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California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:07:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Tracy Fire Department makes rain...Kids get wet
911 News: Michael Jackson 911 Call Released
SFFD: Fire department feels the pain as $6 million axed from budget
Heat Advisory: San Francisco Bay Area and Interior Valleys

Tracy Fire Department makes rain...Kids get wet

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 02:21 PM PDT

On a hot day, students savor a perfect storm

by Glenn Moore - Tracy Press story link

Students from the Tracy Learning Center beat the heat by frolicking under a jet of water coming from Tracy Fire's Truck 91 to celebrate the next to last day of school Thursday.

Students were treated to a "Water Day" filled with small pools, water slides and a visit from the firefighters who used the nozzle on the truck to cool off the students before heading out to summer break.

The eighth-graders will have their graduation ceremony on Friday.

See All The Great Photos by Glenn Moore/Tracy Press - Link

911 News: Michael Jackson 911 Call Released

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 03:09 PM PDT

Listen In: Michael Jackson 911 Call Released

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopter lifts off from the UCLA Medical Center, carrying the body of Michael Jackson to the morgue (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

TMZ got their hands on the audio from the 911 call yesterday from Michael Jackson's rental home in Holmby Hills. They never identify the 50-year-old man who is not breathing as Jackson, but do say that a doctor is there present with him:

Play Michael Jackson 911 Call audio - Click this link at TMZ

That doctor, by the way, was being sought by police for questioning, He's Dr. Conrad Murray, 51, a cardiologist from Las Vegas. The police investigation is routine, the LAPD said in a statement released last night, but they did impound the doctor's parked on Jackson's property.

When EMTs arrived, they apparently wanted to pronounce Jackson dead, but Murray refused to let them "call it," according to TMZ who also says a family source believes Jackson died from his daily Demerol injection. A video shown on TV last night of the ambulance backing out of Jackson's driverway showed EMTs calmly, but slowly, backing out of the driveway.

Article source: LAist - Link

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

SFFD: Fire department feels the pain as $6 million axed from budget

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 11:44 AM PDT

San Francisco supervisors budget committee To Cut $6 Million from Fire Department during the next fiscal year.

"Station 2 would be the first engine company browned out, followed by Station 21 on Grove Street. I don't want to go there," she said, "but I feel compelled to just let you know that's where we're at, supervisors." - Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White

Despite dire warnings that staffing levels at San Francisco fire houses would be lower every day the supervisors budget committee proceeded to to take an axe to the SFFD budget.

Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White's pleas to leave public safety alone went unheeded.
The budget committee continues its work next week.

Heat Advisory: San Francisco Bay Area and Interior Valleys

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 10:01 AM PDT

TEMPERATURES WILL WARM RAPIDLY ON SATURDAY AS AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS STRONGLY OVER CALIFORNIA AND LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW DEVELOPS.
HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE ON SUNDAY AS WELL.
HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE 90S TO AS HIGH AS 101. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY NIGHT WILL ONLY DROP INTO THE UPPER 50S TO AROUND 70 DEGREES.

Instruction:
A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THIS WILL CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:

STAY HYDRATED! DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS.
STAY IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ROOM
STAY OUT OF THE SUN
CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.
IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO HEAT ASK FOR A FRIEND OR RELATIVE TO CHECK ON YOU FREQUENTLY.
WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT... LIGHT COLORED ... LOOSE-FITTING CLOTHING.
WEAR A HAT TO SHIELD YOURSELF FROM THE SUN.

YOUNG CHILDREN AND PETS SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT IN VEHICLES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DURING WARM OR HOT WEATHER.

HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 8 PM PDT SUNDAY FOR THE INTERIOR VALLEYS OF THE NORTH AND EAST BAY	Actual/Future/Severe/Possible
NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-EAST BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-
Update sent at 05:36 PDT on 2009-06-26

HOT WEATHER EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND	Actual/Immediate/Severe/Likely
SANTA CLARA VALLEY...INCLUDING SAN JOSE-
Update sent at 05:36 PDT on 2009-06-26

HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 8 PM PDT SUNDAY	Actual/Future/Severe/Possible
NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-EAST BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-
Alert sent at 14:28 PDT on 2009-06-25

HOT WEATHER EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND	Actual/Immediate/Severe/Likely
SANTA CLARA VALLEY...INCLUDING SAN JOSE-
Alert sent at 14:28 PDT on 2009-06-25

Area: NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-EAST BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-

Affected Counties or parts of: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Marin, Monterey, Contra Costa, Napa, San Benito, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Alameda

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:06:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

CA-LNF - Inskip Prescribed burn - Lassen National Forest
1970's Pin-up Icon passes away - Farrah forever young
Santa Barbra Fires: Great Youtube video from California Fire Alliance
Earthquake - 3.0 M - San Juan Bautista, CA
58 hay bales lost, But defensible space saves home
Camp Parks live fire training exercise continues today

CA-LNF - Inskip Prescribed burn - Lassen National Forest

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 12:14 PM PDT

Large header seen from Anderson Valley towards Chico yesterday -
Smoke plume near Inskip is Lassen National Forest prescribed burn

INSKIP — A large plume of smoke about a mile and half east of Inskip may have alarmed some ridge residents, but only a prescribed fire.

What: 25-acre controlled or prescribed burn is being conducted by the Lassen National Forest.
The "prescribed burn" is being conducted out of the Almanor Ranger District.
When: It was ignited at 8 a.m. Wednesday and was expected to burn for two to four days, Cal Fire spokeswoman Mary Ann Aldrich said.
Smoke notes: Smoke was expected to travel north and west.
This was the second control burn in the area this week.
On Monday, a plume of smoke was seen billowing from the Berry Creek area.
9 a.m. Thursday The Plumas National Forest said it was only burning off under-story brush on a 30 acre section of forest in an area near Oro Quincy Highway and Bald Rock Road.

1970's Pin-up Icon passes away - Farrah forever young

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:23 AM PDT

RIP Farrah Fawcett: Pinup girl of the 1970's and "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett dies after a long battle with cancer.

Farrah Fawcett: Forever Young
Generation X's favorite pinup

The Poster: Farrah Leni Fawcett-Majors (at the time, her hyphenation made her seem only more unattainable and therefore, more desirable) was also a guardian angel of sorts, watching us from the walls of our bedrooms, listening as we stumbled through first forays into adulthood: young love, illicit sips of beer. It was easy to pretend that the radiant blond with the mouthful of pearly whites was tossing her head back and effortlessly laughing at something we'd said.

It's impossible to imagine a poster today being as beguiling and mysterious. The photo seemed as if it had been taken almost surreptitiously (on a beach in Cancun?), a woven blanket in the background. The rustred one-piece swimsuit seemed damp and noticeably cool, and a thin gold chain around her neck dipped into her décolletage. She was seated, her left arm resting on her left knee, her left hand tousling her own hair, her head tilted back at a 45-degree angle from the camera, a smile so wide and bright that by today's standards it's full-on caricature. The shot looks ever so slightly exploded -- as if someone had enlarged what should have been a much smaller print.

Today we know that the poster image was shot by freelance photographer Bruce McBroom on behalf of a now-defunct Ohio company called Pro Arts Inc., using a Nikon-F camera. He took it in early 1976 near the pool at the Bel-Air home Fawcett-Majors shared with her then-husband, when she was 29 and had not yet made her TV debut as "Charlie's Angels" crime fighter Jill Munroe (that debut came on Sept. 22, 1976, around the same time the poster was released).

There was no stylist -- Fawcett-Majors did her own hair and makeup. And the Indian-blanket backdrop was a last-minute addition the photographer grabbed from the front seat of his '37 Chevy. The subject of the photos decided which shot would become the poster. She would eventually own the copyright to the image as well.

By March 1977, it had sold 5 million copies. Today that number is north of 12 million, and no one else of her era has come close to being a swimsuited paragon of pinup pulchritude -- not Bo Derek running the beach to the strains of Ravel's "Bolero," not Cheryl Tiegs in her see-through fishnet suit and not Pamela Anderson and her pneumatic ilk prancing through the waves. In 2007, GQ magazine named the poster "the most influential piece of men's art of the last 50 years," and a copy of it is among the holdings of the Smithsonian.

But for years now, she's been enshrined someplace much more intimate and meaningful: in the bedrooms, prom pictures and salon chairs of an entire generation that grew up with a definition of female beauty defined by the blond with the tousled mane and megawatt smile.

She will always be our favorite Angel.

Source: Whole article at LAT.com - Link

Santa Barbra Fires: Great Youtube video from California Fire Alliance

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 09:43 AM PDT

Capt. Burdick talks about the recent wildfires in Santa Barbara and the ways in which creating "defensible space" around your home can save that home and help protect the lives of firefighters in the thick of the battle.

More info at: http://cafirealliance.com/
The California Fire Alliance website features the California Community Wildfire Protection Plans section Follow this link for more information on how to create a plan for your community.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Earthquake - 3.0 M - San Juan Bautista, CA

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 09:26 AM PDT

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
California Integrated Seismic Net
USGS/ Caltech/ CGS/ UCB/ UCSD/ UNR

Version #0: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This is a computer-generated message. This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.

A minor earthquake occurred at 8:45:53 AM (PDT) on Thursday, June 25, 2009.
The magnitude 3.0 event occurred 3 km (2 miles) WSW of San Juan Bautista, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 7 km ( 4 miles).

Magnitude	3.0 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time	Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 8:45:53 AM (PDT) Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 15:45:53 (UTC)
Distance from	San Juan Bautista, CA - 3 km (2 miles) WSW (257 degrees) Aromas, CA - 8 km (5 miles) SE (132 degrees) Prunedale, CA - 9 km (6 miles) ENE (63 degrees) Hollister, CA - 16 km (10 miles) W (266 degrees) San Jose City Hall, CA - 63 km (39 miles) SSE (153 degrees)
Coordinates	36 deg. 50.3 min. N (36.838N), 121 deg. 34.4 min. W (121.573W)
Depth	6.6 km (4.1 miles)
Location Quality	Excellent
Location Quality Parameters	Nst= 70, Nph= 70, Dmin=2 km, Rmss=0.12 sec, Erho=0.2 km, Erzz=0.4 km, Gp=64.8 degrees
Event ID#	nc71238626
Additional Information	2-degree map Google Earth KML (Requires Google Earth.)

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

58 hay bales lost, But defensible space saves home

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 10:58 AM PDT

Blaze claims 58 hay bales, but nearby home protected

By Christopher Quirk - Morgan Hill Times

A fire claimed 58 bales of hay in northwest Gilroy today, but a prepared homeowner kept the fire from spreading to his home.

About 1:33 p.m. today, a fire broke out in a hay field on the east side of Santa Teresa Boulevard, north of its intersection with Day Road. The fire dashed across the field east toward a nearby house, pushed by winds of 13 to 15 mph. However, the flames came to an abrupt stop when they reached the 20-foot dirt ring that homeowner Joe Vogel had created around his property.

Vogel "did an outstanding job for defensible space," said Santa Clara County Fire Battalion Chief Derek Whitmer.

Vogel, who called in the fire, was not worried even as the low, quick flames approached, he said.

"I was concerned, but I didn't think it would (set the house on fire) because there weren't sparks flying," he said as he and his wife, Mona, watched firefighters clean up the burnt area.

The fire scorched between four and five acres, but firefighters surrounded and contained the fire soon after they arrived, Whitmer said. Crews worked into the afternoon, turning over hay bales, dousing fires and bulldozing a perimeter around the burnt hay.

Firefighters planned to finish up by evening, then check back in at night to make certain the fire had not been revived, Whitmer said.

Hay bales sell at between $10 and $15, making the loss due to the fire between $580 and $870, Whitmer said.

Cal Fire, South Clara County Fire and Gilroy Fire Department sent five engines, a water tinder, a bulldozer and several other vehicles to fight the blaze. The first vehicle on scene was a small vehicle from the Santa Clara County Department of Roads and Transportation, which sprayed down the fire to keep it in check before firefighters arrived, Whitmer said.

Source: morganhilltimes.com - Link
Photo Source: Morgan Hill Times Staff

Camp Parks live fire training exercise continues today

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 09:20 AM PDT

Wednesday Fire training crews experienced hands-on, live training at the 15th annual wildfire training at Camp Parks which continues today.

What: Instructors work with different teams, teaching them the latest wildland firefighting tactics as well. For two days, firefighters are doing everything from cutting fire lines by hand, to practicing pump and roll attacks.
Who: Hundreds of firefighters participated in the live training exercise, Around 400 firefighters came from dozens of city and county agencies around the Bay Area to practice different firefighting skills in the wildland setting.
Where: Camp Parks, home of the Army's 91st Division in the City of Dublin foothills in the Tri-Valley area of Alameda County.
Google Map - link

Fewer firefighters participated in this year's training because of budget cuts.
Photo Credit: Screenshot from ABC local.com Video - Link
Buy some Ice Cream Andrew

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:05:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

CA-KNF- Sims - Wildland Fire - 215 acres - 20%

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 09:57 AM PDT

Update: 6-24 0725hrs - Sims Fire KNF 215 ac 20% containment. 374 firefighters are commited at this time. Containment is expected 6/27.
Update: 6-24 0645hrs - NOPS - Sims Fire KNF 200 ac 0% containment.
Update: 6-23 1700hrs - 175 acres.

dd
View CA-KNF-Sims - Forest Fire in a larger map

IA: 1450hrs - Vegetation Fire in the Sims Creek area. 20 acres making run up the hill rapid rate of spread. SKU type 3 strike team just dispatched. No immediate structure threat.
Location: Klamath National Forest - Sims Creek area located off U.S. Highway 96, 8 miles North East of Seiad valley along highway 96
Fuels/Terrain: Heavy timber on steep slopes.
Caution: Due to the threat of burning debris rolling onto the highway and drifting smoke, motorists are urged to be cautious.

Air attack: Two helicopters, one lead plane and two tankers were assigned to the fire yesterday afternoon, currently commited to the fire 5 helicopters, 3 fixed wing aircraft Medford Reload base is open and ready for load and return
Resources: 14 hotshot crews 1 S/T Cal Fire crews and 24 fire engines. 2 Ukonom IHC, Mendocino Hotshots en route this a.m.
SRF ST 2600 (11, 21, 31, 33, 42)
SHF ST ???? (31, 34, 42, 61, 62)
SHF H-506
SHF Div-3
SHF Crew 11 Trinity, Crew 5 Shasta

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:09:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

CAL FIRE RRU Controlled burn today - Murrieta: Santa Rosa Plateau
[EDIS] Attempt to locate missing person in San Ramon
Lassen, Modoc and Plumas Counties - Burn permits suspended

CAL FIRE RRU Controlled burn today - Murrieta: Santa Rosa Plateau

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 11:08 AM PDT

Riverside County Controlled burn today - Murrieta - Santa Ana Mountains - Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve: Controlled burn today.

