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NEWS / MEDIA
January 2002 - Fire Department Gets New Engine Fort Bragg Fire Department, along with the citizens of Fort Bragg and the surrounding Rural Fire District, were given an early Christmas present this year. On Dec. 19, Fire Chief Steve Orsi, Assistant Chief Dan Orsi and local firefighters went to Sacramento to trade in the old OES engine, a 1971 International, for a new crew-cab, custom rescue/pumper. The value of this new piece of equipment is estimated at $300,000 to $350,000. This new fire engine is owned by the state's Office of Emergency Services (OES). It is stationed at Fort Bragg as part of an OES agreement. This agreement basically states that the department can use the engine to back-up our own equipment. In return, we must assure the state that the engine and all the equipment will be properly maintained and respond to state-wide emergencies, when requested, with trained firefighters. Another part of the agreement, and also a huge benefit to the FBFD, is that the State OES pays for all major repairs to the engine and equipment. FBFD is responsible for day-to-day maintenance and expenses, such as fuel, oil, etc., but OES covers all other costs. OES contracted with a Woodland fire engine manufacturer to build 30 new fire engines. Mendocino County was well represented by OES officials when it came to assigning these new engines. Laytonville Fire Department picked up an engine exactly like Fort Bragg's and Ukiah Fire has had a new OES engine for the past few years. OES Fire/Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris, along with Assistant Chief Paul Beckstrom and Coordinator Jim Marquis, worked very hard to assure Mendocino County was taken care of. OES added a requirement a few years ago that responders will be trained in Heavy Rescue. Willits Fire Chief Jeff Smith, along with his crew, set up a training facility to train local firefighters to meet this new Heavy Rescue Requirement. Without their training, Fort Bragg would not have been eligible to receive the new engine. Another major reason Fort Bragg has this new unit parked in our station is the dedication of the local volunteer firefighters. Fifteen members gave up weekends to attend the 40-hour Rescue Systems Class held in Willits last year. But there's more: FBFD members have been responding quickly and efficiently to State OES calls for many years, starting almost 40 years ago, when local Chief Officers attended state-wide conferences, making contacts with state representatives. Past Assistant Chief Louis Ghiossi recalls meetings with, what was then, the Office of Civil Defense. These encounters led to Fort Bragg housing a Civil Defense unit. Over the years Civil Defense merged into what is now OES and Fort Bragg has logged in hundreds of hours in OES response and training. The agreement with OES states that this new unit (OES #287) will respond as a back-up unit to locally owned equipment. However, OES representatives have requested that the new engines respond as first-out, to assure proper break-in of the new engines, along with enhancing familiarity of the firefighters with this new piece of equipment. This break-in period should end about the same time that FBFD takes delivery of a new engine currently in the bidding process. This all fits into the department's engine/apparatus replacement plan which was set up to assure high-quality, efficient responses to the City of Fort Bragg and the surrounding Rural Fire District. Advocate News
TO: Fort Bragg Fire Department FROM: Steve Orsi For years to come when anybody mentions the year 2001, one thing will come to mind: September 11th (or 9-11). It will be hard to visualize anything else. That morning changed everybody’s life in one way or another. As a fire department, I hope we learned to respect each other for what we do. Although we don’t always agree with each other, most will agree that, faced with a similar situation as our brothers in New York, we would react the same way. This is the time of year we look back and see what we have accomplished. From where I sit I see huge advancements from one year ago. Many of them are not measurable. Some are. The bottom line is we have made progress as a department and we continue to do so. This year, as the newly hired Chief, I have had many challenges. I appreciated the constant support of the volunteers, as these challenges took their toll. Again, as a group, it seems that tough times tend to make us stronger. Along with everything else, we are on a pace to reach 700+ calls this year. This is the most Fort Bragg Fire has ever seen, by a large margin (the previous high was 521). Through it all, we do what we do best: SHOW UP! As usual, attached is a list of accomplishments, major fires and member activities for the past year, along with goals for 2002. Have a Merry Christmas and a very happy, productive and prosperous New Year. Steve
ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2001 - Received and put new rescue boat in service - Appointed a new Fire Chief - Burned down the Moose Hall (training) - Board meetings became constructive, positive effort. - Placed E-8384 on the surplus equipment list and sent it off to auction - Hired a new maintenance engineer -
Have our own web-site (Thanks, Pat!) - New OES engine - Logged in over 2,207 hours of training - Responded to record-breaking number of emergency calls (5 months into the fiscal year we have over 300 calls) - Hosted a driver/operator class (40-hour)
DINNERS/EVENTS -
Mike Ciancio chaired a successful Firemen’s Ball - Fire Chief’s dinner - Firefighter’s appreciation dinner - Labor Day BBQ - Catered the Duck’s Unlimited dinner - Cooked at the FBHS stadium BBQ - Crab feed (Thanks, Caito’s!) - Successful tri-tip BBQ - Hosted a racquet ball tournament - Candy Cane Run – as always (Great!)
