By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Tracy Emblem

September 28, 2009 5:40 p.m. (Escondido) -- A brush fire reported at 5:05 p.m. today at Bear Valley Parkway and San Pasqual Road has burned three to four acres, CAL-FIRE spokesperson Denise Kessel informed East County Magazine.

According to Incident Reporting Network, homes are in danger and air support was requested by Escondido Fire.

State Fire Experts Urge Adoption of Emergency Response Initiative (ERI) 

By Miriam Raftery

September 23, 2009 (San Diego) - With major wildfires burning in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and red flag warnings locally due to high fire danger, State Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) chaired a joint legislative committee hearing on emergency management in San Diego today. Fire chiefs and legislators presented grim warnings that California’s fire and emergency preparedness has been stretched too thin by budget cuts, placing area residents in jeopardy. Here are a few samples of the dire concerns raised:

”It’s October. The winds are kicking up, and we are really challenged…There are blackouts, brownouts, and reduced strike teams.“ – San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarmon

“Our members, they’ve all said that constraints of the budgets at state and county levels are wearing our firefighters out.” – Lou Paulson, President, California Professional Firefighers

“The system is stressed…There is zero margin for error…50 engines have dropped off the grid since the Cedar Fire…San Francisco ran out of engines. There are brownouts and blackouts at fire districts around the state…We handled the Station Fire in Los Angeles because it was the only fire…Heaven forbid if we had had three or four fires in Southern California and they were wind-driven.” – Chief Sheldon Gilbert, Co-Chair, Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force and Fire Chief, Alameda County

“Our fire prevention budget is shamefully low..Firefighting costs have increased 100% in the last five years…I want to see more put in at the front end.” – Senator Christine Kehoe

The Burn Institute Senior Smoke Alarm Program is for people 55 and over who own their own homes. All smoke alarms, batteries and maintenance direction are provided by The Burn Institute for the program – free of charge.

If a senior is a renter, The Burns Institute will, at the renter’s request, call the owner on behalf of the renter to advocate and let the landlord know that it is his or her legal responsibility to maintain all smoke alarm equipment.

September 21, 2009 (San Diego) – The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning cautioning Southern California residents of “explosive fire growth potential” due to a combination of strong winds and low humidity, which will be in effect from 9 a.m. Tuesday through 9 p.m. Thursday due to gusty winds and low humidity. The red flag warning includes inland, mountain and desert areas in San Diego's East County.

 HOMES BURN, EVACUATION CENTERS OPEN IN TEMECULA AS FIRE SWELLS TO 348 ACRES

September 16, 2009 (San Diego)—A fire that began early this evening has been contained at a half acre near Doane Pond on Palomar Mountain. Nine engines, four crews, three helicopters, two air tankers and tha Martin Mars were dispatched initially.

As of 10:30 p.m., a single engine remains at the scene for the night, the U.S. Forest Service has confirmed.
 

On September 12, 2009, the San Miguel Fire District will host our 4th Annual “Safe and Sound” Fire Expo. The event will be held at the Rancho San Diego Towne Center/YMCA, 2891 Jamacha Rd. El Cajon 92019, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

September 9, 2009 (San Diego)--Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) urged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to collaborate with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and other stakeholders in developing a long-term distributed generation strategy to reduce the risk of wildfire and provide safe power generation in case of emergencies.

September 7, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--Fire destroys hundreds of homes each year in California and often burns thousands of acres of land. If your property was damaged by fire, the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) is pleased to offer some recommendations to help your landscape recover and to help protect your property.

September 4, 2009 – A fire on the south side of Highway 94 and the Border Patrol checkpoint at Sycamore Canyon has been contained at 40 acres, CAL-FIRE spokesperson Roxanne Provaznik reports. Full control of the Checkpoint Fire is projected for 5 p.m. today.

by Richard W. Halsey

Second Edition, Revised and Updated
Sunbelt Publications, San Diego. 2008. 232 pages, illustrated, color plates.

Reviewed by Walter Hall

“The Viejas fire in ’01, the Galivan fire in ’02, and then again during the Cedar fire in ’03. It’s always the same damn thing.” -- A weary incident commander back on the fire line

August 30, 2009 (Ramona) - A five-acre brush fire off Steffy Road near Wilson Road in the Ramona area has been contained shortly after it began, CAL-FIRE reports.   CAL-FIRE dispatched 12 engines, 2 fire crews, 1 bulldozer, 2 airtankers, 2 helicopter, 2 water tenders, and 2 chief officers for a total of approximately 100 fire fighters.

OFFICIALCITE FIRE DANGER, DEPLOYMENT OF LOCAL FIREFIGHTING RESOURCES TO BATTLE BLAZES ELSEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA

August 13, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) –East County Magazine (www.eastcountymagazine.org) and Viejas Fire Department announce a partnership to improve wildfire and emergency notification for all San Diego County residents.