DIVISION 5
LABOR REP: DARRELL FEUERHAHN
JOHN CHAMBERLIN DIVISION CHIEF
BY DAN NELSON
Change and continuous progress are hallmarks for San Bernardino County Fire (SBCoFD), and Division
5 is no exception. Since our last installment of the FIREWIRE, the south desert, under the leadership
of Division Chief John Chamberlin, has taken giant steps to ensure growth and continued success. In
this installment of the news we will review the progress of annexation efforts within the division, the
building of a new fire station and our effort to provide additional full-time fire suppression positions
along the river corridor. As always, we will include a challenging incident or two.
Engineer Aaron Comstock and AO Josh Cessor provide oxygen to
a small dog that was rescued from a structure fire.
Station 32 projected opening late 2016
ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS
NEEDLES AND 29 PALMS ANNEXATIONS
The hard work and skill of the members in this division are evident
not just on emergency calls, but also at city halls throughout
the county. Over the past year multiple cities and towns have
requested SBCoFD to provide high level fire protection for their
jurisdictions. Other cities, such as Needles, have asked the
department to provide a cost effective solution for their growing
fire protection needs. Annexation is proving to be a viable option
for all of these requests.
NEEDLES
Currently, there are two cities within Division 5 that are going
through the annexation process, Needles and 29 Palms.
Annexation is typically a long process that requires several steps
in order to complete. According to Chief Chamberlin, the process
is moving along smoothly for both cities. One of the final steps is
a protest hearing in which community members can voice their
opposition to annexation. These meetings were scheduled for
late April, just as this issue went to press. If there is little or no
opposition, then annexation can proceed to the final step. After
completion of the annexation process these jurisdictions will
become permanent parts of SBCoFD and will no longer have the
need to negotiate for fire protection services in the future.
Adding to staffing upgrades installed last summer, which
secured a career firefighter crew with at least one paramedic
and advanced life saving (ALS) equipment on the engine,
fire protection in Needles continues to improve, including
construction of a new fire station to replace the small, outdated
Station 31 on Front Street. Station 32 will be built near the
intersection of Interstate 40 and US-95, a location that will
allow crews to improve response times significantly, offering
easy access to the I-40 through Needles. The new station will
provide other upgrades for the duty crew, including a fitness
room, training classroom and training grounds on the station
property. The station is scheduled to be completed by October
of this year.
YUCCA VALLEY
In March, Station 31 also received a new water tender. The
purpose of the tender is to supply additional water for semitruck and other vehicle fires along the I-40 and US-95. In
addition, WT31 can assist with water supply operations for
areas in Needles with limited water supply.
Chief Chamberlin recently gave a presentation to town council
members and staff in Yucca Valley. The purpose of the
presentation was to share County Fire’s five, 10 and 20-year
22
plans for the Town of Yucca Valley. The plans were quite
detailed and included items such as increased staffing, new
equipment and future fire stations. Chamberlin stated that the
plans were well received by the town and they continue to be
pleased with the service provided by the SBCoFD and the
members of Division 5.
FIREWIRE • Spring 2016
INCIDENTS
*An examination of the Pirate Fire, which occurred near
Needles in April, is found elsewhere in this issue.
As is the case in every issue of FIREWIRE, there are so many
interesting and challenging incidents that members of Division
5 respond to on a daily basis that it is almost impossible to
select just a few to be highlighted. For this installment, we
choose two incidents to best illustrate the capabilities of our
members.
WONDER VALLEY STRUCTURE FIRES
On March 6, crews across the division were busy battling backto-back structure fires in Wonder Valley. The first fire took place
in the late evening hours at a single story home on Meriweather
Road. Crews responding to the incident were hampered by
downed power lines and a lack of fire hydrants in the area.
Crews fought aggressively to contain the fire to the home of
origin and were able to prevent the fire from spreading. Once
the fire was out, firefighters began the overhaul phase of
the fire. It was at this time that another house fire broke out
in Wonder Valley. Crews from Division 5 and surrounding
agencies responded and battled that blaze as well. The cause
of both