RescueKujo

Links: FireHouse Magazine Story Link

Happy Birthday, Jim. Hope it was all you wanted.

YREKA, Calif. -- Authorities say a firefighter has died while scouting a Northern California blaze. Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Susan Gravenkamp said Sunday that investigators believed 49-year-old Daniel Packer of Lake Tapps, Wash., died Saturday. Packer is a fire chief. Link: Firehouse.com Link

Date: 07/27/2008 Time: 12:42 p.m. PDT Location: Griffith Park/Travel Town Area Departments: LAFD, LACoFD, Burbank FD, Glendale FD Description: On Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 12:42 PM, 34 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Heavy Rescue, 1 Arson Unit, 1 Rehab Unit, 4 Helicopters, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 6 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, 5 Brush Patrols, 3 CERT Team Coordinators, and Companies from Los Angeles County Fire, Burbank Fire, and Glendale Fire, all under the direction of Assistant Chief Mark Stormes, responded to a Major Emergency Brush Fire in the Griffith Park, Travel Town Area of the Hollywood Hills. Links: LAFD Blog-Griffith Park Fire Writer: RescueKujo

In honor of Independence Day, NFL Films takes a look at the always exciting pregame flyby. NFL Films and the Military Fly Over

Great shots, Mike. Thanks for sharing. While I love all apparatus, the difference between builders in the U.S. such as Pierce, E-One and KME and those in Europe, Austalia and New Zealand such as Dennis, Volvo and Iveco is remarkable. I really wish more Diecast companies would produce those type of models.

Thanks for the comments, guys. Photounit, PM reply sent. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to help out. Duane

A few more...

On June 20th, a major thunderstorm cell moved over Northern California, starting over 1400 fires from dry lightning strikes. Almost 3 weeks later, while a majority have been contained, over 300 of those fires are still out of control. Here's some stats from Cal Fire (Formerly California Department of Forestry and Fire): Statewide Fire Overview - Lightning Series Current Situation: Firefighters continue to make progress in containing wildfires throughout California. To date over fourteen hundred fires have been contained due to the diligent and endless work of firefighters from not only California, but throughout the nation. Last night winds picked up causing a dramatic increase in fire behavior and increased evacuations on many fires. Red Flag Warnings have been issued and will take effect this afternoon for high daytime temperatures, low relative humidity with poor overnight recovery, and locally breezy conditions. The Warnings extend primarily along the coastal range from San Benito County north to the Oregon border and will remain in effect through Wednesday evening. The priority of firefighting is for the protection of life, property and natural resources. Download the latest fact sheet. (Updated 7/8 at 9 a.m.) Statewide Fire Statistics Total Fires at Peak: 1,781 Total Fires Contained: 1,458 Total Active Fires: 323 Total Acres Burned: 630,886 These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred from state, local and federal firefighting agencies beginning June 20, 2008. CAL FIRE Statistics Total Fires at Peak: 1,005 Fires Contained: 814 Active Fires: 59 These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred ONLY in CAL FIRE jurisdiction since June 20, 2008. The number of contained and active fires will not equal the total due to some fires merging together. Statewide Resources Committed Personnel Committed: 18,415 Fire Engines: 1,403 Hand Crews: 388 Dozers: 269 Water Tenders: 392 Helicopters: 95 Items of Interest : Highway closures: State highways, county and local roads are closed throughout California due to wildfire activities. Closures and delays remain in place for State Highways 1 (Big Sur Area), 32, 70 and 96. Travelers are advised to seek current information from local law enforcement. Evacuations: Areas of Butte, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Shasta counties are under evacuation orders at this time. Precautionary evacuation orders currently exist in areas in Kern, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Plumas counties. Residents are advised to monitor their local fire situation, check with local law enforcement agencies for information, and be prepared to evacuate when necessary. Structures: Threatened : 8,874 residences, 168 commercial, 2,085 outbuildings. Destroyed : 40 residences, 1 commercial, 61 outbuildings. CAL FIRE Summary of Fires by County Butte: The Butte Lightning Complex has burned 37,000 acres and is 55% contained. The Butte Fire Information Number is (530) 538-7826. Click Here for more information. Mendocino: The Mendocino Lightning Complex has burned 48,880 acres and is 60% contained. The Mendocino Fire Information Number is (707)-467-6426. Click Here for more information. Shasta & Trinity: The Shasta and Trinity Lightning has burned 53,877 acres and is 65% contained. The Shasta-Trinity Unit Information Number is (530) 225-2510. Click Here for more information. Humboldt: The Humboldt Complex has burned 1,310 acres and is 85% contained. The fires are burning throughout Humboldt County, with the largest fire, the Paradise Fire, north of Shelter Cove and is 925 acres and 85% contained. The Humboldt-Del Norte Fire Information Number is (707) 726-1225. Lassen, Modoc: The Corral Fire burned 12,434 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Mariposa: The Oliver Fire burned 2,789 acres and now 100% contained.Click Here for more information. Lake: The Walker Fire burned 14,500 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Napa & Solano: The Wild Fire burned 40,000 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Santa Clara: The Whitehurst and Hummingbird Fires burned a combined 994 acres and are both now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Tehama & Glenn: The Tehama-Glenn Lightning Complex burned 22,907 acres and is now 100% contained. Major Federal and Local Incidents Kern County: The Piute Fire has burned 30,747 acres and is 22% contained.

