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J E W E L E R Y
LABOR REP: CRAIG WILLIAMS
KATHLEEN OPLIGER DIVISION CHIEF
BY BRENTON BAUM
As another winter sets in for Division 4, personnel have been prepping for the unique challenges and events which
are faced in the mountains. With the predicted effects of a strong El Niño season this will be a busy winter for our
personnel. From ice rescues to operating in snow storms, the mountains offer many opportunities and challenges
that cannot be experienced elsewhere in County Fire. Incident types in the mountain communities offer increased
complexities faced on a daily basis.
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FIREWIRE • Winter 2016
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On October 22 and 29 crews from Station 91 in Lake Arrowhead and Station 26 in
Twin Peaks participated in an active shooter drill hosted by the California Highway
Patrol at the Calvary Chapel Conference Center in Twin Peaks. The drill was
primarily aimed at active shooter training for the CHP officers, but SBCoFD crews
were integrated into several of the scenarios in order to perform triage and patient
extrication in the warm zone. Four scenarios were run, with SBCoFD personnel
making entries each time. The CHP officers were firing non-lethal training projectiles
in order to better simulate the training. It was a learning experience and confidencebuilding exercise for all SBCoFD personnel involved. A special thanks to Engineer
Danny Ward for facilitating the EMS portion of the training.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Mountain area residents proud to support the annual bonfire
event at Lake Arrowhead Village.
Firefighter/Paramedic Anthony Muscarello, who served as event
coordinator, over 1,300 hot dogs and 40 pounds of hot cocoa
were distributed to guests. The kids were able to visit and take
photos with Santa Claus. It was a particularly cold night so of
course, a large bonfire of pallets donated by the Lake Arrowhead
Village helped keep folks warm. A special thank to all of the
crews, paid-call firefighters and explorers who donated their time
to ensure the event was a success.
FILL THE BOOT BENEFITS TERROR VICTIMS
On January 2 and 3 personnel from Division 4 held a “Fill-theBoot” fundraiser to benefit the San Bernardino terrorist attack
victims. The fundraiser was held at locations in Crestline and
Lake Arrowhead, and was coordinated by Firefighter William
Carlson. Several paid-call firefighters and explorers donated
their time to participate in the event and it was well received
by the community. The total, which was collected and will be
donated to a charity benefitting the victims and their families,
ANNUAL HOLIDAY BONFIRE KEEPS COMMUNITY WARM
was $16,664.
The annual Lake Arrowhead Bonfire was held on the evening of December 7 in
the lower parking lot of the Lake Arrowhead Village. This event has been a longheld tradition dating back over 50 years and has been an excellent community
outreach tool. Attendance was estimated at over a thousand. According to
The mountain jurisdictions have a long history of community
support. Whether it’s the annual pancake breakfast in July at
Station 91 or a fill the boot fundraiser supporting a particular
charity, mountain residents always come through.
Photo: Jesse Martinez
Sold exclusively at
Global Rings Jewelry
On December 23 units were dispatched to an “over-the-side” traffic collision on
Highway 18 near Lake Gregory Drive. A vehicle was witnessed to have driven off the
edge of the highway at a high rate of speed for unknown reasons. By happenstance,
Battalion Chief Ron Walls was about two minutes away and arrived on the scene
quickly. Initially, he was unable to visualize the vehicle or victim and attempted to
hike down to investigate, but the thick vegetation prevented his progress. When
additional units arrived, two sawyer teams were assigned to cut and clear an
access path. Eventually, the patient was located almost 300 feet downhill, where he
had been ejected from his vehicle. A low-angle rope rescue system was rigged and
the patient was extricated. Due to the difficult access and terrain it was an extended
retrieval, but crews were ultimately successful in their mission. The vehicle was
eventually located approximately 1,300 feet downhill. Due to inclement weather,
the patient had to be transported by ground to a trauma center.
Winter 2016 • FIREWIRE
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