As the first official day of summer comes to a close, firefighters throughout the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District continue to brace for a long and busy summer. With resources in the CCCFPD still stretched dangerously thin, as 7 of their 30 fire companies have been de-staffed or experienced station closures, crews from all over the district were kept hazardously busy.
Shortly before 2 pm (1:44) a grass fire in El Sobrante initially began as a small ¼ acre incident but quickly grew extremely dangerous as the prolonged drought, windy conditions and extremely dry grass caused the fire to quickly grow to almost 15 acres. The path of the fire threatened many homes and a second alarm was called for structure protection.
A Strike Team of 5 fire engines and a Strike Team Leader was requested to the El Sobrante incident for additional structure protection because there were not enough resources within CCCFPD to mitigate both incidents simultaneously. Fire crews from various agencies within Contra Costa County (Richmond, Moraga/Orinda, Pinole, Rodeo-Hercules, and San Ramon Valley) and a Strike Team from Solano County assisted CCCFPD in covering the communities left unprotected by the resources already committed to the growing fire.
In addition to the firefighting efforts, CCCFPD medically treated an elderly homeowner for smoke inhalation.
Six minutes after the fire in El Sobrante began (1:50) a reported structure fire at a home in Pittsburg was dispatched and responding crews reported smoke enroute to the location. Once on scene, the Incident Commander reported smoke from the roof and attic. Crews had difficulty making access to the fire once inside due to extreme fire loading and “hoarding” conditions.
Three additional fire companies were requested to assist crews on-scene and to overhaul the structure to ensure the fire was completely out. Despite that trouble gaining access, fire crews were able to rescue three kittens from the residence and fully extinguish the fire.
These two incidents happened on opposite sides of the County covered by CCCFPD and left all crews scrambling to cover the gaps to maintain the best fire protection possible. Units from Central County (Pleasant Hill, Concord and Pacheco) were spread out to the edges of the District, leading to longer response times on medical emergencies, fire alarms and other hazards, while also leaving depleted units to respond to any other serious incidents that might have occurred.
Though today’s weather had relatively mild humidity for late June and an on-shore breeze to keep temperatures lower than usual, if these two incidents would have occurred later in the fire season, the outcome could have been much worse with even more property destroyed and lives lost.
10 comments
Ooooh noooooo!!!!! Where’s mama cat???!?!!!!!! :*(
I’ve noticed a few bad home fires in the news over the last week. I guess it’s human nature to think “it won’t happen to me”. Unfortunately for everyone, accidents and fires do happen. They are never planned events, but we are not wired to think like that. In my opinion this is why funding adequate service is having so much difficulty. Now throw in the distractions fueled by under educated comments brought on by a few headline grabbers and we have the current situation. The fire districts suffer and ultimately we suffer. To the point, our little district is planning a special tax solely because it lowers the threshold for possible passage. Problematic is how the tax is chartered as a benefit assessment that lacks benefit! There is no doubt in my mind that the district will get successfully sued, the tax will fail and more of our money will be squandered away. This article just reminded me…..The whole situation is pretty fouled up.
Well, if it fails then we have 3 stations in our community and that is the end of it. If it passes and a lawsuit ensues, then there may be 2 stations. Lawsuits tend to be extremely expensive and I don’t believe the district has the money to fight it, if they do, it will use up the funds set aside for staffing stations. Its a losing battle all the way around. People will make their choice and we will all have to live with it. Including the huge increase in our insurance rates. If people would rather pay the insurance companies then our local services then they must be living on a planet I am unfamiliar with.
Like I said, the whole situation is pretty fouled up. What I find disturbing is that the district directors are willing to tempt a lawsuit by attempting a tactic meant to cheat the voters by artificially lowering a threshold that was intended to protect voters. Not cool.
This deceitful behavior has already been exposed and will send the district spiraling even further into debit. If we ultimately end up with two stations as a result, the directors will be to blame.
The situation appears to be getting worse instead of better.
Maybe ECCFPD should be investigating suing the Supervisors for not providing the same level of funding percentage that the central county gets? Given Antioch’s recent sales tax hike that was to increase funding for police that seems to be getting diverted elsewhere, I’m even more certain than I was before that this tax…uh…benefit district…will not pass…no matter how many “the sky is falling” mailers they send out. Going the underhanded method to try and lower the threshold just make this whole thing worse.
Captain,
It doesn’t quite work that way. The amount of money the district receives was set by the passage of Prop 13. In case you aren’t aware that is done by the State, not the County. The current fire district should be thanking the county who built up the financial reserves into the millions before handing the district over. It’s unfortunate but the local control has done little but spend down those reserves while unsuccessfully searching for revenue. They have had plenty of time, but have lacked leadership and vision, all of which has put us where we are today. I agree with you, this latest tax scam will fail. Especially in the way it is being brought forward. A benefit assessment? East county residents are very aware of how the services have eroded and there is no benefit in that. The current board is completely out of touch.
You’re going to sue the sitting Supervisors, a couple of whom were probably in high school at the time, for the funding rates were set in the 1970s?
It’s really a shame that people without an inkling of what they are talking about are allowed to vote.
Supervisors don’t set the funding for ECCFPD. Neither does anyone at the State, for that matter. It’s a formula embedded in law in the 1970s. A law that groups like the Howard Jarvis nuts and Contra Costa Tax Ass. defend to the point of irrational behavior.
They will attempt to save a dollar before they will save a life. That’s pretty much where the rubber meets the road for them and apparently for you too.
Arne says stop whining on the blogs and get out and buy some extra garden hose and a fire extinguisher. You’ll be fine……
It must be nice to know everything.
I cannot find anything beyond some obscure language about Tax Rate Areas. What I recall from is that the areas and percentages were set by the Stupidvisors…could very well be in the 1970’s. I don’t know. In any case, if it was set by the county, the county should be able to change it. I checked and Oakley is at 5.05% while Walnut Creek is at 12.81 percent of property tax dollars going to the fire departments. It might be time to consolidate all of the districts in the county so there’s only one management structure to pay for.
I’ll be sure to vote in November just to annoy you if nothing else since I don’t know near as much as you do.
You should check out Claycord.com…it’s full of people who know everything.
Captain Clueless,
Yes, It is nice to have a base level of common sense. It’s unfortunate that you don’t and that it offends you that I do. Life must be difficult with that chip on your shoulder!
Supervisors don’t set Tax Rate Areas (TRA’s). They actually have nothing to do with the establishment, collection or rates. Its not rocket science. That is more the purview of the elected Auditor/Controller to manage… His name is Bob Campbell and his office is very accessible http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/192/Auditor—Controller. I suggest you invest as just much time talking to him (or a clerk) as you have making your self look foolish here.
It took me .037 seconds to find it via a Google search. So before playing the martyr, step up and put your big boy pants on Captain.
It’s annoying to know with your level of ignorance, you could actually vote.
Thanks for solving the fire department issue with your recommendation of consolidating “all the districts”. For the life of me I can’t believe all of the Supervisors, Fire district commissioners, Fire Chiefs, City Councils and Lafco commissioners out there never thought of that solution. ….And to think you actually were serious? Now that is hilarious. You might want to troll back over to Claycord or Halfway to Concord where ignorance is bliss.
Interesting article. Wonder if there is any news for ECCFPD?
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