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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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‘We’re going to search … down to the sand,’ says OCFA battalion chief at Florida condo collapse
An Orange County Fire Authority battalion chief assisting in the hunt for survivors of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Florida said there is still hope of finding someone alive in the rubble. “There are still areas that are very difficult to access,” Kevin Fetterman, 45, said in a phone interview Saturday night, July 3, from Surfside. “We’re absolutely in a search-and-rescue mode. We’re going to search until we get down to the sand.”
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OCFA trains firefighters on how to save themselves when trapped
A smoke-filled building, a collapsing roof, a wall of trees on fire – there are many ways a firefighter can become trapped while trying to help others. On Monday, the Orange County Fire Authority showcased the 24 hour-training course its 1,200 firefighters are going through to prepare them for the sticky situations they might face in an emergency or disaster. The training, which OCFA officials described as the “most comprehensive survival skills and ‘mayday’ prevention program currently available within the fire service,” is being offered in partnership with the International Association of Firefighters.
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Special thanks to IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Lima for always supporting our OC Firefighters. |
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Four-alarm fire damages several units at Westminster apartment complex
A four-alarm fire tore through several units of an apartment complex in Westminster on Friday evening, authorities said. Drivers along the 405 Freeway reported seeing flames and heavy black smoke rising from the apartment on 14221 Edwards Street around 5:20 p.m., said Capt. Sean Doran, a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority.
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Fire Damages Condominium Building in Aliso Viejo
A fire damaged a condominium building in Aliso Viejo Monday, but no one was hurt. The fire, which was reported about 4:40 a.m. at Meadowood and Silveroak, extended into the attic and affected four units, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
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Brush Fires Near Laguna Beach Force Closure of San Joaquin Hills Toll Road
Multiple brush fires near Laguna Beach Wednesday caused the closure of the San Joaquin Hills toll road in both directions near the Laguna Freeway. The Orange County Fire Authority was first alerted to the brush fires about 3:30 p.m. along the southbound toll road just west of the Laguna Freeway, said OCFA Capt. Sean Doran. There were three separate blazes along the area within 300 yards of each other, Doran said.
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A house near Mayor Sarmiento’s home was heavily damaged by a fire
OCFA firefighters were fighting a fierce fire in a two-story home two doors away from Fire Station 72 in the 1600 block of E. 4th Avenue, opposite the street of the home of Santa Ana Mayor Vince Salmiento, around 11:00 pm last night.
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Video courtesy of County News |
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Diners Rush to Move Their Vehicles Before Car Bursts Into Flames in Parking Lot
Diners rushed to move their vehicles seconds before a car erupted in flames outside an Irvine breakfast parlor on June 11. The driver of a charcoal grey Nissan hatchback backed into a parking space in front of a diner located at 17595 Harvard Ave. and sat in his car while leaving it running. The heat from the exhaust pipe caught some brush on fire—sending the car into flames, authorities said.
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Firefighters battled two blazes in Santa Ana last night and early this morning
OCFA firefighters were busy in Santa Ana as they fought two flames last night and early this morning. Firefighters immediately knocked down a fire in a commercial building in the 1900 block of E. Pomona Street soon after 11:00 pm. Firefighters then tackled another blaze at around 2:30am in the 1200 block of S. Main Street.
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Orange County Firefighters Rescue Family Pets From House Fire
Firefighters saved three family pets in a Westminster house fire Thursday night, but one animal died in the blaze. A resident was also hospitalized for smoke inhalation. The person was in stable condition, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
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Photo courtesy of @965Fɪʀᴇ_ |
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Brush fire at Camp Pendleton getting more contained Thursday
A 1,000-acre brush fire on Camp Pendleton continued to burn on Thursday but officials said it was 20% contained by 5 a.m. The fire broke out around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and forced mandatory evacuations in several areas of the base, including the Lake O’Neill Campground and near the Wounded Warrior Battalion. At that time it was spreading toward the base’s northeastern Area 33.
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Orange County firefighters to assist in Florida condominium rescue efforts
Firefighters from the Orange County Fire Authority are being sent to assist ongoing rescue efforts in Surfside, Fla. at the site of a condominium that partially collapsed last week, killing at least 22 people as 126 others remain unaccounted for. The OCFA firefighters are a part of a team of search and rescue specialists that includes personnel from fire departments in San Diego, Sacramento and Oakland. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved the deployment of the search and rescue team after the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested the support, said the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, which manages the statewide taskforces.
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OC Firefighters Help Senior in Need
Crews from Engine 48 in Seal Beach helped a community member get his electric wheelchair home after it died. Since the wheelchair didn’t fit in the rig, one of our firefighters brought his personal truck back home and drove both the wheelchair and the gentlemen home.
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OC Firefighters Rescue Dog
After a fire, OC Firefighters from T45 in Rancho Santa Margarita took care of a black Labrador until the home owners were able to safely retrieve him.
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Do Not Use a Sauna for Post Fire Detoxification
Submitted by Jeff Hughes, OC Firefighters Local 3631 Wellness Agent
Using a sauna after a fire exposure doesn’t help you detoxify a smoke exposure the way many firefighters believe it does. The smoke smell you notice after a fire exposure, even days later, is not on your skin. It is the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other known carcinogens that have been metabolized or processed in your body. Having a sauna can mobilize toxic particles, but they don’t just safely migrate off your skin through sweat. They mobilize throughout your body and affect your levels of hydration and electrolytes. A rise in dermal temperature creases absorption into your body and a modest dermal temperature increase of 5 degrees can increase absorption by 400%.
If you are smelling smoke, you are being exposed so wear your respiratory gear to eliminate smoke exposure. Stay on air and complete a wet soap washdown after exiting the interior of a structure fire to help reduce harmful chemical exposure on your gear by 85%. Keep all contaminated tools and equipment out of the passenger compartment of your fire apparatus, including SCBA’s, PPE, radios, and flashlights.
Stay safe and remember to practice safe decontamination.
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THIS MESSAGE WAS CREATED BY JIMMY BLACKMAN & ASSOCIATES.
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