Who: CAL FIRE will conduct Controlled burn. Fire engines and a helicopter are scheduled to be assigned.
When: Today - Burn scheduled to be conducted between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Where: Foothills west of Murrieta @Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve near Clinton Keith and Tenaja Roads.
What: 250 acres of grass lands.
Why: to reduce the danger of wildfire and improve wildlife habitat. Controlled burns have been very effective at managing wildfire fuels in this area.
Smoke: Prescribed fires are set only during favorable weather conditions and with approval from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Battalion Chief Dan Johnson says in a written statement.
Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve - Link

[EDIS] Attempt to locate missing person in San Ramon

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 09:03 AM PDT

Law enforcement officers are currently searching for a missing person believed to be in the area of Dougherty Valley San Ramon.

The individual is Esther Neal a black female 81 years of age.
This person is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 115 pounds, with grey hair, wearing a green nightgown, black pants, possibly no shoes, and carrying a purse.
This individual has a medical I D bracelet.
This individual was last seen at fifty two nineteen Crestfield Drive.
This person is believed to be at risk due to dementia and alzheimer's.

Instruction:
If you believe you have seen this person or have any information regarding this person, please call the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office immediately at 925-646-2441.

Area: Vicinity of Dougherty Valley San Ramon
Affected Counties or parts of: Contra Costa, Alameda
Sent: 2009-06-23T08:47:01-07:00
Original Sender: cws@cws.cccounty.us

Lassen, Modoc and Plumas Counties - Burn permits suspended

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 05:49 AM PDT

Susanville - With peak fire season approaching and the weather getting hotter and dryer, CAL FIRE announces all dooryard burn permits within Lassen, Modoc and Plumas Counties will be SUSPENDED effective midnight June 30, 2009 (July 1, 2009). The dooryard burning suspension (Burn Ban) will continue until formally cancelled by CAL FIRE.

Dooryard burn permits will not be issued and dooryard burning is not allowed during this period of time. Agricultural vegetation control burns are still authorized with special permits issued from CAL FIRE and Air Quality. Campfire permits are still authorized in designated campfire areas only.

Each year CAL FIRE responds to nearly 1,600 fires started by Californians using equipment the wrong way. Whether working to create a defensible space around your home, just mowing the lawn, or pulling your dirt bike over to the side of the road, if you live in a wildland area you need to use all equipment responsibly. Lawn mowers, weedeaters, chain saws, grinders, welders, tractors, and trimmers can all spark a wildland fire. Do your part, the right way, to keep your community fire safe.

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:09:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Carmencita fire - Elk Grove -Two-alarm grass fire currently 20+ acres
Earthquake 3.2 M - Central California; Wheeler Ridge, Mettler, Grapevine, Lamont
Earthquake 3.0 M - Northern California,The Geysers

Carmencita fire - Elk Grove -Two-alarm grass fire currently 20+ acres

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 11:21 AM PDT

A two-alarm grass fire is threatening homes in Elk Grove.Smoke showing, large smoke column fire, Structure threat.

Location: Sacramento, 9700 block of Carmencita Avenue, off Bradshaw and Gerber, at end of Daron lane and off Wild Hawk Drive West.

Update: 1120 hrs - Dozers & Copter-1 have solid line around the fire.

Update: 1115 hrs -Power lines down at 9767 Carmencita.

Update: 1105 hrs - 20+ acres -Fire appears to be laying down as crews gain control, Fire Copter overhead reporting two fires, first fire is 10-15 acres, second fire is 5 acres.

Injuries/Structure damage: One report of citizen with breathing problems.
Cause: Unknown at this time.

Video: FOX40 News, Towercam view of fire in Elk Grove -Link
Photo credit: kcra.com

Earthquake 3.2 M - Central California; Wheeler Ridge, Mettler, Grapevine, Lamont

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 08:01 AM PDT

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.2
Date-Time	Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:27:09 UTC Monday, June 22, 2009 at 04:27:09 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	35.042°N, 119.031°W
Depth	8.9 km (5.5 miles)
Region	CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Distances	6 km (4 miles) WSW (247°) from Mettler, CA 9 km (6 miles) WNW (298°) from Wheeler Ridge, CA 14 km (9 miles) NW (320°) from Grapevine, CA 27 km (16 miles) SSW (204°) from Lamont, CA 35 km (22 miles) S (180°) from Bakersfield, CA 131 km (82 miles) NNW (327°) from Los Angeles Civic Center, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.4 km (0.2 miles); depth +/- 1.9 km (1.2 miles)
Parameters	Nph= 73, Dmin=9 km, Rmss=0.49 sec, Gp= 29°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	ci14478120

Earthquake 3.0 M - Northern California,The Geysers

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 08:03 AM PDT

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.0
Date-Time	Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:45:57 UTC Monday, June 22, 2009 at 04:45:57 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	38.812°N, 122.817°W
Depth	2.9 km (1.8 miles)
Region	NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances	2 km (1 miles) NNW (329°) from The Geysers, CA 9 km (5 miles) WSW (253°) from Cobb, CA 12 km (7 miles) WNW (291°) from Anderson Springs, CA 17 km (11 miles) E (85°) from Cloverdale, CA 42 km (26 miles) NNW (346°) from Santa Rosa, CA 120 km (75 miles) WNW (284°) from Sacramento, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.2 km (0.1 miles)
Parameters	NST= 83, Nph= 83, Dmin=1 km, Rmss=0.08 sec, Gp= 29°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	nc40238596

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:07:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Bug Bombs Set Off Explosion In Citrus Heights
CA-SQF- Coffee - Vegetation Fire - 80 acres
World News: Iran - Photojournalist missing
San Jose firefighters union Local 230 - civil grand jury report
Earthquake - 3.3 M - San Bernardino, CA

Bug Bombs Set Off Explosion In Citrus Heights

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 11:03 PM PDT

From the Sacramento Bee:

Effort to rid apartment of bugs leaves three Citrus Heights families homeless

From Matt Weiser:

Three families were left homeless in Citrus Heights Sunday after an explosion triggered by overzealous use of insecticide foggers.

A tenant of the three-unit apartment building in the 7500 block of Cook Ave. was trying to deal with a cockroach infestation when he activated 10 cans of insecticide fogger in the apartment, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Christian Pebbles. At about 6 p.m. Sunday, the fogger chemical spread to an ignition source in the apartment, resulting in an explosion.

There was no fire in the building, but the explosion caused major structural damage in the building and it had to be condemned, Pebbles said. The three families occupying the building got help Sunday from the Red Cross to find temporary housing. No one was hurt in the explosion.

"We're lucky because there was flying glass all the way across the street," Pebbles said. "We had massive damage to the entire building. We have structural bearing walls blown out."

He said the tenant had previously asked his landlord for help with the insect problem, and got no response. But using 10 foggers in an apartment was "well over the recommended limit" for deploying the devices, Pebbles said. "This is an unfortunate incident."

Editor's Note: According to an article on the KCRA News website, the explosion lifted the roof and blew out windows of the building Sunday night. The blast also cracked the frame of the apartment building. Common sense would tell a reasonable person that 10 bug bombs would be too much for an apartment.

KCRA news reporters now are saying that fire officials found *18* bug bombs in the small apartment. (Watching the 11pm news cast)

CA-SQF- Coffee - Vegetation Fire - 80 acres

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 08:04 PM PDT

CA-SQF-Coffee
Wildland Vegetation Fire:

View CA-SQF- Coffee - Vegetation Fire in a larger map
Road closure: - Broken PGE water flume flooding Hwy 190 at the Stairs, Highway impassable.
Update: 1930 hrs - 80 acres - gonna be a long night.
Update: 1900 hrs - AA states Left Flank is basically contained to the Head, all efforts are switching to the Right Flank, IC update 75 Acs., expects several more hrs before Containment (no % of containment given for this time)
Update: 1845hrs - IC req. an Add. WT (Private WT) in add. to the previous req.
Note : AT-11 on scene (Type-2, 2700 gal.)
Update: 1835hrs - BLM WT-3191 responding, Fulton Hot Shots, Kern Valley Hot Shots Ordered, PGE water Flume just broke!
Note : IC req. an Add. WT (county WT-15), AT-23 (P-3 Type -1, 3000 gal.) on scene
Update: 1800 hrs - IC reports head is very active heading North East, especially active around the PGE Flume, very Rocky Terrain up there, also. POWER LINES near the road, but not down.
Update: 1730 hrs - IC now reports 7+ acres, requesting ATs , fire is threatening PGE water flume, Mod ROS, Heavy fuels -
Note : BC 23 req. 2 add. crews, upgrade to a full response, 4 add. engines
Location: 1700hrs -One half mile above upper Coffee Camp on Hwy 190, East of Springville Area
Fire in Heavy Fuels , 1 acre, uphill side, Slow ROS, hold off on Aircraft at this time except Helo.
Google Map: Link
IC: Coffee IC Batt. 23 / 4114 - 1915 hrs - SQF Chief-2 is on scene
Communications:
Local - 168.775
Tac - 2 - 168.200
Air - 169.150
Air / Grnd - 170.000
Air / Air - 135.975
Air Base - 123.975
Resources:
Helicopter - 522
Engines - 23, 25, Pat 23 ; TUU Engines - 4173, 4183
Crew - SQF Crew-9
WT - SQF WT -2
SQF PT 22, 23, on scene
SQF E-24, also responding/or on scene
SQF H-523
ST 9472 G enroute (Mt. Home Crews 1, 2),
AA-13, ATs - 76, 78 (both are S-2Ts, 1200 Gal) Lead plane, T-11 and T-23 en-route or already one scene from Fox airbase.
Weather: as of 1915 Hrs, Springville, 79 deg.; 27% Hum.; Winds out of the NNW @ 9 MPH
Initial information:wildlandfire.com - Link

World News: Iran - Photojournalist missing

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 11:01 AM PDT

LIFE magazine Photojournalist missing in Tehran

Courage on Tehran's Streets; A Photographer Is Missing

The Iranian photojournalist, whose pictures appear here, is missing. He has not been in contact with LIFE magazine; this morning LIFE magazine received the following email from one of his relatives.

THE EMAIL: Hi im [photographer's relative], when he go out side yester day for he never came back home and also his friend and a lot of our young brave people, government arrested them [. . .] don't let them suffer in those bloody hands. With thanks.

We will update this space when we have more details.

Pictured: Defiance in the streets the day after the disputed results of the June 12, 2009, election.

Great pictures From Tehran's Streets at: LIFE magazine - Link
Hope and Rage As protests and counter-protests unlike anything seen in Iran since the 1979 Revolution roil the country and captivate the world, LIFE presents photographs taken by an Iranian who is there, in the midst of the action.

Editors note: I know this is off topic but the Tehran-based photojournalist who made this pictures is now missing. Whether a war zone, revolution or wildland urban interface fire I felt it was important photojournalism news, and I wanted to share these very powerful photographs...

New details at LIFE magazine: - Link.
All Photos: LIFE magazine - An Iranian Photojournalist -Link

San Jose firefighters union Local 230 - civil grand jury report

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 07:53 AM PDT

San Jose firefighters respond to civil grand jury report

In response to a scathing civil grand jury report this week, the firefighters union Friday acknowledged a "strained relationship" with city management but said the findings overlooked key facts.

"We regret the final report was issued without considering all of the facts and seeking input from all pertinent stakeholders," said San Jose Firefighters President Randy Sekany in a one-page written retort.

The 19-member civil grand jury, empaneled for a year, acts as a public watchdog agency. City officials must respond to the findings within 90 days.

The grand jury report on the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 230, as the San Jose firefighters are formally known, assailed Sekany and other leaders of the 747-member union as needlessly hostile toward management. It said the union has filed more than twice as many contract grievances as the city's 10 other unions combined and called many of those grievances frivolous.

It also said union leaders abuse city-paid time off for labor activities.

In defending the union, Sekany — who retired as a fire captain in December but continues as Local 230 president, a post he has held for nine years — noted that the grand jury never sought his testimony in producing its 33-page report.

Sekany added that the union and management routinely meet and discuss issues and have resolved hundreds of matters through productive negotiations. He also noted the minimum

staffing levels and union time-off policies questioned by the grand jury were agreed upon by the city, and that the minimum staffing policy saves San Jose more than $1 million a year in overtime costs.

Finally, Sekany said, "firefighters have an overwhelming lack of confidence in the chief's ability to lead the department." The firefighters in December declared a vote of no confidence in Chief Darryl Von Raesfeld, but City Manager Debra Figone has stood by him.

"We acknowledge a strained relationship with some members of the city executive staff," Sekany wrote. "We also believe that fair-minded people would acknowledge that a strained relationship requires responsibility and accountability by both parties.

"Notwithstanding the aforementioned challenges," he added, "we stand ready, as we have for over 155 years, to work collaboratively with the city of San Jose".

Source: Mercury News - Link

Earthquake - 3.3 M - San Bernardino, CA

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 07:40 AM PDT

Version #2: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This is a computer-generated message. This event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.

A minor earthquake occurred at 7:29:33 AM (PDT) on Sunday, June 21, 2009.
The magnitude 3.3 event occurred 2 km (1 miles) WSW of San Bernardino, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 16 km (10 miles).

Magnitude	3.3 - local magnitude (ML)
Time	Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 7:29:33 AM (PDT) Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 14:29:33 (UTC)
Distance from	San Bernardino, CA - 2 km (1 miles) WSW (245 degrees) Rialto, CA - 6 km (4 miles) E (80 degrees) Colton, CA - 6 km (4 miles) N (7 degrees) Bloomington, CA - 10 km (6 miles) NE (48 degrees) Los Angeles Civic Center, CA - 86 km (54 miles) E (85 degrees)
Coordinates	34 deg. 7.3 min. N (34.122N), 117 deg. 18.8 min. W (117.314W)
Depth	16.4 km (10.2 miles)
Location Quality	Good
Location Quality Parameters	Nst=152, Nph=152, Dmin=3 km, Rmss=0.35 sec, Erho=0.2 km, Erzz=0.8 km, Gp=14.4 degrees
Event ID#	ci14477816
Additional Information	2-degree map Google Earth KML (Requires Google Earth.) Waveforms 24-hour Aftershock Forecast Map

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:05:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Angora Fire: Can't Arrest "Person of Interest"
Twittering during the disaster - Don't be a Twit
Earthquake - 4.6 M - Lake Nacimiento, CA
Lightning Safety Week

Angora Fire: Can't Arrest "Person of Interest"

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 03:25 PM PDT

Cops Lack Evidence, Can't Arrest "Person of Interest" In Angora Fire

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) -- Investigators say they lack evidence to arrest a "person of interest" in a 2007 catastrophic wildfire on Lake Tahoe's south shore, but the case remains a high priority.