Here's the latest Update on the Northern California Lightning Fire from the Cal-Fire Website Cal Fire Incident Webpage Statewide Fire Overview - Lightning Series Current Situation: Over two thousand fires have been contained due to the endless firefighting efforts of state, local and federal personnel and equipment from California, as well as from the rest of the nation and several foreign countries. Generally favorable weather conditions have resulted in continuing good progress on the fire lines. The southern Sierra Nevada again experienced thundershower activity, with numerous lightning strikes, this afternoon. The priority of firefighting is for the protection of life, property and natural resources. Download the latest fact sheet. (Updated 7/16 at 9 p.m.) Download the latest statewide map. Statewide Fire Statistics Total Fires at Peak: 2,093 Total Fires Contained: 2,050 Total Active Fires: 43 Total Acres Burned: 887,315 These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred from state, local and federal firefighting agencies beginning June 20, 2008. CAL FIRE Statistics Total Fires at Peak: 1,005 Fires Contained: 994 Active Fires: 11 Acres Burned: 262,133 These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred ONLY in CAL FIRE jurisdiction since June 20, 2008. The number of contained and active fires will not equal the total due to some fires merging together. Statewide Resources Committed Personnel Committed: 18,571 Fire Engines: 1,104 Hand Crews: 447 Dozers: 196 Water Tenders: 326 Helicopters: 110 Highway closures: Travel on state highways, county and local roads remains restricted throughout California due to wildfire and flood activities. All major roads are now open with delays on State Highways 32 and 70 . Travelers are advised to seek current information on secondary road closures from local law enforcement. Click here for detailed road closures. Evacuations:Areas of Monterey, Shasta and Trinity counties are under evacuation orders at this time. Precautionary evacuation orders currently exist in areas in Butte, Kern (flash flooding) and Trinity counties. Residents are advised to monitor their local fire situation, check with local law enforcement agencies for information, and be prepared to evacuate when necessary. Click here for detailed evacuation information. Structures: Threatened : 5,360 residences, 97 commercial, 1,970 outbuildings. Destroyed : 101 residences, 1 commercial, 138 outbuildings. CAL FIRE Summary of Fires by County Butte: The Butte Lightning Complex has burned 54,424 acres and is 80% contained. The Butte Fire Information Number is (530) 538-7826. Click Here for more information. Mendocino: The Mendocino Lightning Complex has burned 53,300 acres and is 95% contained. The Mendocino Fire Information Number is (707)-467-6426. Click Here for more information. Shasta & Trinity: The Shasta and Trinity Lightning has burned 82,536 acres and is 60% contained. The Shasta-Trinity Unit Information Number is (530) 225-2510. Click Here for more information. Humboldt: The Humboldt Complex burned 1,325 acres and is now 100% contained. Lassen, Modoc: The Corral Fire burned 12,434 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Mariposa: The Oliver Fire burned 2,789 acres and now 100% contained.Click Here for more information. Lake: The Walker Fire burned 14,500 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Napa & Solano: The Wild Fire burned 40,000 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Santa Clara: The Whitehurst and Hummingbird Fires burned a combined 994 acres and are both now 100% contained. Click Here for more information. Tehama & Glenn: The Tehama-Glenn Lightning Complex burned 22,907 acres and is now 100% contained. Major Federal and Local Incidents For information on major federal incidents click here. Kern County: The Piute Fire has burned 37,026 acres and is 95% contained.

