, but some firefighters said in the spring that they felt uncomfortable in the jail because their radios don't work, the doors lock behind them and they need guards to secure inmates as they enter rooms.

Firefighters have averaged 300 responses to the lockup annually in the past eight years, and some residents and Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio feared that too much service time had been drawn away from the neighborhood that the station serves.

County jail staff have said that no firefighters have been injured in the facility and that prisoners and employees deserved the same medical care as residents.

In October, San Jose leaders discussed a potential memorandum of understanding with the county that would outline firefighters' jail duties and criteria for making a 911 call, but no formal meetings about the document have taken place. Instead, jail leaders have met with firefighters and trained them on jail safety protocols and procedures, said jail spokesman Mark Cursi.

Assistant fire chief Nick Thomas said in late November that there was no time frame for the formal memorandum of understanding, but he hoped that it would increase firefighters' safety.

The memorandum would be a "living document and revised as needed to meet the needs of both agencies," Thomas wrote in an e-mail.

Firefighters are also interested in improving radio communications within the jail because the walls can block transmissions.

When jail guards call 911, an American Medical Response ambulance and four-person firefighter crew typically respond.

Firefighters usually enter the building to care for inmates, and AMR paramedics drive patients to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

City and county officials have discussed using a formal "sally port" on the ground floor for injured patients to wait, which would eliminate the need for firefighters to enter further into the jail.

"The city is optimistic that refinements to policies and procedures related to medical emergencies will enable all stakeholders to operate more safely, effectively and efficiently," said San Jose Fire Chief Darryl Von Raesfeld in a statement.

Source: San Jose Mercury News Article - Link

Earthquake: Big Bear Lake, CA - M 3.6

Posted: 11 Jan 2009 10:01 AM CST

Magnitude 3.6 - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
2009 January 11 01:05:59 UTC

Earthquake Details

Magnitude3.6
Date-Time
Location34.309°N, 116.915°W
Depth5.9 km (3.7 miles)
RegionSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances
  • 7 km (4 miles) N (356°) from town of Big Bear Lake, CA
  • 8 km (5 miles) NW (308°) from Big Bear City, CA
  • 15 km (10 miles) S (170°) from Lucerne Valley, CA
  • 33 km (21 miles) NNE (22°) from Yucaipa, CA
  • 40 km (25 miles) ENE (60°) from San Bernardino, CA
  • 126 km (78 miles) ENE (77°) from Los Angeles Civic Center, CA
Location Uncertaintyhorizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.6 km (0.4 miles)
ParametersNph=127, Dmin=5 km, Rmss=0.21 sec, Gp= 25°,
M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=C
Source
Event IDci10370561

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