Wednesday marks the two-year anniversary of the blaze that destroyed 254 homes, caused $140 million in property damage and scorched 3,100 acres.

Bill Dillard, an investigator with the El Dorado County district attorney's office, said he continues to follow up leads in the case.

Investigators think the Angora fire was caused by sparking embers from a campfire at a popular party spot near South Lake Tahoe.

But Dillard said they don't have probable cause to make an arrest yet because of a lack of evidence linking the person to the scene.

He said probable cause is hard to establish in wildfires because evidence is destroyed and witnesses are scarce.

The district attorney's office and U.S. Forest Service have spent hundreds of hours and sorted through hundreds of tips concerning who started the campfire near Seneca Pond.

High winds fanned flames and quickly moved the fire toward homes.

Source: news10.net - Link

Twittering during the disaster - Don't be a Twit

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 09:04 AM PDT

Saturday morning chuckle: Discovered on my Twitter Feed, Twitter is like a virus now!
DO NOT TWITTER IN THE AISLE DURING EVACUATION
From @tinafightsfire The power of twitter in a Fire Safety sign http://bit.ly/IU7Ml

Earthquake - 4.6 M - Lake Nacimiento, CA

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 06:46 AM PDT

Version #2: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.

This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

A light earthquake occurred at 5:32:48 AM (PDT) on Saturday, June 20, 2009.
The magnitude 4.6 event occurred 12 km (8 miles) SSW of Lake Nacimiento, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 6 km ( 4 miles).

Magnitude	4.6 - local magnitude (ML)
Time	Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 5:32:48 AM (PDT) Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 12:32:48 (UTC)
Distance from	Lake Nacimiento, CA - 12 km (8 miles) SSW (211 degrees) Cambria, CA - 16 km (10 miles) NE (51 degrees) San Simeon, CA - 22 km (13 miles) E (90 degrees) Paso Robles, CA - 25 km (15 miles) W (274 degrees) San Jose City Hall, CA - 207 km (128 miles) SSE (156 degrees)
Coordinates	35 deg. 38.6 min. N (35.644N), 120 deg. 57.0 min. W (120.950W)
Depth	6.1 km (3.8 miles)
Location Quality	Good
Location Quality Parameters	Nst=230, Nph=230, Dmin=5 km, Rmss=0.09 sec, Erho=0.1 km, Erzz=0.4 km, Gp=97.2 degrees
Event ID#	nc40238431

Lightning Safety Week

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 01:12 AM PDT

Lightning Safety Week (June 21-27, 2009): Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena – lightning. In the U.S., an average of 62 people are killed each year by lightning; hundreds of others are injured. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a National Citizen Corps Affiliate, has recently posted new resources that Citizen Corps Councils and partners can use to increase lightning safety awareness, such as a brochure titled 'Lightning Safety for You and Your Family' and a lightning safety quiz for kids with Leon the Lightning Lion. Visit the NOAA Lightning Safety webpage at http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/ for more details.

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:07:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

CA-SCU- Explosive IC- Vegetation fire - 2163 acres 100% - Site 300
Earthquake - 4.1 M - Off Shore - San Clemente Is, Camp Pendleton South, CA
Earthquake 3.3 M - Ocotillo, Jacumba Hot springs area
Editorial: Disturbing trend continues. LE and the FF
CalFire assistance Shasta County SWAT
Earthquake 3.2 M - Borrego Springs, CA

CA-SCU- Explosive IC- Vegetation fire - 2163 acres 100% - Site 300

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 10:03 PM PDT

Explosive IC - Grass fire first spotted at a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory test site 300 in the Altamont hills.

Final Update: 2038 hrs - Fire is contained. Currently 40 persons on the fire, 5 SCU engines on patrol tonight, 1 on patrol tomorrow. Buttoning up Site 300
Update: 1945 hrs - Per AA and H-106 fire is now 2163 acres including burn inside Site 300, Explosive Air Attack and C-404 now released with 7 minutes left on station.
Update: 1934 hrs - IC releasing some resources, Copter 106 finishing up mapping fire, Copter404 released back to Columbia
Update: 1907 hrs - 500 - 600 acres 80%, Two fixed wing load and hold at Hollister
Update: 1706 hrs - AA states 800 acres - Threat to SRA, Staging now at entrance to Site 300 on Corral Hollow, Fire will hit Interstate 5 in minutes. Seven Dozers assigned to fire with plenty of work "Hit the black and keep cutting"
Smoke: Huge header over fire with smoke impacting cities of Tracy and Banta, with smoke heading towards French Camp, Manteca.
Update: 1637 hrs - AA states 300 to 400 ACs 75% contained, significant wind conditions still exist, Potential of couple thousand acres, no night shift.
Update: 1630 hrs - Winds 35+ mph, 200 to 300 acres.
View CA-SCU Explosive IC - Vegetation fire in a larger map

Initial sizeup: Vegetation Fire Site 300 east of Livermore. 20 to 30 acres, Wind driven grass fire, potential for 100 to 200 acres. Hand crews canceled gonna let it burn to control lines.
Explosive testing area, Alameda County foothills near Tracy, Ca on Federal land and LRA, moving to SRA
IC:Combined command, CAL FIRE ALCO.
Local Government Incident Command team en-route
Comms: command- 151.4450
Tac -151.1600
air-151.2950

Earthquake - 4.1 M - Off Shore - San Clemente Is, Camp Pendleton South, CA

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 08:04 PM PDT

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
California Integrated Seismic Net
USGS/ Caltech/ CGS/ UCB/ UCSD/ UNR

Version #O: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

A light earthquake occurred at 6:00:30 PM (PDT) on Friday, June 19, 2009.
The magnitude 4.1 event occurred 57 km (36 miles) SSE of Avalon, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 14 km ( 9 miles).

Magnitude	4.1 - local magnitude (ML)
Time	Friday, June 19, 2009 at 6:00:30 PM (PDT) Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 1:00:30 (UTC)
Distance from	Avalon, CA - 57 km (36 miles) SSE (149 degrees) San Clemente Is., CA (NW tip) - 58 km (36 miles) ESE (105 degrees) Camp Pendleton South, CA - 67 km (42 miles) WSW (239 degrees) Oceanside, CA - 72 km (45 miles) WSW (242 degrees) San Diego, CA - 81 km (51 miles) W (280 degrees)
Coordinates	32 deg. 54.0 min. N (32.900N), 118 deg. 0.4 min. W (118.007W)
Depth	14.2 km (8.8 miles)
Location Quality	Poor
Location Quality Parameters	Nst= 48, Nph= 48, Dmin=51 km, Rmss=0.5 sec, Erho=1.3 km, Erzz=3.1 km, Gp=172.8 degrees
Event ID#	ci14477000
Additional Information	2-degree map Google Earth KML (Requires Google Earth.) Did you feel it? ShakeMap shaking intensity maps Waveforms 24-hour Aftershock Forecast Map SCSN Moment Tensor Solution Tsunami Information Statement from the WC/ATWC

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Earthquake 3.3 M - Ocotillo, Jacumba Hot springs area

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 08:07 PM PDT

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
California Integrated Seismic Net
USGS/ Caltech/ CGS/ UCB/ UCSD/ UNR

Version #E: This report supersedes any earlier reports of this event.
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

A minor earthquake occurred at 2:32:16 PM (PDT) on Friday, June 19, 2009.
The magnitude 3.3 event occurred 13 km (8 miles) SE of Ocotillo, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 6 km ( 4 miles).

Magnitude	3.3 - local magnitude (ML)
Time	Friday, June 19, 2009 at 2:32:16 PM (PDT) Friday, June 19, 2009 at 21:32:16 (UTC)
Distance from	Ocotillo, CA - 13 km (8 miles) SE (144 degrees) Jacumba Hot Springs, CA - 26 km (16 miles) E (83 degrees) Seeley, CA - 27 km (17 miles) SW (233 degrees) El Centro, CA - 37 km (23 miles) WSW (245 degrees) Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico - 104 km (65 miles) E (83 degrees)
Coordinates	32 deg. 38.8 min. N (32.647N), 115 deg. 54.9 min. W (115.916W)
Depth	6.3 km (3.9 miles)
Location Quality	Fair
Location Quality Parameters	Nst= 58, Nph= 58, Dmin=1 km, Rmss=0.34 sec, Erho=0.3 km, Erzz=0.8 km, Gp=176.4 degrees
Event ID#	ci14476952
Additional Information	2-degree map Google Earth KML (Requires Google Earth.) Did you feel it? Waveforms 24-hour Aftershock Forecast Map

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Editorial: Disturbing trend continues. LE and the FF

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 12:59 PM PDT

Editors thought: I cringe every time I read about firefighting agencies assisting police with criminal activities other than arson.

I was on a fire last year with repeated reports of growers shooting at CAL FIRE vehicles and could not figure out why they would shoot at Firefighters not only drawing attention to themselves but causing a heavy law enforcement response where there may of been none?

I believe the following article helps to explain the criminal mindset that firefighters are targets as much as law enforcement....

CalFire assistance Shasta County SWAT

Transporting a SWAT team into a grow area is just wrong. They should fly their own birds.

A bonehead Fire Chief back east comes to mind, He allowed a full fake fire response to an apartment complex, ladder trucks and all, and evacuated the place just to assist law enforcement in a dangerous arrest.

With many fire department personnel entering the back county for fire fighting and even defensible space compliance anything that creates a a hostile environment for such personnel should be avoided.

If the public understood what the Department of Homeland Security expects of the firefighter, garbageman, postal delivery person, etc that visits your home they would be much more wary of maintaining the great relationship currently enjoyed by such persons.

It is too dangerous to allow firefighters to be perceived as Law Enforcement this dangerous trend needs to be arrested.

CalFire assistance Shasta County SWAT

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 12:48 PM PDT

Sergeant, deputy injured in Lassen gun battle

A sergeant from Lassen County Sheriff's Office was sent to the hospital with a gunshot wound and a deputy was also injured after a marijuana investigation turned into a gun battle that left one suspect dead and six others arrested in northern Lassen County.

The sergeant was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Redding. According to Lassen County Sheriff Steve Warren, the sergeant's injuries are serious, but are not life threatening. The deputy was not transported to the hospital and Warren said he is doing well.

The identity of the suspect who was killed was not available pending notification of next of kin.

At approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 16, rangers from the Bureau of Land Management and the Lassen County Narcotics Taskforce, which includes personnel from the Lassen County Sheriff's Office and the Susanville Police Department, were scouting for illegal cultivation of marijuana in the Dixie Valley area and found a garden with several thousand plants.

Shortly after finding the garden, Warren said the taskforce came across a camp, where three people were staying. Two people were taken into custody right away, but the other suspect started shooting.

He said it's typical for people to guard the marijuana, but usually the taskforce will find the camp, back away and return with a team. Because the camp was in pretty heavy cover, Warren said, the taskforce instantly ended up on top of it.

The remaining four suspects fled the area and evaded the California Highway Patrol. CHP officers notified other agencies responding to the scene, and the suspects were eventually apprehended by CHP and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.

At this time, Warren said he has no reason to believe the four were involved in the shooting. He also said he has no reason to believe there are other suspects. Wednesday, June 17, Warren said teams would be processing the scene throughout the day.

The sheriff's office also received assistance from multiple agencies including the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, Modoc County Sheriff's Office, Plumas County Sheriff's Office and CalFire.

Warren said Shasta County rolled in like it was the invasion of a small country. CalFire transported the SWAT team to the scene.

Warren credited the agency with saving the sergeant's life. When the sergeant was shot, Warren said taskforce members administered first aid and CalFire personnel loaded him into a helicopter and transported him to a landing zone where a medical helicopter was waiting.

In accordance with sheriff's office policy, the Department of Justice will investigate the incident.
Source: Plumas News.com - Link

Earthquake 3.2 M - Borrego Springs, CA

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 09:05 AM PDT

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.2
Date-Time	Friday, June 19, 2009 at 15:30:37 UTC Friday, June 19, 2009 at 08:30:37 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	33.372°N, 116.410°W
Depth	11.4 km (7.1 miles)
Region	SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances	14 km (9 miles) NNW (346°) from Borrego Springs, CA 32 km (20 miles) SE (130°) from Anza, CA 34 km (21 miles) W (264°) from Desert Shores, CA 42 km (26 miles) SSW (203°) from Indio, CA 51 km (32 miles) SSE (167°) from Palm Springs, CA 95 km (59 miles) NE (46°) from San Diego, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.2 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.7 km (0.4 miles)
Parameters	Nph=115, Dmin=12 km, Rmss=0.32 sec, Gp= 22°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=C
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	ci14476736

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:08:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Tracy Fire / South County Fire Authority - Training Burn
Kern County Fire Department - New Helicopter 407 - 408 will finish 10-year maintenance soon
Riverside County prescribed burn - Lake Skinner recreational area

Tracy Fire / South County Fire Authority - Training Burn

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 12:28 PM PDT

(TRACY, CA) – The Tracy Fire Department and South County Fire Authority are holding an annual wild land fire training exercise near the Tracy Airport. The exercise is a state mandated event to prepare fire crews to handle possible wild land and brush fires during the summer months.

Due to the winds, smoke has been drifting over the Tracy area. Fire Chief Chris Bosch wants to assure the public not to be alarmed by the smoke. The training exercise will be completed by 5 p.m., Thursday afternoon.

Kern County Fire Department - New Helicopter 407 - 408 will finish 10-year maintenance soon

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 10:10 AM PDT

KEENE, California -- Kern County Fire Departments second helicopter, Helicopter 407, was revamped and delivered by San Joaquin Helicopters from Delano just a week ago.

The crew said the new addition brings Kern County up to speed with other California counties.

Helicopter 408 Captain Kevin Loomis said, "These aircraft have brought Kern County up to speed if you will, with the Southern California fire fighting departments that are down there. Top of the line, great stuff, now we are right there with the big boys, doing the same thing."

The Kern County Fire Department definitely missed its helicopter, but now that its back, it's the residents of Kern County who will benefit.

Loomis said, "This aircraft does rescue, it does firefighting, troop transfer, night-vision goggle rescue, so it's very, very important to the county, especially with 8,000 square miles to cover. We missed it a lot, we missed a lot of calls."

And soon, Kern County Fire won't just have one helicopter to serve the county, but two.
In the next couple weeks, Helicopter 408 will finish its 10-year maintenance, during which the helicopter is taken apart and inspected.

Kern County Fire Department Director of Maintainence Jim Fritts said, "You have to remove every component of the aircraft, the tail boom, the landing gear, and then you have to repair or replace whatever components that are due."

