OC Firefighters News | December 2018 | View as Webpage
December 5, 2018
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In an effort to keep you up to date on the latest local, statewide, and federal fire issues, OC Firefighters send out monthly news clippings. This newsletter will help inform you about very important fire-related matters.

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OC Firefighters Provide Mutual Aid at Devastating Fires Throughout California
This past month has been an extremely trying and challenging time for all Firefighters throughout our State, including our OC Firefighters. OC Firefighters responded to the calls for help and provided assistance to our brothers and sisters fighting fires in both Northern and Southern California.

While fires were raging in Southern California, OCFA Type 1 and Type 3 Strike Teams were sent to battle the devastating Hill and Woolsey Fires in Ventura County and Malibu. Approximately 45 Firefighters, 20 Engines, and a bulldozer assisted with the wildfire containment efforts in these areas. OC Firefighters also lent a hand to neighboring LA City and LA County Fire Departments by sending 10 Engines to cover Fire Stations in both jurisdictions. While these valuable resources were out of Orange County lending aid, our OC Firefighters stepped up to backfill Type 3 and Type 6 Strike Teams right here at home. 
Photo by the OFCA
In response to the Camp Fire, OCFA Regional Task Force 10 Urban Search and Rescue traveled up north to assist with the search and recovery efforts in Butte County. OC Firefighters volunteered for this heartbreaking and grueling assignment with the hope of bringing some peace and closure to those who have lost loved ones in California’s deadliest fire on record . Our Firefighters faced extremely difficult conditions while searching over one thousand structures to locate human remains with the help of our specially trained canines who were also instrumental partners in this effort.


