Have You Tested Or Changed The Batteries In Your Smoke Alarms Lately?

On March 14, 2010, We Moved Our Clocks Ahead One Hour - Did You Also Remember To Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries?

The Burn Institute and the San Diego County Fire Chiefs’ Association would like to remind everyone that whenever we have a time change, also take a moment to change your smoke alarm batteries.

It could save a life!   The last time change was Daylight Saving Time  on Sunday, March 14.  Did you change your smoke alarm batteries too???

WHY? Having a ”working” smoke alarm cuts your chances of dying in a house fire by 50% percent!

Note: If you are 55 years or older, own your own home, live within San Diego County and do not have a working smoking alarm, you qualify for a FREE smoke alarm installation. This popular program takes place year-round. To schedule an appointment, contact Gwen Lammers at the Burn Institute, (858) 541-2277.

Three East County Fire Departments Sign JPA Agreement

In La Mesa today, City Leaders, Fire Department Chiefs and staff from El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove, gathered for the official signing of a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (JPA). This agreement will create a shared management team to coordinate fire and emergency medical services, firefighter training, fire prevention, emergency planning, and community preparedness.

La Mesa Mayor Art Marid, El Cajon Councilmember Bob McClellan and Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Sessom made it official by signing their names to three copies of the agreement as other Councilmembers from the three cities looked on. All three Cities had previously approved the agreement at recent Council meetings held in each city. This new agreement takes effect in January 2010. The fourteen current Chief Officers of the three cities will eventually be reduced to eleven. There will be one Fire Chief for the three cities.

The goals of the JPA are to create additional staffing capacity and contain costs, while maintaining a high level of fire and emergency medical services. It is projected that by sharing management functions, three cities will save a combined $560,000 annually.

El Cajon Fire Chief Mike Scott commented,”This is a great example of many stakeholders coming together with one goal in mind, deliver the best possible service in the most effective way. We were able to bring elected officials, city managers, fire chiefs and labor groups together towards that goal. Credit goes to all of those groups for coming together to do what is best for our community”

La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid commented, “This is an historic time for our three cities in being visionaries and having confidence in our City staff to form this partnership. This JPA is a tribute to the City managers, the Fire Chiefs and all levels of the fire service. Yes, there are long term benefits, but this is the first step toward consolidating this level of services, and I’m confident we’ll be able to consolidate other department services that are common in each of our cities.”

The official signing ceremony took place at 11 :00 a.m., at La Mesa Fire Station 11, located at 8034 Allison Avenue.

A Look At Our Fire Expo In 2009

Our last Fire Department Expo, October 10th, 2009 was another huge success!  See you at our next Expo on October 9, 2010!

Thank you to our title sponosr 

“Mission Federal Credit Union”

they are dedicated to education in the community.  Fire Safety a key concern and their sponsorship supports their long standing support in the San Diego Community.  At their booth they handed out red plastic fire hat for kids and provided fire badges!

Visitors saw a variety of booths from fire prevention to disaster preparedness, careers in the fire service to law enforcement, a safety kids zone, even senior resources, there’s something for everyone at our free family event.  Join us next year October 9th, 2010!

Thank you to our three special celebrities – actress “Samantha Droke” – who starred with Selena Gomez in the Disney movie, “Princess Protection Program” – she is now one of the stars in the new TV show ”Eastwick,” and actor “Allen Evangelista” from the ABC show “Secret Life Of The American Teenager.”

 

“Thank you to another special guest – Captain Jack Sparrow -  a special tribute artist. www.thelastrealpirate.com

*We also saw a performance by the City of El Cajon Recreation Department’s “TNT Performing Company!”  Thank you!

At our special noon ceremony we heard the amazing singing talents of 13 year-old Francis Florendo singing the National Anthem.  We took the opportunity to thank residents of El Cajon for their ongoing support of our City Services – and thank community sponosrs!

Our annual event celebrates Fire Prevention Week and the 2009 theme is “It’s Fire Prevention Week – Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned!” This runs from October 4th through the 10th – but of course “fire safety” is year-round!

To learn more about fire & burn prevention – click here: Fire Prevention Week & Draw a home escape plan!

Thank you to WALMART for being our official sponsor for our Fire Poster Contest for 3rd grade students in the City of El Cajon School District.  They’re providing the prizes for our contest.  And thank you to Sea World for donating passes for our three winners.  We greatly appeciate your ongoing support!