Kern County Fire just formed their its maintenance program in an effort to save money.
The program is responsible for Helicopter 408's 10-year maintenance check.
Loomis said having its own maintenance to the helicopters not only saves money, but allows the aircrafts to be inspected daily.

Both Helicopter 407 and 408 are identical except in color, each is equipped with a water tank, enough room to transport 10 firefighters, a hoist and the capabilities to do both day and night rescues.

Kern County Fire said eventually Helicopter 407 will be stationed in Mettler at Station 55, and Helicopter 408 will be kept in Keene.
But as for now, the crews are just excited to have their aircraft back.

Article source: turnto23.com - Link
Photo source: Laguna Hot Shots Blog - Link

Riverside County prescribed burn - Lake Skinner recreational area

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 07:02 AM PDT

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Riverside County Fire Department, in cooperation with the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District Multi-Species Reserve (MSR) will complete a prescribed burn on the Skinner Reserve located within the Lake Skinner recreational area.

Where: The burn area is located near the intersection of Borel Road and Warren Rd. (Riverside TB 930-D2), just south of Lake Skinner in the Temecula area.

When: Prescribed fire operations will take place on Thursday, June 18, 2009. Burn operations will begin after 9:00 am and should conclude by 1:00 pm daily. CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire Department will be conducting patrols of the burned area following all burn operations.

What: A total of 25 acres of grasslands are planned for the prescribed burn. The goal of this prescribed burn is to reduce hazardous wildfire fuels and to improve the wildlife habitat on the Reserve. Prescribed fire operations will be conducted only during favorable weather conditions and with approval from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Who: CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire Department will be conducting the prescribed fire with the following resources; fire engines, fire crews, water dropping helicopter, and overhead personnel. Multi-Species Reserve Managers will be providing technical assistance and logistical support with their staff.

Why: This is a cooperative effort and is part of the CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire Department¿s Pre-Fire Management Program. Prior annual prescribed fires on the Lake Skinner MSR Reserve have been very effective at managing wildfire fuels in this area and encouraging habitat for wildlife.

If you have questions or would like additional information on this prescribed fire please contact the Regional Park and Open Space District Multi-Species Reserve Manager Christine Moen at (951) 926-7416, or CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire Department Battalion Chief, Dan Johnson at (951) 659-3337.

Source: http://tcfireweb.co.riverside.ca.us/firepio/process?action=viewPressRelease&id=3976

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:02:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

CAL FIRE HFEO TRAINING VIDEO
Press Release: SAC METRO - PUBLIC MEETING TO ADDRESS STATION 33 CLOSURE
MCP: Tribute to former Camp Pendleton firefighter, and Marine, Sgt. Brian E. Dunlap
Canada: Alberta calls for wildfire reinforcements
SLO - controlled burn - 250-acre - Camp San Luis Obispo
CA-MCP- Haybarn - Camp Pendleton Wildland Fire - 101+ acres 50%

CAL FIRE HFEO TRAINING VIDEO

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 04:59 PM PDT

CAL Fire Bulldozer Crews Train at Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton, a United States Marine Corps base in San Diego County, California, serves as the ideal location for CAL Fire's bulldozer training. Bulldozer crews from all parts of the state come to the rocky mountainous terrain to practice the land clearing maneuvers that they use during wildfires.

"They run it like it's a regular fire, and this is to keep them in that focus and in that mode, because as we always say, we train like we play and we play like we train, " says CAL Fire Battalion Chief Mark Ostrander.

One of the key components of the bulldozer training is to practice communication, which is critical for keeping the dozers from running into each other or falling off the mountain. Ostrander says that it is easy to roll a bulldozer if an operator does not know what they are doing, which could lead to serious injury or death. All of CAL Fire's bulldozer operators are highly trained and come from either the fire service or a construction background, and during wildfires they work grueling twelve hours shifts.

To ensure the operators' safety, each bulldozer is equipped with special equipment. Chief Ostrander explains, "Inside the dozers they have radios and fire curtains. They have GPS, a special lighting package, and the cabs are enclosed so that if they get overrun by fire they can drop the curtains down and survive within it."

To most effectively clear the mountainous terrain, CAL Fire's bulldozer operators usually drive up the rocky landscape and then push the brush and debris downhill. The highest grade that they will climb is 75 degrees. Anything greater could be disastrous. Mike Howard, a CAL Fire Heavy Equipment Operator who spent years working his way through the ranks of the Fire Department, says that despite the danger involved with his job, he enjoys it and has never experienced a moment where he thought he would get himself into trouble.

In addition to performing wildland firefighting maneuvers, the CAL Fire teams use this training to practice rehabbing previously bulldozed areas to ensure that they do not become mudslide areas.

Related Video - To watch a video about CAL Fire's annual wildfire training on the Viejas Indian Reservation, click here.
Article Source: FDNNTV.com - Link
Author: Deanne Goodman FDNNTV.com

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Press Release: SAC METRO - PUBLIC MEETING TO ADDRESS STATION 33 CLOSURE

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 04:51 PM PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PUBLIC MEETING TO ADDRESS STATION 33 CLOSURE
Sacramento, Ca, June17, 2009. On June 27, 2009 from 8:00 to 9:30 am Metro Fire officials will be holding a public forum meeting at Fire Station 32 located at 8890 Roediger Lane Fair Oaks in the community room. The meeting is to hear our communities concerns and to also inform our citizens regarding the closure of Fire Station 33 Located at 5148 Main Avenue. Engine 33 serves the communities of Orangevale and Fair Oaks.

Contact: Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Public Information Officer Phone (916) 616-2431 e-mail: sacmetrofirepio@smfd.ca.gov
Issued by: Captain Rusty Dupray (916) 616-2412 dupray.rusty@smfd.ca.gov

MCP: Tribute to former Camp Pendleton firefighter, and Marine, Sgt. Brian E. Dunlap

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 04:24 PM PDT

Former Pendleton Firefighter Remembered

June 16, 2009

Marine Corps News|by Pfc. Daniel Boothe

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Hundreds of friends, family and fellow firefighters paid tribute to the former Camp Pendleton firefighter, California-native and Marine, Sgt. Brian E. Dunlap by gathering at San Diego's Hook and Ladder Firehouse Museum.

The ceremony commemorated Dunlap with a permanent display of his dress blue and firefighter uniform that will remain in the museum. Camp Pendleton officials and firefighters were also in attendance honoring Dunlap's heroic service.

"When I was deployed and found out about Brian's death I thought to myself, 'I am going to do the right thing,'" said Mathew Carr during the ceremony, former Marine and current firefighter, Fire Station 1, Camp Pendleton's Fire and Emergency Services. "I am going to honor the memory of the guys that didn't come home with us everyday by carrying the flag forward."

San Diego's Firefighters' Emerald Society sponsored the event with contributions from the public and is currently collecting charitable donations for the Brian E. Dunlap Memorial Fund which will provide scholarship opportunities for future high school students.

Dunlap was killed in action on September 24, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations in Al Taqaddum, Iraq, just north of Baghdad.

"Maria and I want to convey to Sgt. Dunlap's family that we are forever indebted to Brian for giving his life to the cause of freedom. Californians are deeply grateful for his courage and dedication to service of this country," said Gov. Arnold A. Schwarzenegger in a press release issued only days after Dunlap's death.

Dunlap enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1995 and was honorably discharged in 2002. Soon after, he became a firefighter on Camp Pendleton for the California Department of Forestry and helped extinguish 2003's deadly Cedar Fire. Dunlap was also personally thanked by former President George W. Bush during a visit to survey the California fire's destruction.

He then reenlisted into the Marine Corps' Reserve in 2004 and was attached to Marine Forces Reserve's 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division in Los Alamitos, Calif. and soon deployed to northern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After his death, Dunlap was inducted into the International Association of Fire Fighters' Wall of Honor in 2006.

Source: Military.com - Link

Canada: Alberta calls for wildfire reinforcements

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 11:19 AM PDT

Alberta Fire officials put out a call for help Tuesday, and Firefighters and equipment from around Canada and Mexico were headed to Alberta Wednesday to help battle 17 out-of-control wildfires.

The totals so far: 890 wildfires since April 1.
More than 67,000 acres of forest and scrubland have burned and Alberta officials were most concerned with 12 fires burning near Fort McMurray.

Resources: 600 Canadian firefighters are on the lines.
Damages: No property losses.
Deaths/Injuries: No injuries.

Out of area responders:
Northwest Territories sent 35 firefighters.
Ontario is sending 116 and three air tankers.
Quebec is sending two air tankers.
New Brunswick dispatched 10 firefighters.
Jalisco, Mexico, 21 firefighters en route.

Road Closures: Alberta Transportation announced several highways were closed and motorists should be prepared for more closures before setting out.
Weather: Many of the fires were attributed lightning strikes, and conditions have been very dry officials said.

SLO - controlled burn - 250-acre - Camp San Luis Obispo

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:55 AM PDT

What: San Luis Obispo County and Cal Fire crews are planning a 250-acre controlled burn Wednesday morning at Camp San Luis Obispo.

When: The burn is scheduled for 10 a.m. on the grassland's at the base's firing ranges.

Why: Fire officials say the burn will reduce hazards and provide troops at the base with safe firing ranges for training.

Google Map: Camp San Luis Obispo - link

Smoke: People in Chorro Valley and in San Luis Obispo can expect to see smoke from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the base.

CA-MCP- Haybarn - Camp Pendleton Wildland Fire - 101+ acres 50%

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:51 AM PDT

New fire starts on Camp Pendleton, 30 acres lots of potential, ordered two
additional air tankers.

Update: 1715hrs, media reports the first fire on the base has reached 101 acres per fire officials. fire is expected to be fully controlled Wednesday.
Update: 6-16-09 1710hrs - AA330 just released Tankers 10 and 72 to their home bases,

IA: 6-16-09 1320hrs - 30 acres, moderate rate of spread, high acreage potential, No structure threat.
Potential for extended attack, and requesting 2 additional airtankers (total 4). Also on scene Copter 12 and H-538.
Evacuations: Precautionary evacuation of two work areas at the Marine base.
Cause: Under investigation.

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:05:00 +0000

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

PRESS RELEASE: PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC 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/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm166996.htm

Twitter - #Zicam Cold Remedy

North Ops: Air Attack bases fully staffed

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 07:38 AM PDT

Cal Fire air attack bases across Northern California, including those in Chico and Redding are now at full staffing.

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 Fire
Shot 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

Inmate Firefighter Force May Shrink

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

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:05:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

San Bernardino County: 2003 Old Fire suspects ID'ed

Posted: 14 Jun 2009 08:35 AM PDT

Two suspects identified in catastrophic 2003 Old Fire

Authorities on Saturday identified two suspects, one of whom is now dead, in the catastrophic Old Fire, which killed six people and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in October 2003.

Sgt. Frank Bell identified 27-year-old Rickie Lee Fowler, formerly of San Bernardino, as a suspect in the case.

Fowler was convicted in San Bernardino County Superior Court in November 2003 of burglary and sentenced to nine years in prison, court records show. He is serving out his sentence at Salinas Valley State Prison.

Another source close to the investigation who asked not to be named identified Martin Valdez Jr. as the suspected driver of the white Chevrolet Astro van that was seen speeding away from the scene of the fire on Old Waterman Canyon Road. A composite sketch of the suspect circulated by the Sheriff's Department bears his likeness.

Valdez, 24, of Muscoy, was shot and killed on a Muscoy street in February 2006.

The Old Fire flared up on Oct. 25, 2003, near Old Waterman Canyon Road and burned for nine days across the San Bernardino Mountains, scorching 91,281 acres and causing $42 million in damage. Six people died of stress-related heart attacks as a direct result of the fire.

It was one of the most catastrophic wildfires in San Bernardino County's history.

Bell said he and his team of four detectives are wrapping up their case and will soon submit it to the District Attorney's Office for review.

"I would like to have it to them within the next couple of months," Bell said.

He said Fowler could face arson and murder charges.

Fowler, who the source said was a known methamphetamine user, is believed to have been a passenger in the van and the one that started the fire.

A witness parked in a turnout on Old Waterman Canyon Road reported a white man with long blonde hair fitting Fowler's description getting out of the van and hurling a lighted flare onto the hillside, the source said.

"The witness sees this guy throw something up onto the side of the hill, and he got back into the van, which makes a u-turn and goes southbound on Old Waterman Canyon Road," the source said. "And then when the van gets to the intersection of Old Waterman Canyon Road and Highway 18, it runs a stop sign, and there's a couple out of Redlands, going northbound on Highway 18, and the van almost hits them."

A passenger in that vehicle was able to give investigators a description of the driver that was the basis for the composite sketch, the source said.

Investigators believe Fowler was trying to set fire to a man's house because he was withholding methamphetamine from Fowler.

"Fowler admitted to being involved in the fires," said the source. "Then we learned the motive was that he (Fowler) wanted to retaliate against this guy who either stole his dope or was holding his dope. It was over drugs."

Ironically, the house allegedly targeted by Fowler didn't burn in the fire, the source said.

Sheriff's detectives are also seeking a third suspect who was also believed to be in the van, Bell said.

The van was located in January 2004 in an impound yard in Los Angeles County after it was repossessed from its owner, a San Bernardino resident who is not a suspect in the Old Fire. No incriminating evidence was found in the van, the source said.

"They took it (the van) from this guy," the source said of Valdez and Fowler. "Whether they took it knowingly and borrowed it . . . we don't know."

Fowler's name surfaced as a potential suspect within three months of the fire. An informant told investigators that Fowler had bragged to a friend about starting the fire, the source said.

Fowler admitted during an interview with sheriff's investigators that he was involved in the fire and was with Valdez and another man, but gave inconsistent statements as to his culpability, the source said.

He did, however, drop a crucial piece of information that was never made public.

"He admitted to running the stop sign, and that was never mentioned publicly - that they blew the stop sign," the source said. "So that was key to the confession . . . He said they almost hit a dog."

"That would be for the District Attorney's Office to decide based on what we present them," Bell said.

Sheriff's investigators have worked with both state and federal prosecutors on the case. Federal prosecutors were brought into the investigation because much of the fire occurred on federal forestry land, Bell said.

The source said the case was presented to county prosecutors in 2004, but they declined to file charges, and asked detectives to seek out more evidence.

"We made a play in 2004 to get this thing filed, and they sat on it. I thought it was bunk," the source said. "I think it's a very good case. I think it's provable beyond a reasonable doubt."

Susan Mickey, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, declined to comment Saturday.

"We're not commenting because it's an ongoing investigation," she said.