WORK DETAILS - Began work on Muster Truck - Built new hose racks for main station - Provided EMT coverage for High School and Cubs football games - Provided EMT coverage for the Whale Run - Rebuilt portable bar (Thanks to Dan Orsi!) - Decorated station and bucket truck for Xmas
MEMBERS - Welcomed Jeanine Gregory into the ranks as a “regular member” - Welcomed Dave Franco, Vince Lentini and Charlie Jahelka into the auxiliary - Paid honor to all members by naming the entire department “Firefighter of the Year” - Darrell Orsi and Curt Tubbs received life-saving ribbons for their efforts - Welcomed babies Jordan Angley and Sam West into the world - Said goodbye to Mike Vickers and Tyler Ownsby - Celebrated the weddings of Steve and Donna Baxman and Jose and Tori Madrid - Congratulated Adam Dondanville and his new wife, Brittany, as well as his “new” son, Neil.
THINGS TO REMEMBER 2001 BY - - - - - A different “look” for the inside of the department’s refrigerator - State record broken with Muster truck at Woodland - Waterfight teams KICKED BUTT! - Took home State Championship trophies for Class V Motorized (men’s and women’s) AND: "THE TONY AWARDS"
EMERGENCY CALLS - Coast Tire fire - Feed Store fire - Garage fire, Oak Street (The “Rhododendron Fire”) - Traffic accident, Highway 20 - Auto vs. semi-trailer - Fatal T/C on Highway 20 – Ford Taurus - Simpson Lane T/C (kids) - Structure fire on Atkins Road (“Garden Fire”) - Cliff rescue on Pacific Drive - Cliff rescue with Westport Fire - OES call – “Darby Fire” - OES call – Modoc County Submitted by Steve Orsi
June 2001 - MOOSE HALL BURNS AS PLANNED Moose Hall burned to the ground last Saturday as planned. There wasn't a need to investigate the cause of the fire, as the fire department already knew who started it - they did. For months the Fort Bragg Vol unteer Fire Department has been planning a training burn at the old Moose Hall located on Sherwood Road. Fire departments from around the county were invited to participate. Roughly 4o firefighters, including the California Department of Forestry, the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department, the Brooktrails Fire Department and the Westport Fire Department joined local firefighters in what ended up being an action-packed day of fighting fire learning about fire behavior and working together for a common goal. The day started at 8 a.m. with engines setting up a command post being established, and last- minute strategies being planned. All firefighters attended a safety briefing which outlined the overall plan for the day and a review of safety concerns.. By 10
a.m., the smoke was showing. At one point early in the day, it looked as if the hall
was on At approximately 3 p.m., it was decided that the training objectives had been met and it was time to let the building burn. When that was safely completed, firefighters shared a barbeque at the scene and talked about the day's events. This was an excellent training for all involved, according to FBVFD Fire Chief Steve Orsi. The department wishes to extend a huge thank you to the neighbors on Hocker Lane and the surrounding area for their patience and understanding. Their neighborhood had a lot of smoke surrounding it that afternoon and the firefighters appreciate that the residents handled it very well. Submitted by FBVFD to the Advocate News April 2001 - LEARNING THE ABC'S OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS April is Earthquake Awareness Month. With this in mind, the Fort Bragg Volunteer Fire Department thought it would be a good idea to write a few articles about our thoughts and
responsibilities involving earthquakes or any major This first article is about "triage." This term basically means
"prioritizing." We, as emergency medical workers, are trained in triage, we practice it, and it is basically the only way to handle any emergency involving multiple victims. That doesn't mean it is an easy job. Triage involves huge emotional issues. You have to turn away from victims that normally you would do During a disaster, there will be many areas of heartbreak, stress, and devastation for emergency responders. Performing triage will no doubt be one of those areas. I used the term triage above as it is defined by most emergency responders, but the way it affects There is something that the
pub lic could do to help out in these sit uations and that is to remain as " Another possibility is to set up a staging area for citizens who wish to help out. This would involve checking in and being assigned to areas of need within our vicinity. I believe, with the outstanding volun teer record of citizens in our community, such a staging area would have several people volunteering to help out. The FBFD hopes that we never see a major disaster in our district. But, just in case, we should all be prepared. Submitted By Steve Orsi to the Advocate News March 2001 - FBVFD: PLAY IT SAFE AROUND DOWNED UTILITY WIRES With storms hitting our area, it is not uncommon to have utility wires knocked down by falling trees. As we get sent to these areas to secure the scene, we often encounter people who are unaware of the hazards involved and are putting them selves in an extremely dangerous situation. The firefighter at the Fort Bragg Fire Department take several hours of training regarding electrical emergencies. What we've learned from the training is to stay away from any kind of downed wires, always assuming they are energized. There are trained people