“Thank You” to our community sponsors of our Expo:

• CBC Technical - providing our sound.
• East County Gazette Newspaper
• Granite Hills High School – display tables
• Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians
• Pat & Oscar’s - meals for volunteers
• Hometown Buffet – dessert for volunteers
• Smart & Final
• Subway
• Quizno’s on West Main Street
• Boston Market
• Waste Management
• East County Herald

Thank you to our returning participants:

Outside Fire Station:

• ATV Safety Group
• Boston Market – food samples 
• Boy Scouts of America
• California Highway Patrol
• East County Gazette Newspaper – Official media sponsor
• East County Herald Newspaper
• El Cajon Amateur Radio Club
• El Cajon Fire Safety Inflatable House
• Farmer’s Insurance – Child I.D.’s
• Heartland Lions Club – Child I.D.’s
• Home Depot of El Cajon is back with their Kid’s Safety Workshop, along with their FREE cotton candy and popcorn.
• Kiwanis (East San Diego County) – selling hot dogs
• Meet Miss El Cajon, Miss Teen El Cajon, Mother Goose, Miss Mother Goose Queen, Smokey the Bear, and Calahan the Firefighter!
• Mission Federal Credit Union – giving away plastic red fire hats
• MOTO WORLD of El Cajon
• Racers Against Drunk Driving
• Rapid Tatts – Airbrush face painting
• San Diego County Sheriff’s Department – Off Road Safety and their Reserve Program

 Inside Fire Station:

• Alzheimers Association
• American Cancer Society – “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer”
• Burn Institute – fire prevention materials
• CASA-Communities Against Substance Abuse
• Cover Your Assets - Inventory Software and Service
• Dr. Eric Wise – Health Screenings
• East County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)
• East County Family Justice Center – Domestic and Violence Prevention
• East County Magazine – register for their fire alerts
• El Cajon Community Development Corporation – CDC
• El Cajon Public Works – Storm Water
• El Cajon Recreation Department
• Emergency Animal Rescue
• Freeman’s Construction, Inc. – rebuilding after fires
• Helix Water District – water saving tips
• Kiwanis (East San Diego County) – Free Safety Helmet give-away!  While supplies last!   Last year we gave away 412 safety helmets.
• La Mesa Driving School – driving safety
• MADD (Mother’s Against Driving Drunk) – www.maddsandiego.org
• Rady’s Children’s Hospital – Safe Kids
• San Diego County Library – El Cajon Branch
• San Diego County Office of Emergency Services – provided disaster preparedness information and you will be able to sign up for the Reverse 9-1-1 System!
• San Diego Gas and Electric – safety information
• San Diego Off Road Coalition
• Sharp on Survival – “Think First”
• T.I.P. (Trauma Intervention Program)
• U.S. Coast Guard – “Coasty”

For Seniors (inside Fire Station)

• AARP
• Aging & Independent Services
• El Cajon Police RSVP’s – Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol
• Heritage Senior Care, Inc.
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital Senior Resource Center

In Our Career Section (Ronald Reagan Community Center)

• Burn Institute – provided two presentations at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on fire safety.
• Cuyamaca Jr. College
• El Cajon Fire Reserve Firefighter Program – What it takes to be a firefighter! 
• El Cajon Police Department – special operations (ie: Neighborhood Watch, Multi-Crime Free Housing, E-Alert, 9-1-1 for kids, etc.)
• El Cajon Police RSVP’s (Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol)
• El Cajon Public Safety Center Display
• EMSTA Medical College – Learn about becoming a paramedic.
• Grossmont Jr. College
• Heartland Fire Dispatch – 9-1-1 Dispatcher job information
• San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
• Southwestern College
• University of Phoenix

*A BIG thank you to those who helped me on the day of the event in setting things up and tearing it all down and the clean-up!

Thank you to El Cajon Fire Division Chief Rick Sitta, El Cajon Firefighters at Station 6 and 7, Engineer Marco Maldonado and our El Cajon Firefighter Reserves, Bonnie Larson, Wendy Filter, Dionne Rivera and her son Nathan, El Cajon Police PSO Samantha Hook, Officer Dan Hansen, El Cajon Police Cadets and RSVP’s, and our CERT volunteers!

 *If you’d like to be a part of our next safety event on October 9th, 2010 - or be a supporting sponsor,  please contact Monica Zech at (619) 441-1737.

Be safe & thank you!

El Cajon Fire 9/11 Search & Rescue Dog Dies

One of El Cajon’s original disaster search dogs “Sherman”, has died due to health issues related to his age. Sherman became a part of the El Cajon Fire Department in 1997 through a partnership with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. Sherman was partnered with his handler, El Cajon Fire Captain Steve Swaney.

After becoming certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster search work, Sherman, along with his handler, was available to serve anywhere in the United States at a moments notice. The call for service was never more important than on September 11, 2001. On that day, Captain Swaney, along with Sherman, received the request to respond with an Urban Search and Rescue Task Force to the World Trade Center in New York. Captain Swaney and Sherman arrived in New York that night (within 24 hours of the collapse) and worked at the site for ten days looking for survivors.
In addition to the World Trade Center response, Swaney and Sherman have also responded to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and a local bluff collapse in San Diego.

Sherman’s nickname was the “Sherman Tank”. He would stop at nothing to find the victim he was looking for. “These highly trained search dogs are a valuable and scarce resource to our community; Sherman was an important part of our fire service family and he will be greatly missed,” said Fire Chief Mike Scott.