Source: dailybulletin.com - Link

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:03:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

LBFD - Vehicle Fire / Explosion - Fuel Tanker
Arson: Arrest in Pacoima arson fire of woman's body and a small dog
CAL FIRE - BEU - 1,650-acre vegetation management burn
CAL FIRE employees now exempt from furlough program

LBFD - Vehicle Fire / Explosion - Fuel Tanker

Posted: 13 Jun 2009 07:07 PM PDT

Major Fire LACoFD - 1746hrs - Long Beach- Fuel Tanker and large vegetation fire
Fuel Tanker truck fully involved on freeway with wild land Fire extension putting up a large header of smoke in riverbed near the 710/91 interchange.

Location: Los Angeles, CA Long Beach, CA Artesia/91

SIGALERT: SR91 AT I710 INTERCHANGE = NB 710 CLOSED AT ARTESIA / SB 710 CLOSED AT LONG BEACH / WB 91 CLOSED AT ATLANTIC / EB 91 CLOSED AT LONG BEACH BLVD / DUE TO SMOKE FROM FIRE IN NEARBY RIVERBED / DURATION IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME --- REF LOG 2236

Incident:

2236

Type:

Location:

info as of:

6/13/2009 6:44:41 PM

ADDITIONAL DETAILS
6:47PM	310 FIRE FOAM RIG WILL ENTER EB 91 WILL ENRT ON LBCH
6:47PM	**PLS CONFIRM IF 710 FWY IS OPEN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS? TMC
6:45PM	PER LONG BEACH PD THEY NEED A UNIT TO RESPOND TO THE FIRE COMMAND POST **ARTESIA AT BUTLER***
6:42PM	LBCH FIRE RECALLED ADV D THEY HAVE REPORTS OF POSS PAVEMENT BLISTERING AS A RESULT OF THE HEAT FROM THE FIRE - REQ G SOMEONE CHK THE AREA OF THE FWY WHERE THE FIRE WAS BEFORE ALLOWING VEH S TO RE-ENTER
6:37PM	LBCHPD REQ UNITS TO RESP TO ARTESIA BRIDGE FOR 1184 - REQ ETA IS POSS
6:36PM	1039
6:33PM	LBCH FD#391 ADVSING OKAY TO OPEN UP WB 91 PER THEIR LBCH FD UNITS
6:30PM	CT COPIES LN 80
6:27PM	ALL LNS OPEN IN SFS AREA HARD CLOSURE JWO ATLANTIC - DIVERTING TFC OFF NB 710
6:22PM	INFO FOR RADIO - DUPE CALLER ADVS FIRE IS CAUSING A PROBLEM ON EB LNS - ADVS THAT DRVRS ARE BECOMING HOSTILE WITH OTHERS AND BECOMING VERY AGGRESSIVE TRYING TO GET OFF THE FWY AT LONG BEACH
6:21PM	400//DIESEL TK ROLLED OVER EB 91 TO NB 710
6:21PM	FALCON ADV TRK IS 200-300 YARDS OUT/TRFC COMPLETELY STOPPED/CANNOT EVEN USE RS
6:20PM	PER 602-45A FD IS 1097 IT WAS A 18 WHEELER GAS TANKER EB ARF TRANS TO SB LBF AND FD HAS THE FIRE OUT
6:19PM	PER DUPE RP VEHS ARE GOING W/WAY DOWN CHERRY ONR TO WB 91
6:17PM	PER FIRE SMOKE IS COVERING BOTH SIDES OF FWY
6:15PM	LBCH FIRE RECALLED, ADV D THEY NEED BOTH SIDES OF THE 91 SHUT DWN FRM ATLANTIC TO 710
6:15PM	SIGALERT ISSUED ON BLU
6:14PM	TMC COPIES, 1039 MEDIA
6:11PM	310// FIRE IN LA RIVER BED UNDER FRWY, FIRE 97, BEST ACCESS FROM ATLANTIC
6:10PM	PLS ISSUE SIGALERT 91/710 INTERCHANGE ALL DIRECTIONS CLOSED UNK DURATION, PER 77-S14
6:06PM	1039 LBFD
6:02PM	83-91- HAVING VEHS EXIT AT ATLANTIC FRM WB 91
6:02PM	83-650B - FIRE IS SOUTH SIDE OF 91 AFFECTING EB LNS
6:02PM	PER 310 POSS FIRE UNDER THE FRWY - POSS ON 710 NOT 91 - STILL ASC FURTHER
6:01PM	PER 310 LASO HAS EB LNS CLOSED AT THIS
6:01PM	83-650B IS 97 ATLANTIC AT ARTESIA - APPEARS FD IS KNOCKING DOWN FIRE - DOESN T APPEAR TO BE AFFECTING FWY
6:00PM	22 IS STAGGING & TAKING VEHS OFF SB 710 AT LONG BEACH
5:59PM	STILL UNABLE TO FIND ORIGIN OF FIRE
5:59PM	LONG BEACH PD IS 97 - WOULD LIKE CHP TO BLOCK NB 710 AT ARTESIA
5:59PM	LATE ENTRY - 83-91 - POSS MORE THAN A VEH FIRE - THICK BLK SMOKE COVERING EB SIDE
5:59PM	LBCH FIRE LL REQ G NB 710 JNO ARTESIA TO BE SHUT DOWN
5:56PM	1039 FALCON TOW ETA 15-20 W/FLT/BED
5:56PM	PER RP MAY BE A STORAGE BUILDING,,,HEADED TOWARD ANOTHER SHACK
5:56PM	83-91 97- WB 91 AT ATLANTIC - SHUTTING DOWN WB SIDE - TRAFFIC AT STAND STILL
5:56PM	1021 CITY TOW - NO FLTBED AVAIL
5:52PM	PER 602-45A HE ADVS ON THE TRANS RD THERE APPEARS TO BE VEH ON FIRE ALSO WB ARF TRANS TO SB LBF
5:48PM	FIRE IN CD PER CALLER
5:48PM	BLK SMOKE ON FRWY
5:48PM	PLZ ROLL E/LA MANY CALLERS ADVISES FIRE IS VERY LARGE
5:47PM	PER DUPE - POSS UNDER TRANSISTION RD
5:47PM	1039 LBFD
5:46PM	ADDITIONAL CALLER STATES UNK ITEM EXPOSED NEAR FWY AND FIRE HAS STARTED
5:46PM	RP SEES A LARGE AMOUNT OF BLK SMOKE COMING FROM THIS AREA - HAD VIS OF SMOKE ONLY
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
5:47PM	CHP Unit Assigned
5:58PM	CHP Unit Assigned
5:59PM	CHP Unit Assigned
5:59PM	CHP Unit On Scene
6:00PM	CHP Unit On Scene
6:03PM	CHP Unit On Scene
6:11PM	CHP Unit On Scene
6:23PM	CHP Unit Enroute
6:23PM	CHP Unit On Scene
6:28PM	CHP Unit Enroute
6:28PM	CHP Unit On Scene
6:29PM	CHP Unit On Scene

Arson: Arrest in Pacoima arson fire of woman's body and a small dog

Posted: 13 Jun 2009 07:32 AM PDT

Arrest made in Pacoima arson where body found

PACOIMA - A man was arrested Friday in connection with an apparent arson fire at a Pacoima apartment in which a woman was found dead, authorities said Friday.

John Herreres, 37, of Pacoima was booked on suspicion of arson and held in lieu of $250,000 bail, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Norma Eisenman of the Media Relations office.

The investigation was continuing, and Herreres could face further charges, Eisenman said.

Investigators were working to determine if the woman whose body was found in the residence in the 12200 block of Osborne Place had been killed. An autopsy was pending.

Authorities withheld her name pending notification of relatives. But a young woman told ABC7 that the dead woman was her 65-year-old grandmother.

Firefighters went to the location about 3:50 p.m. Thursday, after the building's manager saw smoke seeping through the bottom of the apartment's front door, said Detective Pat Barron of the LAPD's Foothill Station.

When firefighters entered the unit, the blaze was already out, Barron said. He said firefighters walked through the apartment and discovered the bodies of the woman and a small dog.

Damage was estimated at $15,000, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

Source: Daily News Wire Services - Link

CAL FIRE - BEU - 1,650-acre vegetation management burn

Posted: 13 Jun 2009 07:34 AM PDT

What: Cal Fire San Benito/Monterey has announced it will conduct a 1,650-acre vegetation management burn.
When: Sunday from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: The burn will be conducted about 14 miles east of Salinas, near McPhails Peak in the Gabilan Mountains, at an elevation of about 3,000 feet.
Why: The burn is being conducted to reduce hazardous fuels.
Note: Officials say smoke may be present for several days.

CAL FIRE employees now exempt from furlough program

Posted: 13 Jun 2009 07:38 AM PDT

All California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) employees from the statewide furlough program during the 2009 and 2010 fire seasons.

Sacramento, CA - In a measure to ensure all resources are available to prepare for and fight wildfires, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger directed his Department of Personnel Administration to exempt all California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) employees from the statewide furlough program during the 2009 and 2010 fire seasons.

"While we need to find saving in virtually all areas of state government, it is absolutely critical that we operate our firefighting operations at full capacity to protect lives and property from potentially devastating wildfires," said the Governor.

"California has experience another dry year, creating especially dangerous conditions this summer," Schwarzenegger said. He said today's action will make sure as many people as possible are ready when the need arises.

Editors thought: What a boondoggle this very confusing furlough program became.
What did this furlough program cost the State to setup and administer? Did it save any money in the big picture? Some used many furlough hours some did not? What will it cost to sort out? I think I will Twitter the Governator - #fulough - Link

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:09:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week

Posted: 13 Jun 2009 12:01 AM PDT

2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week

Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility
June 14-20, 2009

Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility encourages chiefs and fire/EMS personnel to focus on what they personally can do to manage risk and enhance their health and safety. This year's theme reflects the need for personal responsibility and accountability within a strong safety culture.

Recommended activities and materials will incorporate four key areas where standard operating procedures, policies and initiatives—along with the training and enforcement that support them—can limit fire/EMS personnel's risk of injury or death:

Safety: Emergency Driving (enough is enough—end senseless deaths)

Lower speeds—stop racing to the scene. Drive safely and arrive alive to help others.
Utilize seat belts—never drive or ride without them.
Stop at every intersection—look in all directions and then proceed in a safe manner.

Health: Fire Fighter Heart Disease and Cancer Education and Prevention

Don't smoke or use tobacco products.
Get active.
Eat a heart-healthy diet.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Get regular health screenings.

Survival: Structural Size-Up and Situational Awareness

Keep apprised of different types of building materials and construction used in your community.
Develop a comprehensive size-up checklist.
Always complete a 360° walk of the structure to collect valuable, operational decision-making information.
Learn the practice of reading smoke.
Be familiar with the accepted rules of engagement.
Learn your accountability system and use it.
Master your tools and equipment.
Remain calm and concentrate.

Chiefs: Be the Leader in Safety

Become personally engaged in safety and make it part of your strategic vision for the department.
Be willing to make the tough decisions regarding safety policies and practices and their implementation.
Hold members of the organization accountable for their safety and the safety of those with whom they work.
Ensure that resources are available to accomplish activities safely and effectively.

We encourage all fire/EMS departments to devote this week to reviewing safety policies, evaluating the progress of existing initiatives and discussing health and fitness. Fire/EMS departments should make a concerted effort during the week to correct safety deficiencies and to provide training as needed. An entire week is provided to ensure that each shift and duty crew can spend one day focusing on fire fighter safety, health and survival.

http://www.iafc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=306

Summit Fire: Suspect pleads not guilty

Posted: 12 Jun 2009 09:10 AM PDT

Los Gatos landscape contractor Channing Parker Verden pleaded not guilty yesterday to one felony count of unlawfully causing a fire.

Mr. Verden was charged with allegedly failing to fully extinguish piles of burning debris that sparked the Summit Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2008.

Channing Parker Verden, 50, of Los Gatos, was arrested in April by investigators from Cal Fire and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office after an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Summit Fire that erupted May 22, 2008.

Documents and statements filed with the district attorney's office allege that the owner of the property at 31000 Summit Road hired Verden to clear debris on the land later identified as the origin of the fire. Cal Fire investigators found remains of large burn piles that did not appear to be extinguished properly.

Verden is scheduled to return to Santa Clara County Superior Court on June 30 for the setting of a preliminary hearing.

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:03:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

747 Airtanker Shows Off Firefighting Prowess

Posted: 11 Jun 2009 01:22 PM PDT

Boeing 747 Flies At McClellan

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. -- A Boeing 747 Supertanker has been showing off its firefighting ability to officials from California and the federal government.

James Baynes, project manager for Evergreen International Aviation, said the $50 million aircraft carries twice as much fire retardant as DC-10s. Those are the largest firefighting aircraft currently under contract in California.

The Supertanker did a demonstration flight Thursday at McClellan Airfield.

Evergreen, based in McMinnville, Ore., plans to convert as many as 10 of the retired passenger jets to fight fires worldwide.

"We're dropping 20,00 gallons. A lot of the current fleet drop around 2,500 gallons," Jim Baynes from Evergreen Supertankers said. "So we're about 8 to 10 times the capacity of current airtankers."

Federal and state officials are evaluating the Supertanker. California fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said the aircraft can drop a line of retardant up to three miles long but cannot navigate tight mountain canyons.

The aircraft is costly -- about $3 million to use it for service or to keep it on standby.

Source: KCRA Channel 3

Denver: Evergreen Fire Rescue - Sweet 1969 Pontiac Firebird versus 48,000-pound Water Tender

Posted: 11 Jun 2009 09:50 AM PDT

40 year relationship is over
When Shelbi Vickery went out to her father's driveway outside Evergreen, the vintage car could barely be seen. (Vicky Gits, Canyon Courier)

Driving home, fighting off the shock, Bill Vickery tried to imagine what his sweet 1969 Pontiac Firebird would look like with a 48,000-pound firetruck sitting on top of it.

Then he pulled into the driveway next to his mountainside home outside Evergreen, and it looked just about exactly as he imagined it would.

Bent. Twisted. Crumpled.

"It's gone everywhere with me since I was 16," Vickery said Wednesday afternoon, staring at the remains of his pride and joy. "It's basically spent two-thirds of my life with me."

The relationship, however, is over.

The car, with its chrome Cragar wheels and vinyl top, was parked in exactly the wrong place at exactly the wrong time, and now, after providing 40 years of automotive pleasure,

Bill Vickery and his daughter, Shelbi, and granddaughter Dominique examine the wreckage of his 1969 Firebird after an Evergreen firetruck crushed it. The wheels, engine and transmission survived, but not much else. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

it's headed for the scrap heap.

"It's not fixable," Vickery said, a sense of resignation in his voice. "It's gone. This . . . is . . . gone."