President Bush set to survey California wildfires Sacramento Bee Article

Date: 07/17/2008 Time: 03:52 A.M. PDT Location: 9149 S. Western Ave South Los Angeles Departments: LAFD, LAPD, Description: On Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 3:52 AM, 20 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 7 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 5 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, and 1 L. A. County Fire company, all under the direction of Assistant Chief Craig Fry responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 9149 S. Western Ave. in South Los Angeles. Links: LAFD Web Blog Writer: RescueKujo

If this dentist was recommended to you, would you go to him?? I took this over in the weekend in Los Angeles. I had seen the office before and always thought it odd...

Chris, I agree with you. The American people have to understand that death is a part of life. Don't embrace it, but understand that living doesn't necessarily constitute a "quality" of life... I posted the photo tongue in cheek due to the "stigma" associated with the name... Duane

Rock, you are absolutely dead on. The umpiring in the game is currently pathetic. It seems they won't take the time to get the call right. It's like they determine if the ball is there in time, then the runner's out. They're too concentrated on their wildly exaggerated gestures in calling the runner/batter out or safe....

The moderating team feels that too many of these types of threads just end up with bashing or personal attacks and the thread ends up being closed anyway. This undermines the mission of this site to build camaraderie and serve the public safety community with information and training opportunities. This was well thought out and discussed at length by the team. Thank you for your opinion, but because of the above reason the decision was made. Duane Kuhlow, Jr. EMTBravo Associate Moderator

Nice photos, Dave.

What's Mr Spock got to do with it??

Thoughts, prayers and condolences to the family, friends and fellow Troopers of Trooper Mangano. May God watch over them as they traverl through this tragic period.

Good luck to the firefighters of the FDMV. Hopefully, this commisioner will be able to take the reins for improvement of the equipment and facilities...

Congrats, Jack. Your hard work is greatly appreciated. And to the rest of our team, keep up the good work. Duane

This post is right on. I have been on the witness stand with my name being numero uno on the lawsuit. No fault of mine, the patient lied to her mother about what I said/did right after I left the scene and she died the next day. What saved my bacon?? Documentation. I documented in at least 4 locations on my paperwork the patient's refusal and what I did in my attempt to get her to reconsider. As a matter of fact, 10 years after the fact I'm sitting in a class regarding legal issues and the lawyer (who represented me and the company at the time) starts talking about how documentation saved this EMTs butt a few years ago. So as I used to say to the new hires that were on my unit when I was in the field, it is much easier in the long run to take a patient to the hospital. Document all refusals well, do a thorough assessment and pray nothing happens to that patient. While it is their decision, if something happens to that patient your company and you just got a big target painted on your back. And if you don't follow policy, your company will leave you swinging in the breeze by yourself....

Seth and Kris, Here's hoping the rest of your years together are better than the first. May God watch over you guys. Duane

Here in California if convicted they would never be able to work in EMS again. You cannot receive or keep a EMT Cert or Medic License with a felony on your record. As others have said, a total abuse of the trust given to people in our professions. If guilty, throw the book at her and let her rot in the small cell.

Nice photo, thanks for sharing. One question, though. Since it's a towerr ladder, why the short lightbars? Why not a straight bar across the front with a couple short ones on the sides of the roof?