(Due to calls and emails I’ve gotten since this was announced) – If you would like to send a note or card of sympathy to Captain Swaney please mail to:

Captain Steve Swaney, El Cajon Fire Department, 100 E. Lexington Avenue, El Cajon, Calif. 92020

Bystanders Assist Injured Motorist Following Crash In El Cajon

Just before 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon, a single vehicle crash occurred in the six hundred block of South Mollison Avenue in El Cajon. According to El Cajon Police, the vehicle was apparently traveling at a high rate of speed when the 84-year-old male driver lost control knocking over fire a hydrant, damaging a high-energy electrical utility box, then flipping over upside down. The driver was then trapped in the vehicle with extensive injuries.

Before emergency personnel arrived, bystanders noticed that the trapped victim’s head was under the water flowing from the knocked-over fire hydrant. The bystanders flipped the vehicle onto its side allowing the severely injured victim to breathe. Rescue workers from El Cajon and La Mesa Fire Departments extricated the victim using the Jaws of Life in about twelve minutes. A Santee Fire Department Medic United transported the victim to a local trauma center.

El Cajon Firefighters quickly contain vegetation fire in vacant lot

On Tuesday, July 20th, at approximately 3:50 p.m., firefighters from the El Cajon Fire Department responded to a vegetation fire in a vacant lot located at 553 South Magnolia Avenue. It took two engine companies about five minutes to contain and extinguish the fire, which burned approximately 1/8th of an acre. No structures were damaged or threatened, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Firefighters were able to quickly contain the blaze thanks to good vegetation management and proper clearance, along with timely 9-1-1 calls from bystanders.

Two Alarm Fire In El Cajon Destroys Single Story Home

Shortly after 12 noon, El Cajon Fire crews responded to a house fire at 861 Grossmont Avenue in El Cajon. As fire crews responded, a large plume of smoke could be seen at a distance, and when they arrived on scene, flames were shooting from the windows. It took 30 firefighters about 30 minutes to knock down the blaze. Crews from La Mesa Fire and the San Miguel Fire Protection District provided assistance.

An 82 year-old homeowner and her adult daughter were at home at the time of the fire. Before fire crews arrived, an off duty EMT as well as two City of El Cajon Public Works employees saw the smoke and responded to the home to see if anyone was in the structure. The adult daughter came out, followed shortly by her elderly mother, who was carrying her small dog from the burning room. One of the City workers quickly grabbed her pulling her out since flames were directly overhead. The woman received minor burns while rescuing her dog “Angel.” The EMT tended to the woman until paramedics arrived. The elderly female was transported to a nearby hospital. Her dog, a Chihuahua mix, was not injured.

The home is considered a total loss; the cause of fire is now under investigation. Preliminary estimates are $250-thousand for the home and its contents.

Fire destroys El Cajon trailer home, displacing family of six

At 5:15 p.m. this evening, El Cajon Fire crews responded to reports of a trailer home fire at the Chieftain Trailer Park, located at 187 Ballard, space number 48-B in El Cajon. Upon arrival firefighters found the trailer home well involved.

About 15 firefighters had the fire extinguished in about ten minutes. Their quick action kept the fire from damaging other nearby trailers. The trailer home was destroyed, displacing two adults and their four children. The only injury was said to be the homeowner’s hand, which was cut as he tried to fight the fire with a garden hose. He was treated at scene by Paramedic-Firefighters.

Fire investigators say the fire appears to have been caused by the homeowner setting off 16 bug bombs in an enclosed area, with fumes being ignited by an unknown heat source. The fire remains under investigation. Total damage has been estimated at $30-thousand for the trailer home and its contents. The American Red Cross is now assisting the displaced family with temporary housing.

A fire crew from the San Miguel Fire Protection District assisted El Cajon Fire crews in fighting the blaze.

Small Brush Fire In El Cajon Quickly Contained

At 11:05 a.m. Saturday morning, El Cajon Fire crews were dispatched to a report of a brush fire near 1103 Gorsline Dr. in El Cajon. When firefighters arrived on scene, they encountered a 3/4-acre brush fire burning up hill threatening residential structures. Approximately ten firefighters on three engines and a Battalion Chief were able to contain the blaze in approximately 30 minutes but remained on scene for over an hour and a half putting out hot spots.

The cause of the fire was accidental; a resident digging with a steel-bladed hand tool hit a rock, creating a spark, which ignited dry vegetation. Good preventative weed abatement practices around structures by homeowners allowed firefighters to quickly gain the upper hand on this fire without allowing the fire to cause structure damage. El Cajon fire crews were assisted by firefighters from the Lakeside Fire Department and from the San Miguel Fire Protection District.

*A reminder: When clearing brush, always keep a fire extinguisher or garden hose near by in case you accidentally spark a blaze.

Unusual Rescue In Lakeside

At 10:35 a.m. this morning Lakeside Fire crews, with assistance from El Cajon Fire & Rescue, responded to reports of a seven-year-old boy with his head stuck in the storm drain located near 10252 Big Cone Court in Lakeside.

It took approximately 40 minutes to extricate the child using the “Jaws of Life” to break apart and spread-open the concrete and steel drain structure. Once the child was extricated he was examined by Lakeside Paramedic Firefighters and was found to be uninjured. The child was apparently attempting to retrieve a toy that had fallen into the storm drain when he became stuck.

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