The trouble started around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Vickery, a low-voltage electrician, was in Vail, working on a new resort hotel. His daughter, Shelbi, was at home, eating lunch and watching television with her own two young daughters, when she heard a noise outside, as if a trash truck hit a bump in the road. She didn't think much of it at first.

But then she looked out the window and saw a neighbor running down the driveway. She walked out of the family's home just in time to see a firefighter climbing out of a water truck that was sitting askew in the driveway.

"Are you OK?" she asked the firefighter. He was.

In that first confusing moment, she couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. And then she realized.

The truck, driven by an Evergreen Fire Rescue firefighter, had been on the road up the hill from the family's home when something went wrong. Apparently moving to the right on the narrow paved road to make room for a truck heading in the other direction, the driver dropped a tire off the asphalt.

With no shoulder to support the rig, it tumbled down the hill and into the Vickery family's driveway. The tanker toppled trees and clobbered a camper before landing, right-side-up, atop the Firebird and a Honda all-terrain vehicle. The truck also hit a one-car detached garage, inflicting a still-undetermined amount of damage to it.

The firefighter, Michael Weege, 45, was transported to a hospital, where he was checked out and released.

Colorado State Trooper Gilbert Mares said a decision about citing Weege in the accident is pending. He disputed initial reports suggesting that the pavement on the road gave way.

"The road was not determined to be a contributing factor (in the crash)," Mares said.

In the meantime, Shelbi spent several minutes trying to get her father on the phone before finally reaching him.

"Dad," she told him, "you need to stay calm, but something really bad happened."

She spent several minutes talking him through the incident. His response told her that he was stunned: "Huh. OK. I'm on my way home."

During the drive, all Vickery could think about was what he would find when he got home.

Vickery was 16, a student at Golden High School, when he bought the Firebird from its original owner. It was 1980, and near as he can recall, he paid about $1,200 for the ride.

"I stole it," he said.

He drove it and tinkered with it and eventually went through every part of the car. He shelled out $12,000 on machine work and parts for the 350-cubic-inch engine. By 1985, he had given it new livery — bright lime green with gold metallic flakes.

He cruised with it on Sundays and showed it in car shows and ran it at Bandimere Speedway. He spent what he now estimates to be somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000 restoring it. He vowed to only sell it if he could buy a 1967 Corvette.

"You just don't see these '69 Firebirds. There's not too many of them left," he said.

Wednesday afternoon, Vickery still struggled to digest what had happened. Listing the parts that were salvageable was easier than listing the things that were broken: The chrome wheels. The left-front fender and driver's door and window. The grille and headlights. The P-O-N-T-I-A-C between the tail lights. The rear bumper. The engine and transmission.

The rest of it was crushed. Even the back seat and the dashboard showed the effects of the crash.

Vickery said fire officials have told him they will cover everything. But even at that, the car can't be repaired.

"The only way to salvage it is to replace it," said Vickery, who estimated the car was worth $30,000 to $40,000, not accounting for the sentimental value.

So, will he rebuild? Will he take the parts he can salvage, find another Firebird, and put together a new car?

Maybe he will.

Or maybe he'll find that '67 Corvette — and years of new memories.

Source: Denver Post - Link

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:07:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Earthquake: 3.5 M - Keeler, CA

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 02:40 PM PDT

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.4
Date-Time	Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 20:35:30 UTC Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 01:35:30 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	36.400°N, 117.855°W
Depth	0 km (~0 mile) (poorly constrained)
Region	CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Distances	10 km (6 miles) S (171°) from Keeler, CA 18 km (11 miles) ENE (60°) from Cartago, CA 20 km (12 miles) NE (40°) from Olancha, CA 28 km (18 miles) SE (137°) from Lone Pine, CA 237 km (147 miles) W (276°) from Las Vegas, NV
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles); depth +/- 1.7 km (1.1 miles)
Parameters	Nph=040, Dmin=17 km, Rmss=0.3 sec, Gp= 79°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=C
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	ci14471672

CA-SBC News: New Fire Chief

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 02:42 PM PDT

Breaking News: Chief Mike Dyer from Los Angeles County Fire Department has been chosen as the new Santa Barbara County Fire Department Chief.

Photo credit: LACFD - LINK
More Info:
Santa Barbra County Firefighters - Link
#SBC Dispatch Twitter - Link
Santa Barbara County Fire Department - Link

US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-161A -- Adobe Acrobat and Reader Vulnerabilities

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:02:00 +0000

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

National Cyber Alert System

Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-161A

Adobe Acrobat and Reader Vulnerabilities

Original release date: June 10, 2009
Last revised: --
Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected

* Adobe Reader versions 9.1.1 and earlier, 8.1.5 and earlier, and 7.1.2 and earlier
* Adobe Acrobat (Standard, Professional, and 3D) versions 9.1.1 and earlier, 8.1.5 and earlier, and 7.1.2 and earlier

Overview

Adobe has released Security Bulletin APSB09-07, which describes
several buffer overflow vulnerabilities that could allow a remote
attacker to execute arbitrary code.

I. Description

Adobe Security Bulletin APSB09-07 describes several
memory-corruption vulnerabilities that affect Adobe Reader and
Acrobat. Some of these vulnerabilities occur when Adobe Reader and
Acrobat handle files with specially crafted JBIG2 streams. An
attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by convincing a user
to load a specially crafted Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
file. Acrobat integrates with popular web browsers, and visiting a
website is usually sufficient to cause Acrobat to load PDF content.

II. Impact

An attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code.

III. Solution

Update

Adobe has released updates to address this issue. Users are
encouraged to read Adobe Security Bulletin APSB09-07 and update
vulnerable versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat.

Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader and Acrobat

Disabling Javascript may prevent some exploits from resulting in
code execution. Acrobat JavaScript can be disabled using the
Preferences menu:

* Open the Edit menu.
* Select Preferences.
* Choose JavaScript.
* Un-check Enable Acrobat JavaScript.
Prevent Internet Explorer from automatically opening PDF documents

The installer for Adobe Reader and Acrobat configures Internet
Explorer to automatically open PDF files without any user
interaction. This behavior can be reverted to the safer option of
prompting the user by importing the following as a .REG file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AcroExch.Document.7] "EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

Disable the display of PDF documents in the web browser

Preventing PDF documents from opening inside a web browser will
partially mitigate this vulnerability. This workaround may also
mitigate future vulnerabilities.

To prevent PDF documents from automatically being opened in a web
browser, do the following:

* Open Adobe Acrobat Reader.
* Open the Edit menu.
* Choose the Preferences option.
* Choose the Internet section.
* Un-check the Display PDF in browser check box.
Do not access PDF documents from untrusted sources

Do not open unfamiliar or unexpected PDF documents, particularly
those hosted on websites or delivered as email attachments. See
Cyber Security Tip ST04-010.

Additional workarounds are available in Vulnerability Note
VU#568153.

IV. References

* Adobe Security Bulletin APSB09-07 -
<http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-07.html>

* Vulnerability Note VU#568153 -
<http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/568153>

____________________________________________________________________

The most recent version of this document can be found at:

<http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-161A.html>
____________________________________________________________________

Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
email to <cert@cert.org> with "TA09-161A Feedback VU#568153" in
the subject.
____________________________________________________________________

For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this
mailing list, visit <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html>.
____________________________________________________________________

Produced 2009 by US-CERT, a government organization.

<http://www.us-cert.gov/legal.html>
____________________________________________________________________

Revision History

June 10, 2009: Initial release

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California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:04:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

BTU: Multi-agency wildland training burn this morning
Earthquake: 3.1 - Cen Cal - Tres Pinos, CA
Magnitude 3.5 M - SF BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA

BTU: Multi-agency wildland training burn this morning

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 07:01 AM PDT

Training burn planned for today

CHICO — A wildland training burn this morning includes setting a 10-acre field ablaze near the north end of Chico Municipal Airport.

The multi-agency drill will include crews from the Chico Fire Department and Cal Fire-Butte County.

Notification of the training burn has been made to residents in the area. Motorists are asked not to call 9-1-1 if they see smoke near the airport.

Earthquake: 3.1 - Cen Cal - Tres Pinos, CA

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 12:28 PM PDT

Magnitude 3.1 - CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 2009 June 09 02:19:17 UTC

Where can I find...?

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.1
Date-Time	Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 02:19:17 UTC Monday, June 08, 2009 at 07:19:17 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	36.702°N, 121.336°W
Depth	4.7 km (2.9 miles)
Region	CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Distances	10 km (6 miles) S (188°) from Tres Pinos, CA 17 km (11 miles) SSE (161°) from Hollister, CA 22 km (14 miles) NE (47°) from Chualar, CA 87 km (54 miles) SE (145°) from San Jose City Hall, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles)
Parameters	NST=135, Nph=135, Dmin=1 km, Rmss=0.08 sec, Gp= 32°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	nc40237842

Magnitude 3.5 M - SF BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 12:26 PM PDT

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.5
Date-Time	Monday, June 08, 2009 at 22:15:04 UTC Monday, June 08, 2009 at 03:15:04 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	37.822°N, 121.964°W
Depth	8.9 km (5.5 miles)
Region	SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
Distances	1 km (1 miles) NE (37°) from Danville, CA 2 km (1 miles) SSW (201°) from Diablo, CA 5 km (3 miles) WNW (287°) from Blackhawk, CA 17 km (10 miles) SSE (165°) from Concord, CA 23 km (14 miles) E (83°) from Oakland, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles)
Parameters	Nph=109, Dmin=5 km, Rmss=0.15 sec, Gp= 61°, M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	nc40237825

US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-160A -- Microsoft Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:29:00 +0000

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

National Cyber Alert System

Technical Cyber Security Alert TA09-160A

Microsoft Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities

Original release date: June 09, 2009
Last revised: --
Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected

* Microsoft Windows
* Microsoft Office
* Microsoft Internet Explorer

Overview

Microsoft has released updates that address vulnerabilities in
Microsoft Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer.

I. Description

As part of the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for June 2009,
Microsoft released updates to address vulnerabilities that affect
Microsoft Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer.

II. Impact

A remote, unauthenticated attacker could execute arbitrary code,
gain elevated privileges, or cause a vulnerable application to
crash.

III. Solution

Microsoft has provided updates for these vulnerabilities in the
Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for June 2009. The security
bulletin describes any known issues related to the updates.
Administrators are encouraged to note these issues and test for any
potentially adverse effects. Administrators should consider using
an automated update distribution system such as Windows Server
Update Services (WSUS).

IV. References

* Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for June 2009 -
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-jun.mspx>

* Microsoft Windows Server Update Services -
<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/default.aspx>

* US-CERT Vulnerability Notes for Microsoft June 2009 updates -
<http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/byid?searchview&query=ms09-jun>

____________________________________________________________________

The most recent version of this document can be found at:

<http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-160A.html>
____________________________________________________________________

Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
email to <cert@cert.org> with "TA09-160A Feedback VU#983731" in
the subject.
____________________________________________________________________

For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this
mailing list, visit <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html>.
____________________________________________________________________

Produced 2009 by US-CERT, a government organization.

<http://www.us-cert.gov/legal.html>
____________________________________________________________________

Revision History

June 09, 2009: Initial release

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California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:04:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Fire training in Yuba County foothills Tuesday
CAL FIRE - FKU - Cal Fire is recognizing Eight with Directors Award
Imperial Valley: Wood Chip pile fire allowed to burn out
SAR: Catalina Island - 2 Missing boaters - 27-foot 1973 Coronado Sailing vessel

Fire training in Yuba County foothills Tuesday

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 07:23 PM PDT

Firefighters will be conducting a training burn Tuesday in Yuba County at Richards Ranch, north of Englebright Reservoir, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Fire engines, handcrews and a bulldozer will be used in the training, which will start about 9:30 a.m. and last into the afternoon.

Smoke will be visible from Highway 20 and in Dobbins, Oregon House, Smartsville, Penn Valley, Lake Wildwood, French Corral, North San Juan, Grass Valley and Nevada City, according to Cal Fire.

Personnel and equipment will remain at the burn throughout the evening. Cal Fire staff will continue to check the area for several days after the burn.

The training burn is to allow Cal Fire seasonal firefighters the opportunity to experience wildland firefighting tactics in a controlled environment.

Source: Appeal Democrat

CAL FIRE - FKU - Cal Fire is recognizing Eight with Directors Award

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 11:47 AM PDT

CAL Fire To Honor eight Fresno County Firefighters

What: Eight CAL FIRE Fresno Kings Unit/Fresno County Fire Protection District firefighters are being recognized with a prestigious state award.

Why: Cal Fire is recognizing the individuals with the Directors Award for their "exceptional and outstanding individual and team accomplishments."

Who: Those being honored include Fire Captain Michael Bowman, Division Chief Steve Lawshe, Firefighter Paul Pumarejo, Fire Captain Johnny Domínguez, Fire Captain Mara Zaver, Fire Apparatus Engineer Julie Freeman, Fire Captain Bruce Schofield and Fire Captain/PIO Chris Christopherson.

Where: A ceremony will be held on Monday at the Clovis Memorial Building at noon. The Clovis Memorial Building is located at 808 4th St Clovis.

Imperial Valley: Wood Chip pile fire allowed to burn out

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 09:13 AM PDT

IMPERIAL — Firefighters will continuously monitor the wood-chip fire at Keystone Road and Highway 111 northeast of here, but there is little more they can do aside from letting it burn out, fire officials said Sunday.

"It's going to take awhile," said Imperial County fire Capt. John Green.

The fire started Saturday afternoon among piles of wood chips at the Imperial Valley Resource Recovery LLC. The facility burns wood chips and other green waste from local landfills. Piles of the waste are stored outside the facility, and one of those piles had caught fire. Officials still don't know what started the blaze.

Crews worked through Saturday night to isolate the burning piles from the rest of the waste and are now monitoring to ensure the fire doesn't spread. Green said the situation was similar to haystack fires, where the interior of the wood piles can smolder for days.

"If we put more water on it, it will just keep smoldering," Green said.

He said he did not know how long the fire will continue burning.

An east-blowing wind sent thick clouds of smoke across Highway 111 through Saturday afternoon and night, reducing visibility and leading to a closure by California Highway Patrol. By Sunday morning one lane in each direction had been re-opened and by about 3:15 the highway was fully opened.

A Highway Patrol officer said as long as smoke stays off the highway, it will remain open.

Source: ivpressonline.com- Link

SAR: Catalina Island - 2 Missing boaters - 27-foot 1973 Coronado Sailing vessel

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 09:06 AM PDT

Update: HC-130 departed Sacramento Air Station AM first light for SAR search

Missing since Friday

NEWS RELEASE

Date: June 7, 2009
Contact: Petty Officer Cory Mendenhall
(310) 294-0752

CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. — Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles –

Long Beach began searching Sunday for a missing boater in the waters between Catalina Island and Santa Cruz Harbor in Monterey, Calif.

Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach received a call Sunday from the family of 21-year-old Zebulon Tryon reporting that they had lost contact with him after he departed Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island, Calif. on June 5.
Tryon was aboard his white 27-foot 1973 Coronado Sailing vessel and was due to sail from Avalon Harbor to Santa Cruz Harbor.
An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast has been issued by the Los Angeles - Long Beach Command Center and will continue through the night.
If anyone has any information that can help locate the missing boater, Zebulon Tryon, they are asked to contact the Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach Command Center at (310) 521-3801 or by marine VHF radio channel 16.

Coast Guard searching for missing boater

###

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

Anyone with information on the men's whereabouts was asked to call the Long Beach Command Center at (310) 521-3801 or use marine VHF radio channel 16.

Info source: U.S. Coast Guard LA sector - Press release - Link
More info: U.S. Coast Guard 11th district public affairs - Link RSS News Feed
U.S. Coast Guard Twitter: Link

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:07:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Breaking News: Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee sentenced to 12 years in labor camp
Earthquake 3.1 M - Northern California Coast, Point Arena, CA
CA-BDF/BDU- Baseline incident - 40 acres - 70%
News and Notes: Lightning activity moderated yesterday
World News - Alaska - Crews still battling North Pole wildfire
World News: England - Patient dies after Paramedic clocks out!

Breaking News: Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee sentenced to 12 years in labor camp

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 11:02 PM PDT

Current TV journalists and California native Laura Ling and Euna Lee sentenced to 12 years in labor camp by Communist North Korean government.
Laura Ling & Euna Lee were convicted & sentenced after Central Court confirmed unspecified grave crime against the nation.
Maybe it is time to drop a MOAB on "Dearest Bonehead"
Previous Related Posts:
"Dearest Bonehead" Please let our people go!
North Korea: California Journalists go on trial

Earthquake 3.1 M - Northern California Coast, Point Arena, CA

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 06:23 PM PDT

A minor earthquake occurred at 4:51:58 PM (PDT) on Sunday, June 7, 2009.
The magnitude 3.1 event occurred 11 km (7 miles) SSE of Point Arena, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 3 km ( 2 miles).

Earthquake details

Magnitude	3.1 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time	Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 4:51:58 PM (PDT) Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 23:51:58 (UTC)
Distance from	Point Arena, CA - 11 km (7 miles) SSE (151 degrees) Navarro Head, CA - 43 km (27 miles) SSE (165 degrees) Fort Ross, CA - 49 km (30 miles) NW (316 degrees) Ukiah, CA - 51 km (32 miles) SW (226 degrees) San Francisco City Hall, CA - 158 km (98 miles) NW (318 degrees)
Coordinates	38 deg. 49.6 min. N (38.827N), 123 deg. 38.1 min. W (123.635W)
Depth	3 km (1.9 miles)
Location Quality	Fair
Location Quality Parameters	Nst= 21, Nph= 21, Dmin=12.4 km, Rmss=0.11 sec, Erho=0.8 km, Erzz=1.2 km, Gp=230.4 degrees
Event ID#	nc40237793

CA-BDF/BDU- Baseline incident - 40 acres - 70%

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 10:53 PM PDT

Baseline Incident - Wildland Fire/Grass fire San Bernardino National Forest, in East Highland east of San Bernardino.

View CA-BDF/BDU-Baseline - Wildland Fire San Bernardino forest, Cal fire east end of Base line Highland city area. in a larger map

Update: 1900hrs - 40 acres - 70%
Update: 1749hrs -40% containment, No further threat to SBN Forest, no structures damaged or destroyed.
Update: 1705hrs - http://inciweb.org/incident/1681/
Update: 1645hrs - Firefighters making good progress

Update: 1630hrs - 20 acres with retardant lines on both flanks

Update: 1600hrs - 8 to 10 acres, AT en route from Hemet
IA: 1519hrs - 5 acres medium rate of spread, Making a run uphill. Aircraft on order. Very large potential. 2nd alarm for Forest service
Location: San Bernardino National Forest, East of Highland / San Bernardino.
Fuels/Terrain: Light grass and chaparral
IC: Walkowski - USFS BDF unified command with BDU CALFIRE
Resources: Full wildland response, IC Ordering second Air Tanker out of Hemet.
Equipment assigned at the peak of the incident: 25 engines, 6 Hand Crews, 1 Fire Dozer, 2 Water Tenders, 1 Air Attack, 1 Air Tanker, 4 Helicopters - Water dropping (2, type 2 and 2 type 1)
Cause: Under investigation
Live webcam: http://webcam.csusb.edu/video/default.html
More info: FICC WildCad

News and Notes: Lightning activity moderated yesterday

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 01:26 PM PDT

Northern California GACC - ONCC
News and Notes: 06/07/09-0845
Lightning activity moderated yesterday and so did fire activity with 12 fires for 36 acres reported in the GACC. Look for more sunshire today but still moderate fire conditions.

Southern California GACC - OSCC
News and Notes: 06/07/09- Nothing New

World News - Alaska - Crews still battling North Pole wildfire

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 06:25 PM PDT

Alaska - North Pole wildfire

Fairbanks - A wildfire that broke out in the North Pole residential area off Badger Road has grown to 65 acres, but is expected to be contained tonight, according to the Division of Forestry.
Note: Santa and the Elves were not injured. Mrs. Claus made Cookies for all.

For current Alaska Wildfire Information - Daily SIT report: Link
http://fire.ak.blm.gov/content/aicc/sitreport/current.pdf

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

World News: England - Patient dies after Paramedic clocks out!

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 09:44 AM PDT

Man died after ambulance detour

The ambulance was based in Stockton

An emergency patient died after a paramedic allegedly diverted an ambulance because his shift had ended.

An investigation is under way after the incident in Stockton, Teesside, on 18 May, in which a 69-year-old man died.

Instead of taking the stroke victim to Stockton's North Tees Hospital, a paramedic drove to the town's ambulance station.

A North East Ambulance Service Trust (NEAS) spokesman said a paramedic and a technician had been suspended.

The 3.3 mile (5.3 km) journey from the patient's house to the hospital should have taken less than 10 minutes.

But the delay meant he was not admitted to hospital until 30 minutes after the 999 call was made.

Patient care is our number one priority and we treat any action which falls short of the high standard expected of our staff extremely seriously

North East Ambulance Service

The driver suspended over the incident is aged 53 and the technician who was with the patient in the back of the ambulance is 54.

A spokesman for the North East Ambulance Service Trust said: "This incident was immediately reported to us by another member of staff and as soon as we were notified, we acted to suspend a paramedic and an advanced technician from duty.

"We appointed a senior officer to carry out a full investigation of the incident and have notified the North East Strategic Health Authority, Stockton-on-Tees Teaching Primary Care Trust and the Health Professions Council of our actions.

"We have also been in touch with the family of the patient to give them our condolences and to keep them updated on developments.

"Patient care is our number one priority and we treat any action which falls short of the high standard expected of our staff extremely seriously.

"This has led to a thorough investigation and both the paramedic and advanced technician are now being dealt with in line with the trust's disciplinary procedures."

Source: BBC - Link

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:09:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

Earthquake 3.2 M - San Francisco Bay Area
CAL FIRE SCU - Morgan Hill - Multiple Structure Fire - NO INJURIES
Monterey County: Firefighter School - controlled burn - 900 acres planned @ Ft. Hunter-Liggett
Mexico: Daycare Fire Victims arriving in the U.S.A.

Earthquake 3.2 M - San Francisco Bay Area

Posted: 06 Jun 2009 08:11 PM PDT

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.2
Date-Time	Saturday, June 06, 2009 at 22:30:56 UTC Saturday, June 06, 2009 at 03:30:56 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	37.922°N, 122.299°W
Depth	6.1 km (3.8 miles)
Region	SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
Distances	1 km (0 miles) NNE (16°) from El Cerrito, CA 3 km (2 miles) N (355°) from Albany, CA 3 km (2 miles) NW (315°) from Kensington, CA 6 km (4 miles) NNW (339°) from Berkeley, CA 15 km (10 miles) NNW (336°) from Oakland, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles); depth +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles)
Parameters	NST= 80, Nph= 80, Dmin=4 km, Rmss=0.15 sec, Gp= 22°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	nc40237749

CAL FIRE SCU - Morgan Hill - Multiple Structure Fire - NO INJURIES

Posted: 06 Jun 2009 07:43 PM PDT

Fire rips through ranch in north Morgan Hill





		Erica and Elisabeth Sanchez console each other as firefighters attempt to control a multi-structure fire at their home on Dougherty Avenue on Saturday.
		Photo by: Natalie Everett








		A firefighter battles a multi-structure blaze on Dougherty Avenue on Saturday.
		Photo by: Natalie Everett








		A Cal Fire helicopter dumps 300 gallons on a 10-acre lot Saturday.
		Photo by: Natalie Everett

Morgan Hill - The scene unfolding over the 10-acre lot was chaotic Saturday afternoon as firefighting crews from five agencies battled a multi-structured fire there, which blew plumes of black smoke in the air above north Morgan Hill.

A spooked white horse ran from the south to the north end of the former farm at 514 Dougherty Ave., owned by the Sanchez family. Chickens scattered, clucking, frantic from the sound of the CalFire chopper overhead, dumping load after load of water, 300 gallons each, trying to calm the flames.

Five agencies responded with 20 pieces of fire equipment, Cal Fire Operations Chief Mike Marcucci said.

"It was a very big deal, at first," Marcucci said, adding that they didn't know if there was anyone inside any of the burning buildings, and the buildings were already "fully involved" when the first engine responded sometime between 4 and 5 p.m.

At least 80 firefighters combated the flames, braving popping ammunition, propane tanks and car tires amid the veritable junk yard. A power line was down, too, causing Cal Fire to rope off the area with black-and-yellow tape, forbidding even firefighters from entering the zone.

Marcucci said the worst case scenario would have been winds pushing the fire east to the neighboring lumber yard, fueling the fire further, and of course the subdivisions to the south.

"We were fortunate enough to have a mowed field," Marcucci said. "It's always a struggle to get fire engines here as fast as we can."

As of 6 p.m., Marcucci estimated that the responding engines from Cal Fire, Santa Clara County Fire Department, San Jose and Gilroy fire departments and County Fire had used 12,000 gallons of water fighting the blaze. The typical house fire uses about 2,000 gallons, he said.

The Sanchez family of five siblings was in hysterics, pointing fingers of blame and naming the belongings that were lost in the fire that claimed no human injuries or lives, but took down a 2,000-square-foot, 100-year-old redwood barn, three horse trailers and four to five vehicles. Some of the family live in one of the many homes on the property, none of which were damaged.

"My pigs, my chickens!" Erica Sanchez cried between sobs.

"My Harley, my Corvette, antiques, songbooks," Mario Sanchez lamented.

Mario Sanchez said he was in a storage room next to the felled barn when he heard sounds. When he exited the storage room, the barn was already fully engulfed. He wore no shirt, and was missing a shoe, as he listed the items of his in the barn.

The cause of the fire was unknown, but Reuben Sanchez suspected that a lit cigarette butt was tossed carelessly on the ground inside the barn or near it.

Reuben Sanchez said his family has owned the land for more than 30 years.
Source article: Morgan Hill Times - Link

Monterey County: Firefighter School - controlled burn - 900 acres planned @ Ft. Hunter-Liggett

Posted: 06 Jun 2009 02:04 PM PDT

Monterey County – Ft. Hunter-Liggett Firefighter School
900 acre controlled burn on Ft. Hunter-Liggett today in conjunction with Firefighter School.

3-4 Day Incident Based Wildland Firefighting Training Live Fire Exercises:
Mobile Attack
Progressive Hose Lays
Blacklining on Thursday June 4, 2009 with approval of Operations
Section Chief
Task Book sign-offs with prior approval
Includes meals and camping at the Post Campgrounds.

More info: mcftoa.org - Link .PDF
For more information on the 2009 Wildland Fire School and pictures of the 2007 and
2008 school, check out our website at: www.mcftoa.org.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Mexico: Daycare Fire Victims arriving in the U.S.A.

Posted: 06 Jun 2009 01:28 PM PDT

Bomberos breached the walls in several locations as they
made attempts to locate the infants in the smoke and fire.
(AFP photo)

Mexico Fire Victims Brought To Sacramento 29 Children Killed, Dozen Others Killed In Daycare Blaze

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Victims from a deadly day care fire in northern Mexico headed to Sacramento for treatment.
Officials said 29 children were killed and dozens of others were injured in a fire that started in the northern Mexican state of Sonora at a tire depot Friday afternoon.
Flames spread to a nearby day care, where there were about 100 kids at the time.The Red Cross said most of the children range from 6-months- to 5-years-old.
Frantic parents tried to find out if their kids are OK.KCRA 3 has just confirmed many of the badly hurt kids will be transported to Shriner's Childrens Hospital of Northern California in Sacramento as well as to a Shriner's facility in Cincinnati, Ohio.
They are due to arrive Saturday morning.
There is no word on what started the blaze.

Source: kcra.com- Link
More Info and video: Firegeezer - Day Care Disaster in Sonora

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:05:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

CAL FIRE: TCU SAR - Pinecrest lake - JOY
CAL FIRE: MMU - Teaching fire safety
CAL FIRE - Shasta CDF Engine involved in Freeway non-injury accident - Passing vehicle strikes engine
CA-SBF- Mckinley - 150 acres, 100% Contained, SBNF June lightning series overview
CA-SBF- Marie Fire - 1 acre inaccesable terrain
San Francisco: Fire and Explosion downtown San Francisco
City of Anderson Fire Protection District - Recieves Casino impact Water Tender Grant
FEMA - OES - Radiological Emergency Preparedness Documents

CAL FIRE: TCU SAR - Pinecrest lake - JOY

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 07:54 PM PDT

Rescue of 25 Chilren and Seven Adults~by Sgt. Ken Diaz

At about 1019 hours this morning Tuolumne County Dispatch Center received a phone call from Cal Fire stating that there were four children that were Hypothermic and sick near Pinecrest Lake. Cal fire, Search and Rescue and Tuolumne County Boat Patrol along with an Ambulance crew and Deputies from the Sheriff's Office responded to the Pinecrest area to assist. On 6-3-09 twenty five 7th graders from the Stone Bridge Charter School from the Napa Scholl District along with two guides from Sierra Out Door School, one Teacher and four other adults went to Cleos Bath near Pinecrest Lake for a two day camping trip. ....

During the night of 6-5-09, the group encountered snow, hail, rain and wind along with a drop in temperature.