who can differentiate between electrical wires and phone/cable wires. Do not let anyone else talk you into approaching a
line with the assumption that "it's just a cable In stormy, wires-down situations, it is not unheard of that an electri cal wire makes contact with a cable or phone wire, thereby energiz ing it. There are some who would say the chances of that are slim, but when you are wagering with your life, any chance taken is a great one. With more portable generators in service, the possibility of a back feed of power through the lines is also greater. The best way to guar antee that you will not be critically injured by electrical lines is to stay clear of them. If a wire is down in your front yard, keep your family inside the house and call 911. If, while in your vehicle, you see a wire down across a roadway, stay a minimum of one span of poles (distance between power poles) back, put on your flashers, afl,4 stay on your vehicle. If you have questions involving these issues, contact PG&E or call us at the fire station. Submitted by Steve Orsi to the Advocate News March 2001 - TRAINING WILL LEAD TO MAJOR DISASTER DRILL Last week I attended a four-day training session designed to prepare participants to develop a major dis aster exercise for their respective communities. Fire Inspector Steve Wells and myself traveled to Ukiah to better prepare our fire department, as well as our community, for a major disaster. The class was put on by California State Training Institute and brought in instructors from around the state to teach us the ins and outs of preparing a func tional disaster exercise. This class involved very little cost, due to grant money provided by the state to educate communities in this area. It was "sponsored" by Mendocino Emergency Services Authority. Rick Paige is the MESA coordina tor responsible for getting this invaluable training to our county. The class, which included three days of instruction and preparation and one day of an actual disaster exercise, was very informative. The participants got a feel for how these exercises grow, from the initial plans to the actual set-up. Working alongside other community agency representatives from around the county was a great way to build relationships. Should a major disas ter ever strike, we would be work ing very closely with people throughout the county. It is an advantage to get acquainted in a more relaxed atmosphere until wait ing to be thrown together during an emergency. The City of Fort Bragg also sent representatives to participate in the final exercise. Sitting in the "hot seats" were Fort Bragg Police Department Sgt. Floyd Higdon and Public Works Supervisor Mike Cimolino. One unexpected bonus was the attendance of Six representatives from Singapore. These people were great to work with. As we traded ideas and cultural differences dur ing breaks, we realized how lucky we are here in Fort Bragg. Some times you need someone from out side of your community to remind you how fortunate you are. Submitted
by Steve Orsi to the Advocate News March 2001 - SAVING A LIFE CAN BE A MATTER OF SECONDS A few weeks ago, the Fort Bragg Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire on Grove Street, off of Chestnut. We were toned-out at 6:30 in the morning. The fire was contained to one room with minimal damage and no injuries. Basically, it was a run-of-the-mill call for a fire department. After reflecting on this early morning Call, a few key issues were brought out that deserve to be shared with the community first and foremost, this call involved a young family with an infant child. They were awakened by a smoke alarm and they all escaped without injury. This basic "run-of-the-mill" fire could easily have been a call involving a young couple and their infant overtaken while they slept by the smoke. But, thanks to a $10 investment, this call will be forgotten by most of the responders, logged in as a minor incident. Smoke alarms do save lives! The other issue that came up was the response time by our engines. Few people are aware of this, but as of the first of the year, the department has two volunteer firefighters living at the sub- station housing, as well as an engine, a water ten der and a rescue truck. By having these firefight ers living on-site, the response time is cut in half. A fire call is normally initiated with a pager alert, which wakes up the volunteers in their homes. They then drive to the downtown main station, get in an engine and respond to the scene. The volunteers at Station 20, woke up, grabbed their gear, jumped in the engine and were enroute to the call. They arrived on-scene approximately one minute ahead of the main sta tion engine. One minute doesn't sound like much; but it could make a huge difference when fire is building in a structure or a family mem ber needs medical attention. As stated above, this was a typical call; nothing "exciting." But sometimes you can learn lessons from day-to-day experiences. Submitted
