California Fire News - Updates in your mail box
California Fire News - Updates in your mail box |  |
- Diablo Canyon Power Plant begins moving fuel
- FDA Med Watch: Discontinue use of three Zicam Nasal Gel/Nasal Swab products
- North Ops: Air Attack bases fully staffed
- Freeway Fire Complex - Cause found to be catalytic converter
- Budget : Inmates may get the Axe
| Diablo Canyon Power Plant begins moving fuel Posted: 16 Jun 2009 11:21 AM PDT
DIABLO CANYON POWER PLANT BEGINS MOVING USED FUEL TO ON-SITE STORAGE FACILITY AVILA BEACH, Calif. - Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E) Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) began loading used nuclear fuel last night from its current storage pool into a newly constructed, on-site storage facility. As existing fuel storage facilities at the nation's 65 nuclear power plants near capacity, about two-thirds of those sites now rely on above-ground, on-site storage as the preferred interim option. For decades, dry fuel storage sites throughout the U.S. have demonstrated that this storage method is safe and secure. "PG&E customers rely on Diablo Canyon Power Plant for clean, reliable power and this project will ensure that we can continue generating greenhouse gas-free electricity," said Jim Becker, DCPP site vice president. "After years of careful planning, preparation and evaluation, we are ready to move forward with this loading project." Eight containers of fuel will be moved over the next several months to the new interim facility, where they will be anchored to a seven and one-half foot thick concrete pad. Approved and licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, these robust containers undergo rigorous design and fabrication to ensure they can protect contents. DCPP is a nuclear power plant owned and operated by PG&E. Its two units together produce approximately 2,300 net megawatts of greenhouse-gas-free electricity, about 10 percent of all electricity generated in California, and enough to meet the needs of over three million homes in central and northern California. Nuclear energy accounts for about 74 percent of U.S. carbon-free generation. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/.  |
| FDA Med Watch: Discontinue use of three Zicam Nasal Gel/Nasal Swab products Posted: 16 Jun 2009 10:27 AM PDT
 Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Products (Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size)
Audience: Consumers FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals to discontinue use of three Zicam Nasal Gel/Nasal Swab products sold over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell that may be long-lasting or permanent. The FDA has received more than 130 reports of loss of sense of smell associated with the use of the three Zicam products. In these reports, many people who experienced a loss of smell said the condition occurred with the first dose; others reported a loss of the sense of smell after multiple uses of the products. People who have experienced a loss of sense of smell or other problems after use of the affected Zicam products should contact their health care professional. The loss of sense of smell can adversely affect a person's quality of life, and can limit the ability to detect the smell of gas or smoke or other signs of danger in the environment. Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety Summary, including links to the Public Health Advisory and Consumer Update page, at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/  |
| North Ops: Air Attack bases fully staffed Posted: 16 Jun 2009 07:38 AM PDT
Planes have left winter maintenance and storage at McClellan Air Park in Sacramento. All aircraft received annual 200 hour inspections while based at McClellan. Chico Air Attack Base - One Air tanker and one Air attack plane arrived at the over the weekend. Redding Air Attack Base - Two Air tankers and one Air attack plane will be stationed through summer. Starting today, all 13 bases will be fully staffed.  |
| Freeway Fire Complex - Cause found to be catalytic converter Posted: 16 Jun 2009 07:34 AM PDT
 Birth of a Complex FireShot is from above I-15 in Mira Loma around 230pm when it was really blowing up, it's a panorama HDR shot and on the right you can see the Brea Fire being sucked back into the Freeway Fire. Photo credit: Dave - CAL FIRE - Yahoo SoCalfire group -------------------------------------Vehicle debris confirmed as cause of Freeway Complex fire Fire officials released a report today, confirming the cause of a fire that destroyed 203 homes in O.C. YORBA LINDA – The debris that shot out of a car's catalytic converter is to blame for the Freeway Complex fire, officials confirmed in a final cause report released Monday. Preliminary reports in November suggesting that a faulty catalytic converter on the 91 freeway had caused the fire were confirmed Monday, Cal Fire-Riverside County Fire Department Capt. Fernando Herrera said. He added that officials will likely never know the identity of the vehicle that sparked the Nov. 15 blaze that destroyed 203 homes in Orange County, including 117 in Yorba Linda alone. "There was never any kind of information from anyone who could identify what kind of vehicle it was … pickup truck or a sedan or a license plate," Herrera said. "Nothing." He said investigators found honeycomb-shaped pieces that made up the insides of a catalytic converter. "(The catalytic converter) will actually explode that stuff out. It's a hot debris and that carries a lot of heat. Hot enough to start a fire" Herrera said. "That's more than enough to ignite anything." Nobody died or was seriously injured during the fire. However, it accounted for the largest loss of homes in Orange County since the Laguna Fire in 1993, according to some reports. The fire burned 30,305 acres and damaged or destroyed over 350 homes, commercial structures, vehicles and sensitive ecological areas in Chino Hill State Park and the Santa Ana River riparian area. At its peak, the blaze forced as many as 40,000 residents from their homes across the four counties: Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino. Source: Orange County Register - Link  |
| Budget : Inmates may get the Axe Posted: 16 Jun 2009 07:07 AM PDT
SACRAMENTO, CA - On the front lines of wildfires they are, above all else, firefighters. But some wear yellow, and others wear orange. They are the inmate firefighters. There are 4,400 inmate firefighters stationed across California, accounting for more than half of the state's total widlfire fighting force. "The program is essential to our firefighting abilities," said Daniel Berlant of Cal Fire. Berlant says that during wildfires, inmates are often the ones cutting fire lines and clearing brush. "They're doing hard work, work that the everyday person would never want to do," said Berlant. For inmates, it's a much sought-after position. They have to be low-level, non-violent offenders, and pass several physical and psychological tests before being accepted into the firefighting program. Once they're in, they get two days off their sentence for every day they serve as a firefighter. "These people are really the workforce for the state's fire fighting response," said Seth Unger of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Inmates work for $1 an hour. Unger says that saves $80 million a year in firefighting costs. "We certainly want to maintain our ability to have our firefighters be on the fire lines," said Unger. However, he said it might not be possible to maintain the status quo with the department facing cuts amounting to as much as $1.5 billion -- 15 percent of their budget. "The goal is to have savings that come in this next budget year, which starts July 1. We're hoping to see some savings from a combination of the various proposals in this coming budget year," Unger said. Almost all of the proposals involve reduction in the prison population, which would involve cutting the number of non-violent offenders incarcerated. However, they're the ones who serve as firefighters. Fewer inmates would mean fewer eligible firefighters. "It could be a significant impact," said Unger. Berlant added, "If we had to replace (the lost inmate firefighters) with an actual trained, professional firefighter, the cost would be significantly higher." It's possible the departed inmates might simply go un-replaced on the front lines. The corrections department will find out how much they'll have to cut once the state budget revisions have been finalized. Those changes could be announced before the end of June. Source: News10.com - Link  |
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