On morning of 6-6-09, the group was hiking out of the area in a heavy rain when four of the children started showing signs of Hypothermia and became ill. The group took shelter in a rocky area between Cleos Bath and Pinecrest Lake. The Guides and other adults put the sick children into sleeping bags to warm them and kept them hydrated while one of the guides walked twenty one of the children to the Pinecrest Lake. The guides contacted their office who then contacted Cal Fire and the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office.
Tuolumne County Search and Rescue (SAR), Cal Fire, Sheriff's Deputies and Ambulance crew responded to the Lake.

One boat from Cal Fire and One from Tuolumne County Boat Patrol assisted in bringing all the involved parties across the Lake and to the Pinecrest Fire House.

At about 1345 hrs, after ambulance crews tended to the four Hypothermic children and one other student who was showing signs of fatigue. All parties were cleared and released at the scene.
Source: The Pine Tree Net - Link

CAL FIRE: MMU - Teaching fire safety

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 07:59 PM PDT

CalFire s Justin Buckingham helps Seth Frost work the fire hose.
(TWN photo/Emily Steege) (The Willits News)

Teaching fire safety: CalFire at Kinder Ranch

"Many families will be camping this season, and we want our preschoolers to know about fire safety," says Paulette Petrovich of Kinder Ranch Preschool and Daycare.

Recently the preschool invited Mike Montano and Justin Buckingham of the Mendocino Unit of CalFire to demonstrate fire safety to the youngsters. Each child was encouraged to practice with the hose used to extinguish fires.

Justin Buckingham donned full fire-protective gear to demonstrate what a fireman would look like coming into a house, so children would not be afraid in the event of an emergency. They practiced "stop, drop, and roll," while stressing respect for fire and the possible consequences of fire involvement.

The firemen asked the children to encourage their parents to test smoke alarms once a month and change smoke detector batteries when they change their clocks during seasonal time changes. They also urged families to make a fire plan in the event of an emergency, including a safe place to meet. They also discussed the appropriate use of 911, and what they would need to provide the emergency operator about their name, location, and what is happening.

In addition to a tour of a fire engine, and the use of the fire hose, each child was given a coloring book from Smokey the Bear to remind them of the fire safety tips they had learned that day.
Source: willitsnews.com - Link

CAL FIRE - Shasta CDF Engine involved in Freeway non-injury accident - Passing vehicle strikes engine

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 05:47 PM PDT

Cal Fire unit responding to non-injury accident hit by passing car.
10 minutes later a CHP car was hit at the scene and CHP officer sent to Mercy Hospital with unknown injuries.,

Update: Another accident just north of this one now.
Update: 1715.hrs - Freeway open, CalFire units just cleared the scene.
Update: 1549HRS - COPYING OVER THE SCANNER THAT CAL FIRE IS REQUESTING THEM FOR 1184
Update: 1538HRS -Entire freeway shutdown.
Update: 1336HRS - Shasta CDF responding to injury accident, Tehema cancelled enroute.
Location: Gas Point Road at Interstate 5 in Cottonwood, Ca
Resources: H16 landed on onramp.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS from CHP CAD
5:26PM	10-39 J&L FOR VEH IN CD
5:25PM	NEED AN 1185 ROTATION TOW
5:23PM	WILL TALK TO ANDERSON TOW AND ADVISE
5:22PM	STILL HAVE ONE VEH THAT NEEDS A TOW // BLU SEDAN IN THE CD
5:09PM	53-68 // WAS DOING SOME TRAFFIC CONTROL AT THE AREA OF THE OUTLETS
5:05PM	* LATE ENTRY // ENRT TO MERCY WITH 4 MIN ETA *
5:03PM	WIFE OF ONE OF VICS IN COLLISION UNABLE TO DRIVE // REQUESTING ANDERSON TOW
5:03PM	10-39 ANDERSON TOW FOR WHI MINI-VAN
4:55PM	1039 SHASCOM
4:55PM	HAVE THE SO HELPING ON THE NORTH END / PLS LET THEM KNOW GOING TO GO AHEAD AND OPEN THE FRWY
4:51PM	10-39 TWIN VIEW FOR FLATBED
4:49PM	NEED TWIN VIEW TO TOW THE PATROL CAR TO THE OFC
4:43PM	HELO LANDING ON THE ONRAMP
4:39PM	CT ADV REGARDING THE SIGN // ETA IS DRIVE TIME FROM REDDING PLUS FIVE
4:38PM	WILL CLOSE THE WHOLE FREEWAY
4:38PM	RAMP IS CLOSED
4:38PM	NEED A CMS SIGN TRUCK
4:34PM	10-39 TWIN VIEW TOW FOR EVIDENCE
4:34PM	1039 AIROPS
4:33PM	10-39 FIRE FOR 11-41
4:33PM	1039 CT
4:31PM	ROLL CT // EXPEDITE // ALL LANES ARE BLOCKED
4:31PM	ROLL 1141
4:11PM	ANDERSON TOW IS AWARE
4:10PM	GRAVEL ALL OVER THE SHOULDER // 1039 CT
4:08PM	OWNER OF THE ZCAR IS REQUESTING BUDGET TOW
4:07PM	1039 CT
4:05PM	10-39 ANDERSON TOW
4:03PM	PLS ROLL TWO 1185 S / ONE FOR A DATSUN ZCAR AND ONE FOR THE PU
4:02PM	NEED CT WITH A SWEEPER TRUCK // 1039 CT // WILL HAVE TO CALL SOMEONE S OUT
3:57PM	PER CDF // RESCUE VEH HAS JUST BEEN HIT BY ANOTHER VEH AT THIS SAME LOCATION
3:52PM	11-84 ASSIST IS NEEDED FOR LOG #259 (VOLMERS)
3:50PM	CHECK WITH CAL FIRE AND SEE IF THIS CORRECT INFO
3:49PM	PLS ADV CT // COPYING OVER THE SCANNER THAT CAL FIRE IS REQUESTING THEM FOR 1184
3:42PM	TEH CAL FIRE CANCELED
3:42PM	10-39 SHASTA CDF
3:36PM	1039 CAL FIRE

CHP CAD Link: http://cad.chp.ca.gov/iiqr.asp?Center=RDCC&LogNumber=0268D0605&t
Redding.com - Link

CA-SBF- Mckinley - 150 acres, 100% Contained, SBNF June lightning series overview

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 04:54 PM PDT

San Bernardino National Forest - Mckinley Fire , which was 150 acres, is now contained.

GPS Location: 34.168 latitude, -117.2 longitude
Location: North of Highland Ca
Current Situation: 150 acres , 100% contained.
Assigned resources: For this fire and associated other fires in the area: Del Rosa Hotshots, Mill Creek Hotshots, Bear Divide Hotshots, Redding Smoke Jumpers, 2 Helicopters, 1 Helitanker,1 Air Attack, 2 Airtankers, Misc. Overhead.
Terrain: Very difficult

SBNF June lightning series incident overview:
The San Bernardino National Forest is working about 24 lightning related fires on the Forest, including at least 5 fires in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Other Small Lightning Fires - Plunge (E of Running Springs), Cucamonga (S. of Cucamonga Peak), Clearwater (N. of Cucamonga Peak), Dogwood (North of Dogwood Campground S. of Arrowhead - Single Tree), Thurman Fire (N of Thurman Picnic grounds - single tree), Thomas Fire (Thomas Hunting Grounds along 1N12 - Single Tree), Gravel Fire (Hwy 15, Old Sand & Gravel Pits), Cajon Mtn. (Single Tree), Narrows (Crestline - single tree), Wilshire 2 near Oak Glen - single tree). Hillside (Highway 138 & 173 - single tree).

Weather: Thunderstorms are possible today through Saturday morning with about a 20% chance for showers.

Map of SBNF June lightning series overview
View SBNF June lightning series in a larger map

Update: 66-5-09 -AM - Fire activity was mild over night. Aircraft is flying over the forest today to monitor fire activity.

* The Peak fire, near San Bernardino Peak, is about 20 acres and is currently the most active fire. 50% contained.
* The Wilshire fire, near Galena Peak (Oak Glen Area), was last reported at 5-6 acres. 100% contained.
* The Arrowhead Fire (near the mouth of Waterman Canyon) burned approx 1/2 acre in light brush and is contained.
* Cactus Fire, in the San Jacinto Mtns. near Cranston is contained.
* Jumpoff Fire, near Yucaipa Ridge, is contained.
* Monkeyface Fire, near the Junction of Hwy 38 and Forest Falls, is at 5 acres.
* The Falls Fire, near Mountain Home Village, is out.
* The Boundary Fire, south of Lake Arrowhead, was a spot fire that is now contained.
* A small spot fire in the Miller Canyon area is contained.
* Ontario Fire, single tree.
* San Sevaine Fire, single tree fire is now 90% contained.
* Goat Fire, Sawmill Canyon, near San Gorgonio WIlderness, single snag.
* Several other single tree fires have also been reported across the forest and are being worked or are now contained.

Source: http://inciweb.org/incident/1671/
Link to fire maps: http: / / www.wildcad.net / WCFICC.htm

CA-SBF- Marie Fire - 1 acre inaccesable terrain

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 05:22 PM PDT

"Marie" Fire still at one acre in steep terrain. No impact to the community. North Lake Arrowhead incident is named the "Marie Fire" for a local peak named "Mount Marie Louise"

Update: 1620hrs - H-720 is assigned to the incident, all other aircraft are returning to base on hold.

Location: One acre fire north of Lake Arrowhead.
Resources: One air tanker, two helicopters and the Big Bear Hotshots are working the incident.

San Francisco: Fire and Explosion downtown San Francisco

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 05:28 PM PDT

Tender loin Incident - Electrical Fire and Explosion - downtown San Francisco Tenderloin District Fire updates: Van Ness is open to traffic, exclusion area is bounded by Van Ness -Geary-Larkin-Ellis-Van Ness.

Explosion and Fire on Polk St, smoke and fire coming out of manhole covers.
Apparently fire is extending to the traffic cones?
Photo Credit: abc7newsBayArea - http://twitpic.com/6ox6g

Update: 1727hrs - Shelter in place lifted. Exclusion zone still in effect per Incident Command.
Update: 1713hrs - SF_Emergency - Shelter in place remains in effect - Media reports that it has been lifted are incorrect. PD will let people leave exclusion zone, not enter Exclusion Zone: Van Ness is open to traffic, exclusion area is bounded by Van Ness -Geary-Larkin-Ellis-Van Ness.
Update: 1345hrs - The initial fire at the IA manhole has died down considerably but is still burning.
Update: 1330hrs - There is concern that the fire may be spreading underground, fire crews are being dispersed around the city to monitor. FD command post notified that another smoking manhole at Grove and Van Ness.
Update: 1315hrs - Firefighters used carbon dioxide to suppress the flames, but PG&E requested they stop using it in order to allow the equipment to fail completely, fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said. When firefighters stopped using the carbon dioxide, a black cloud of smoke seven stories high rose from the manhole.
At one point around 1:15 p.m., flames 10 feet high shot from the manhole.
Update: 1135hrs - FD confirms smoke showing from underground vault.
smoke coming out of manholes. At least 1 building on O'Farrell is being evacuated
About 4,500 Pacific Gas and Electric customers lost power resulting in many people stuck in high-rise elevators.

Shelter in place: Please shelter in place within 2 blocks of O'Farrell/Polk. Please shelter in place because of toxic smoke caused by an underground explosion and fire.
MUNI delays: Expect delays on 38 & 19

Location: O'Farrel/Polk Streets, Civic Center, San Francisco
Communications: PGE on 153.650
SF FD just moved to command A5
KCBS-AM on 450.0875
Live video: KGO-TV streaming - Link

City of Anderson Fire Protection District - Recieves Casino impact Water Tender Grant

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 12:40 PM PDT

City of Anderson Fire Protection District - Water Tender Casino grant at $103,406.

On April 30, 2009, the Local Community Benefit Committee (LCBC), composed of members from the Redding Rancheria, the City of Redding and the County of Shasta, met and awarded $517,031 to local governmental jurisdictions in Shasta County to assist in mitigating impacts caused by the Win River and Pit River Casinos. The LCBC received 19 requests for funding totaling over $1.5M, yet had only $517,031 available to award for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.

FEMA - OES - Radiological Emergency Preparedness Documents

Posted: 05 Jun 2009 12:15 PM PDT

FEMA Seeking Public Comments On Two Radiological Emergency Preparedness Documents
Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:42:45 -0500

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking public comment on two radiological emergency preparedness documents, published in the Federal Register on May 18, 2009. These documents will update emergency preparedness requirements for planning and response organizations surrounding operating nuclear power plants.

FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness document - Link

[Enviro-word-of-the-day] ENVIRO-word of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:22:00 +0000

ENVIRO-word of the Day for Friday, June 5, 2009

RHIZOSPHERE BIODEGRADATION - a process associated with phytoremediation (the use of plants

to reduce contamination) that causes biodegradation of contaminants near roots where compounds

exuded by the root increase microbial biodegradation activity. Other plant processes such as water

uptake can prevent migration by drawing contaminants to the roots.

Previous Enviro-Words

ENVIRO-Word of the Day is a free monthly newsletter from The Common Sense Environmental Fund Please help CSEF's campaign against the Danish government to stop the senseless slaughter of 1,000 Pilot Whales every year. Read more here ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people." Confucius (BC 551-BC 479) Chinese philosopher.
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California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Blogger) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:06:00 +0000

California Fire News - Updates in your mail box

North Korea: California Journalists go on trial

Posted: 04 Jun 2009 12:20 PM PDT

Editor: We need Bill Richardson? - Twice in the 1990s, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, then a congressman, was sent as a special envoy to negotiate the release of Americans detained by North Korea.

Concern Mounts For Bay Area Jailed Journalists

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea's top court began hearing the case Thursday of two American journalists accused of crossing into the country illegally and engaging in "hostile acts" --
Charges that could draw a 10-year sentence in a labor camp. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's California-based Current TV, were arrested March 17 near the North Korean border while on a reporting trip to China.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said in a brief dispatch earlier Thursday that the trial would begin at 3 p.m. (0600 GMT; 2 a.m. EDT) in Pyongyang's Central Court. Hours later, there was no word on the status of the proceedings.

The trial began at a time of mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula following the regime's provocative May 25 nuclear test. With discussions continuing at the United Nations and in Washington on how to punish the regime for its defiance, there were fears the women could become political pawns in the standoff with Pyongyang.

Analyst Choi Eun-suk, a professor of North Korean law at Kyungnam University, said the court could convict the women and then the government could use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the U.S. "The North is likely to release and deport them to the U.S. -- if negotiations with the U.S. go well," Choi said.

Source: KTVU - Link
Related: "Dearest Bonehead" Please let our people go!