by Steve Orsi to the Advocate News August 2000 - FBFD MUSTER TEAM TAKES SUISUN CITY BY STORM Entering the second muster com petition of the year on Aug.12, Suisun City, Calif., the Fort Bragg Fire Department's Muster had lofty expectations. With two men's teams and two women's teams competing in the motorized division, antique hose carts division and bucket brigade division, all competitors were primed to run away with trophies. The day started with the women's motorized competition and what a start to the day it was. Both women's teams showed their poise and experience running away from the field of competitors with first and second place trophies. The 1-2 finish in the opening; event set the tone for The rest of the day's events. Second up was the men's motor ized division Once again, the sea soned veterans of the muster circuit came through with first and third place trophies. After all the motors had cooled down and the dust had settled, Fort Bragg Fire's muster team had sent a loud message to the competition with four trophies in two events. After a short and deserving break the Men's Antique Hose Cart Com petition began. With temperatures in the low 90s during the' run, the men's team scorched the course and came away with an impressive third place showing. This trophy raised the day's tally to five trophies with yet one event to go. The last event of the day was men's buckets. This event has long been a favorite of many on the team but has never netted any awards. Buckets is also a very popular event during a muster and usually has upwards of 30 teams competing, so the competition is very tough. In this competition both speed and precision are required by team members who pass full and empty buckets back and forth while the stopwatch clicks away. With two men's teams from Fort Bragg competing, there was just a hint of friendly rivalry. When all was said and done, the Fort Bragg B Team splashed its way to a third place finish and the first ever trophy in the buckets event, an accomplishment everyone on the team can take pride in. So at the end of a long hot day, Fort Bragg racked up six trophies and began to talk about the state championship muster which will be held in Ferndale over Labor Day weekend. So in two weeks or so they will be revving up their motors and competing once again in the last muster of this year's circuit. If Suisun City was any indication - look out Ferndale! Fort Bragg is hot! Submitted
by Glen Beck to the Advocate News September 2000 - FBVFD MUSTER TEAMS BRING HOME THE GOLD The Fort Bragg Volunteer Fire Department's Muster Team ended their 2000 season exactly the way they had hoped to. The men's A-Team brought home the State Championship trophy, as did the women's A-Team. The women not only brought home the trophy, but also set a new state record. Fort Bragg now holds both the men's state record (set in 1993) and the women's. Both records are for Motorized Pumper Competition in Class 5. This year Fort Bragg had quite a crew representing the department, traveling with two men's teams and two women's teams. The total trophies won over three musters added up to 11. According to one of the muster captains, "The victories were good but, more importantly, the teams had fun; interacting with other departments, camping out with each other, and basically remembering why we muster in the first place: Camaraderie." Members of the Fort Bragg Fire Department will travel to Los Banos in October to request a local muster for June 2002. Submitted by FBVFD to the Advocate News October 2000 - VOLUNTEERS OFFER TIPS FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK Oct. 8 is the beginning of Fire Prevention Week. The volunteers at the local fire station-would like to take this time to remind everyone of the importance of fire safety. Small, inexpensive efforts can make a dif ference in protecting yourself, your family and your neighbors. Making sure your home has a working smoke detector is a major step in protecting everyone in your home, apartment or business. Time and again, it has been proven that smoke detectors do, indeed, save lives. Locally, members of the Fort Bragg Fire Department have wit nessed occasions where families were outside of a burning structure when the first responders arrived and were told by the victims that the smoke alarm had awakened them. "It is always depressing to walk through the remains of a fire," stat ed Firefighter Tony Gomes, who quickly added, "But when you real ize that everybody who lived there made it out safely, you start to feel better." This statement has been echoed repeatedly throughout our department. As firefighters, we've seen the other side of this coin: fires that have claimed lives. As you sift through the ashes to try and find the cause of the fire, many thoughts go through your We can't do anything to bring back victims of tragic fires, but we can do something about preventing We will continue to do our part to provide fire protection. All we ask in return is that the citizens of our community do their part to provide fire safety for themselves and for their families. Members of the fire department would also like to remind all of you that if you have questions about smoke alarm placement or anything else involving fire prevention, please give us a call at 961-2831. We will answer your questions or, if we don't know the answer, we will find it for you! Submitted
