Rescue on Ashwood Street

Lakeside-

On Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at 4:52 p.m., the Lakeside Fire Protection District received calls reference a traffic collision in the 10400 block of Ashwood Street. One structural pumper, one rescue company, and an ALS medic unit were dispatched to the scene. Enroute to the incident, additional information was received that one of the cars was overturned and the driver was trapped. The call was upgraded to a "rescue response" which brought a response from 4106 (Division Chief Kirkpatrick).

Firefighter-Paramedic Chris Williams works in the interior of the vehicle.

On the arrival of Engine 2 (Riverpark Fire Station), firefighters discovered a female occupant trapped in her badly damaged sedan. The crew accessed the vehicle and initiated medical care to the sole occupant. On the arrival of Rescue 3 and Medic 3 (Lake Jennings Fire Station), the car was stabilized and the process of disentanglement began.

As firefighters started with their initial plan, the patient complained that she was having additional pain with the movement of the car. Crews switched gears and elected to remove the back door and the back of the seat that she occupied. Crews were able to remove the victim with this procedure. New hydraulic rescue cutters, recently purchased with a grant, were used to cut through "new technology metals."

Firefighter-paramedics assessed the victim and determined that her injuries would require evaluation at Sharp Memorial Trauma Center. The patient was transported via Lakeside Medic 3.

The CHP is currently investigating the accident. A total of 9 Lakeside Fire personnel responded to the incident.

Submitted By: Fire Captain Mark Grow, Lakeside Fire Protection District
Photos By: Fire Captain Rick Dalldorf, Lakeside Fire Protection District

Lakeside Fire Department Promotes a Captain and Engineer

Lakeside:

At the Lakeside Fire Protection District Board Meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, Lakeside had a badge pinning ceremony for the department's two most recent promotions.  The district has recently promoted Engineer Ian Lowe to the position of fire captain and Firefighter/Paramedic Lance Buford to the position of engineer.  In the ceremony Fire Chief Andrew Parr, in front of a large crowd of citizens in attendance at the board meeting, gave some history on the positions Ian and Lance were being promoted into and what it takes to fill these positions.  

From left to right: Engineer Buford, Captain Lowe, Fire Chief  Parr

Captain Lowe joined the Lakeside Fire Protection District on November 6, 2000, as a firefighter/paramedic and was promoted to engineer in June of 2008.  During his 11.5 years with the department Ian has been involved in many projects including overseeing the the annual public open house .

Captain Lowe with his family

With his new role, Captain Lowe will be taking over the position of training captain for the department.  He is already hard at work sculpting future fire recruit candidates at the 22nd Heartland Fire Academy where he is one of the four lead instructors and acting as the Lakeside Fire training representative.  Captain Lowe is now assigned to station 1 on B-Division.

Engineer Buford was hired by Lakeside on March 30, 2002 also as a firefighter / paramedic.  He has spent the past 9 years working on both the engines and the ambulances in the district.  Lance holds the reputation of being one of the finest chefs on the department so it is not uncommon that when not performing his duties he creating something in the kitchen that is sure to put the rest of our dinner creations to shame.

Engineer Buford with his family and newest member of the Lakeside Fire family

In addition to his new role of fire engineer, Lance and his wife Melissa have  recently had their first child, something Lance is sure to find involves more wake-ups than the medic unit.  Engineer Buford is now assigned to Station 3 on C-Division, which is a great challenge for an engineer because of the variety of apparatus housed at Station 3.

Promotions within the Lakeside Fire protection District represent much more than time served.  On a department such as Lakeside, which has limited promotions due to the size of the district (4 stations),  promotions are filled based on a list that is established through a testing process.  These promotional tests occur once every two years for each position and have established minimum requirements to take the test based on the position the candidates are testing for.  With the high-driven nature of the firefighters of the Lakeside Fire Protection District, promotional exams are highly competitive affairs with crews studying and preparing for up to a year in advance of the test date.  The tests, though different for each position, entail written, manipulative, and interview components and take several days to complete.  Both Ian and Lance have demonstrated that they possess the skills and knowledge necessary to not only fill their positions but excel in them.  The Lakeside Fire Protection District is happy to have Captain Lowe and Engineer Buford here in Lakeside to serve the citizens of the district.

Photo and Story submitted by:  Captain/Paramedic Bernie Molloy

Morning Rollover on Hwy 67

Lakeside, CA -

On the morning of March 1, 2012, Lakeside Firefighters were dispatched to a rescue traffic collision on southbound Hwy 67 just north of Slaughter House Canyon Road with reports of a trapped victim.  When Engine 2 and M2, from the Riverpark fire station, arrived on scene they found the driver had extricated himself out of the vehicle and only had minor injuries.  This incident was located on a high- speed blind corner; because of this hazard, Lakeside Engine 1 from the Riverview fire station was used up the road to help control the southbound traffic that was traveling rapidly through the accident scene.  In precarious locations such as this, preventing another traffic accident from happening in the same location while firefighters are working is of paramount importance to protect the first responders as well as the patients they are working on.

The vehicle after it was moved to its wheels by the tow truck.

As can be seen in the photos, this accident occurred on the same curve on Hwy 67 as that the accident the day before  in the north bound lanes.  This corner is extremely slick in wet weather conditions so we caution drivers to exercise extreme caution when traveling this section of Hwy 67 on rainy days.  The driver of the vehicle was not transported to a hospital, the cause of the accident is under investigation by CHP.

Damage to the front of the vehicle

Story and photos by: Captain / Paramedic Bernie Molloy