FIREWIRE Magazine Winter 2016 | Page 28

DIVISION 5 PUBLIC EVENTS AND NEWS NEEDLES ANNEXES TO COUNTY FIRE LABOR REP: DARRELL FEUERHAHN JOHN CHAMBERLIN DIVISION CHIEF NEW FIRE STATION BY DAN NELSON After an exciting 2015 in the south desert, the men and women of Division 5 wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. In the past year we have enjoyed upgrades and changes to our staffing levels, technology and safety equipment. In addition, we have had the privilege of watching many of our talented members successfully complete the promotional testing process and accept positions as engineers and captains within our department. As to be expected, 2015 also provided all members of Division 5 with challenging emergency response calls. In this edition of FIREWIRE, we will highlight devolvements from the year’s final quarter. A new station for Needles broke ground in early December. Station 32 is being built on East Broadway Blvd., near the Interstate 40 and Highway 95 intersection. The design of the station is similar to Stations 10, 53 and 22. The station is being built to replace the 1950s-era Station 31, which is located across the street from the rail yard in Needles. Construction is expected to be completed in late summer 2016. Firefighter/Paramedic Mike Gregory battles a blaze in the community of Landers. INCIDENTS EQUIPMENT UPGRADES EL COYOTE ROAD FIRE EPCR IMPLEMENTATION In November, San Bernardino County Fire crews from our Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree stations, as well as units from Twentynine Palms and Cal Fire, responded to a garage fire on El Coyote Road in Joshua Tree. Captain Clint Marks and crew from ME36 arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the eaves of the home. The crews made access into the garage and waged an aggressive fire attack in high winds. The fire claimed two cars, an RV and a boat, but the crews were able to stop the fire from spreading into the home. During the final quarter of 2015, all Division 5 stations switched from the old style paper patient contact form (PCR) to the new electronic version ePCRs. The upgrade has been a long and challenging process for the department. Each unit has been issued a tablet computer and all personnel have received training on how to use the tablet and ePCR software. The electronic reporting allows for better patient tracking and information sharing with ambulance and hospital staffs. In addition, the tablets integrate well with our new incident reporting system, Image Trend. The paring of these two systems will allow our division to more efficiently bill for medical services provided by County Fire. NEEDLES HOUSE FIRE Photo: Sky Rodriguez Also in November, crews from stations in Needles and Wonder Valley responded to two structure fires within 24 hours. Both fires were started in abandoned homes and are believed to have been started by squatters living in the homes. The first fire started in the early morning hours of November 13. ME31 from Needles arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the rear of the structure. With assistance from Mohave Valley Fire Department, the crew from 31 were able to make entry into the home and conduct a rapid search for victims while simultaneously battling the fire. Fortunately, no victims were found. Damage to the house was estimated to be over $40,000. 28 County Fire looks forward to providing premiere service to the City of Needles. STAFFING UPGRADE FOR STATION 18 Over the past several months, staffing issues at Station 18 in Havasu Landing have become a serious challenge for our department. In the past, the station has relied on two or three “hardcover” paid-call firefighters (PCFs) to provide constant staffing at the station. The staffing was supplemented by a PCF force that would respond to major calls from their homes in Havasu Landing. Now, however, most of the hard-cover PCFs have left to obtain full time employment elsewhere, leaving the station with just three members to respond from home for all emergency calls. Efforts to recruit additional hard cover PCFs have not been successful. In November, concerned citizens from Havasu hosted a meeting with several chief officers from County Fire, including Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, as well as San Bernardino County First District Supervisor Robert Lovingood, to express their desire to obtain reliable staffing at Station 18. The County of San Bernardino, County Fire, and the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe (owners of the Havasu Landing Resort and Casino) are currently working on a plan to staff Station