We want to thank ALL of our Firefighters for their tireless efforts and extraordinary work day after day to serve the people of Orange County and our State. For days and weeks at a time, many of our OC Firefighters were away from their families performing some of the toughest, most dangerous and exhausting work imaginable. We are proud that our local Firefighters have demonstrated once again that they are some of the best, most dedicated, and highly-trained Firefighters and Urban Search & Rescue specialists in all of California.
Lake Forest House Erupts In Flames, 10 Children Displaced By Fire
LAKE FOREST — A home on Penfield Street was a total loss after a destructive fire ripped through the structure Wednesday night, Orange County Fire Authority reported. Authorities stated that 10 children and eight adults were displaced after the home was completely gutted.
Photo by the OCFA
Explosion at Westminster apartment complex sends 3 people to hospital
WESTMINSTER - An SUV that crashed into a water heater closet resulted in an explosion at a Westminster apartment complex and sent three people to the hospital with minor injuries Saturday, Nov. 3, authorities said. About 10:50 a.m., Orange County Firefighters were dispatched to the 13800 block of La Pat Place in Westminster on reports of an explosion, said Capt. Larry Kurtz of the Orange County Fire Authority.
Photo by the OCFA
Power lines downed by wind spark fire in Santa Ana, 14 people displaced
SANTA ANA - Downed power lines caused a fire that scorched two residences in Santa Ana, leaving 14 people without a home for the night on Monday, Nov. 12. High winds brought live wires in contact with the trees near two neighboring houses on the 400 block of North Laurel Street, sparking a fire at about 9:04 a.m., according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito. He said flames spread to the roofs of the two structures and grew, ultimately rendering the homes uninhabitable.
Photo by the OCFA
Multiple House Fires In Orange County During Strong Santa Anas
WESTMINSTER - In a week of red flag warnings, with Santa Ana winds gusting across Orange County, a series of house fires plagued Westminster over 24-hours, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito. The fires began late Monday with a garage fire in the 8900 block of Neptune. Orange County Fire Authority, supported by Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and Huntington Beach engines arrived to discover a home fully aflame.
Heavy fire hits Santa Ana mobile home
SANTA ANA - Orange County Firefighters extinguished a fire in a mobile home in Santa Ana Tuesday morning in just 20 minutes, authorities said. Crews responded at 1:57 a.m. to the Gables Mobile Home Park at 4801 W. First St. and located a single-wide mobile home engulfed in heavy fire, according to a statement from the Orange County Fire Authority.
Video: High Winds Helped This Strip Mall Fire in Santa Ana, CA
SANTA ANA – OC Firefighters responded to a structure fire at 3:15 am on the 2300 block of 1st St. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire on the roof of a restaurant in a strip mall despite the strong winds. A total of 65 firefighters were on scene.
Video courtesy of The Content Exchange
Storage Units Gutted By Flames In Orange County Blaze
SANTA ANA - Smoke poured from the Public Storage building in Santa Ana early Tuesday as two Orange County Fire Authority engine companies arrived to quell the blaze. The fire damaged several units of a public storage building in Santa Ana Tuesday, but no one was hurt, an OCFA spokesperson said. Firefighters sent to the 400 block of South Grand Avenue about 4:45 a.m. extinguished the flames in the single-story building in about an hour and 45 minutes, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
Photos by the OCFA
Tree trimmer shocked, burned when his saw touches high voltage wire in Tustin
TUSTIN - A man in his 30s was taken to the hospital after he suffered a severe electrical shock while cutting branches near wires in the backyard of a Tustin house Saturday, Nov. 10, authorities said. Orange County firefighters were called to the 11600 block of Marble Arch Drive just past 10 a.m. regarding a man who had just been shocked and was unconscious while tethered to a tree, Capt. Steve Concialdi said.
La Puente man dies when car goes over the side of Laguna Canyon Road
LA PUENTE - The 46-year-old man, who was the only person in the black 2006 BMW Series 3, was thrown from the car by the force of the crash. Orange County firefighters said the man was dead at the scene, a CHP report said. The man’s full identity was not available Thursday. Orange County Coroner officials said they were trying to contact his family.
Man detained after explosive device is set off at Tustin home
TUSTIN - Authorities have detained a man suspected of setting off an explosion at a Tustin home Wednesday morning. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad was sent to the 12700 block of Newport Avenue after reports of a loud explosion just before 9 a.m. Four condominiums in the area were evacuated. The Orange County Fire Authority Hazardous Materials Response Team also assisted with the investigation.
Horse Rescued After Becoming Trapped in Orange County Ditch
ORANGE - A horse managed to climb back to safety after becoming trapped in a boulder-filled drainage ditch in Orange County Wednesday. "The horse and the owner appear to be doing fine," Orange City Fire Department Capt. Ian MacDonald said. Metro Net Fire Authority and Orange City Fire Authority received a call about the trapped animal in Santiago Oaks Regional Park north of 2145 N. Winds Drive at 1 p.m.
No, That's Not Santa: OCFA Rescues Man From South County Chimney
LAGUNA NIGUEL - An Orange County man found himself in a tight spot this week. Thanks to emergency personnel, a trapped man was rescued from a Laguna Niguel chimney in the wee hours of Friday morning, according to Orange County Fire Authority.
Photo by the OFCA
OC Firefighters were honored to backfill Costa Mesa Fire Stations and pay tribute to Costa Mesa Fire Captain Kreza with Honor Guard members and Bagpipes and Drums ensemble.
Costa Mesa fire captain, hit by possible DUI driver while riding his bicycle off-duty, dies
More than an hour before the procession began, a half-dozen fire engines lined the side of Santa Ana Boulevard next to the coroner’s office, including crews from Costa Mesa, the city of Orange, Newport Beach, Garden Grove and the Orange County Fire Authority. A half-dozen Firefighters dressed in their blue uniforms helped unfurl a giant American flag, which was attached to a ladder on one of the rigs and raised above the entrance to the driveway leading to the coroners office. A pair of OCFA suburbans with their lights flashing flanked the entrance. OCFA Capt. Tony Bommarito, who attended the procession, described it as an illustration of the “brotherhood” shared by Firefighters and police officers. “There is not a feeling in the world like that,” Bommarito said of taking part in a procession. “You see the traffic stopped, you see people saluting.”
Congratulations OCFA Reserve Academy 21
On November 3 rd , the OCFA celebrated the Reserve Academy 21 Graduation. This group of Reserves has spent over 180 hours training with ladders, fire hose deployment, wildland firefighting, and community education and prevention. Welcome to the OCFA and best wishes for a successful career in the fire service!
Photos by the OCFA
10 th Anniversary of Two Devastating Orange County Fires
Ten years ago, Orange County experienced two major back-to-back fires. The Santiago Fire and the Freeway Complex Fire taught the OCFA how to be better prepared to fight aggressive wildfires and enabled the Department to make significant improvements to our firefighting capabilities. 

2017 Orange County Firefighters Year In Review
We are proud to present the inaugural Orange County Firefighters Year in Review photo book! In 2017, our Firefighters responded to more than 141,000 emergencies throughout the 23 cities and unincorporated communities of Orange County - an average of 505 emergency calls per day. Click HERE to view the book.

OC Firefighters - IAFF Local 3631 | 1900 East Warner Ave Ste G | Santa Ana | CA | 92705

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