by Steve Orsi to the Advocate News December 2000 - DRY CHRISTMAS TREES, LIGHTS, CAN EXPLODE Consider this: it's Christmas time and we decorate our homes accordingly. The centerpiece is usually a dead tree that begins to immediately dry out. We then wrap it with an ignition source (lights) and hang as much decoration (usually flammable) as it will hold. We then neatly stack around it numerous paper wrapped boxes. And, of course, a beautifully decorated tree looks great next to a fireplace with a roaring Yuletide fire, right? This scenario may be a little exaggerated, but I hope the point is made. A dry tree is. extremely flammable and produces a tremendous amount of heat. It can literally explode into flame. Some basic fire prevention can avoid catastrophe. 1. Only fresh cut trees should be used and, if possible, should be treated with fire retardant. 2. Make sure the tree is in a container of water at all times. 3. If the needles fall off readily, the tree should be removed. 4. Inspect lights for excessive heat and check the cord for frayed wiring. 5. Place the tree well away from ignition sources and away from flammable items such as drapes, etc. 6. Never use candles on or around the tree. 7. Test your smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are your single best warning device! 8. Never leave the holiday lights turned on when you're away from home or when you're sleeping. 9. Have a fire extinguisher handy. 10. This a good time to clean your chimney. Remember to keep a screen in place for popping embers. 11. Have an escape plan in place and practice it. Submitted
by Steve Wells to the Advocate News FBVFD MONTHLY REPORT OUTLINES CALLS, PROJECTS, HONORS These have been a busy few weeks for the Fort Bragg Volunteer Fire Department. We'd like to begin with The Fort Bragg Depot fire, which echoed the department's sentiments on the importance of sprinkler systems. Although this fire was responded
to by several engines, it was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Only one engine and very little
water from the department were Although
there were hundreds of gallons of water flowing through the complex, the water damage
cannot compare to the damage the fire would have caused if sprinklers had Experience as firefighters allows us to visualize "what ifs" with a good deal of accuracy. The burn patterns indicate that if sprinklers had not stopped the fire in its early stages, it would have continued to climb the wall, spread through the wall, spread through the small store in which it started, and then quickly jumped over to other businesses within the complex. To state that this incident (with
everything going right, including a quick response by our department To further state that this fire could have gone on to cause considerably more damage would not be reaching very far. There was an exhaust fan running
the time of the fire. This fan could have easily pulled this fire through to the west end of the
building. Had this fire escaped to the outside of the building with Sitting around discussing all of the possibilities is part of our job. It better prepares us for incidents that do get away and have to be dealt with. It also brings out just what those sprinklers did that night. After all the response equipment was put back into service, the volunteers had a night of rest. They were then put to work on their Highway 20 substation. This is a huge project for the
volunteers, and they began with a clean-up night. The goal is to have As the weekend neared, the emergency call volume increased. The department responded to four traffic accidents over the weekend. The most taxing was a
five-victim accident at Hare Creek. Fortunately there were no major injuries, Saturday night the department paid their respects to Assistant Chief Russell Saari and veteran firefighter Brad Welter. Both men received their 25 years of service badges and standing ovations by an estimated 90 guests at the fire station. The department also received some good news about one of the volunteers. Firefighter Scott West was accepted to become an Oakland firefighter. That is quite an accomplishment. These jobs are in high demand and hundreds of applications are turned in for each opening and Scott "got the call." The volunteers are very proud of this feat! Submitted by Steve Orsi to the Advocate News FIREFIGHTERS PRACTICE WITH LIVE BURN Members of the Fort Bragg Volunteer Fire Department participated in a live structure burn training exercise last weekend. The abandoned home was to be torn down for future development. The owner, Mike Anderson, allowed the department to use it for training purposes. The firefighters experienced what
it's like to attack a structure fire under a controlled environment. Officers of the FBVFD take steps to
assure participants' safety during "The newer members gain invaluable training during these burns," according to Fire Capt. Tony Vieira." You can learn a great deal from videos and books, but nothing compares to a live fire as far as showing firefighters what to expect as they enter a burning building." Capt. Darrell Orsi echoed that sentiment when he added, "Everyone who attended the drill walked away with a clear view of what could happen during a structure fire." The members were also given a first-hand observation of what happens when buildings have no fire protection built into them. Fire resistive measures, such as sheet rock, weren't around when these older buildings were erected. The difference between a building built to today's standards and those built over 50 years ago is staggering when it comes to fire spread. With nothing in place to slow the fire down, it goes through a building very quickly. Another valuable lesson learned from this training session: most who took part in this exercise would try to avoid living in such an unprotected home. Submitted by Steve Orsi to the Advocate News
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