Lakeside Firefighters Visit

Firefighter McKenna demonstrating  the sound of a smoke detector.

Firefighters from Station 3 (Lake Jennings Fire Station) paid a visit to Rios Elementary School today to speak to the children about fire safety. The students from Mrs. Hanna, Mrs Olenick, Mrs Mckimmie and Mrs Otte's classes paid close attention as Firefighter Shawn McKenna talked to them about how to stay safe.

Stop! Drop! and Roll!

Many fire departments regularly participate in public education events for children like this one especially during the month of October which has "Fire Prevention Week".  Today the youngsters learned important lessons about smoke detectors, home evacuation, 911, stop-drop-and-roll, what to do with matches and identifying firefighters as friends even when they look scary dressed in full protective equipment.

Eng. Downing is not so scary when you know he's your friend.

 All eyes were wide with enthusiasm while they looked at fire Engine 3, Medic 3 and all of the equipment carried on each unit. Not only do our firefighters love to visit schools because we like to show off our equipment, we also acknowledge the importance of early exposure to fire safety education.

Children file by Medic-3 and Engine-3

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Submitted by: Chuck Palmore, Lakeside Fire Captain

Lakeside Fire Sends Units to Battle "Great Fire"

Julian-

The Lakeside Fire District has sent three engine companies to the "Great Fire" currently burning in the back country east of the town of Julian.

On October 1st: Lakeside sent Brush 2 (Eucalyptus Hills Station) and Brush 26 (Blossom Valley Station) to the fire as part of a strike team (6440C) from the Central Zone (Heartland). These units initially found themselves in Chariot Canyon with the task of holding the fire east of Julian. This strike team is still currently assigned to the fire.

A photo received this morning from Engine 3 in the Julian area. Fire is very active today. Photo by Engineer Rich Smith.

October 2nd Update: The "Great Fire" was active all night, growing from an estimated 900 acres, to over 1500 acres. At 5am this morning Engine 3 (Lake Jennings Fire Station) was dispatched to the Julian area for structural protection as part of strike team 6441A. Currently Engine 3 is holding structural protection on the eastern edge of Julian. The strike team is being led by Lakeside Battalion Chief Ron Laff.

Smoke from the Great Fire rises above the mountains east of Lakeside.

Fire map as of day shift on 10/2

 October 3rd Update: Both strike teams remain committed to the Great Fire as of this morning. Engine 3 (S/T 6441A) spent the majority of yesterday providing structural protection in the desert near Scissors Crossing. They will continue to provide structural protection today.

Brush 2 and Brush 26 are still assigned to the incident as part of strike team 6440C. After putting in a large hose lay (in extreme terrain) on the first day of the fire, crews will continue with containment efforts.

As of this evening both strike teams have been released and are returning to Heartland.

Pictures from the Strike Team

Smoke from the Great Fire rises above the fire camp in Julian

Looking down the Banner Grade, smoke rises off the top of Granite Mountain

The crew from Engine 3 was stationed in Scissors Crossing on structural protection

Crew evaluates the structures in their area of responsibility.

The members of Heartland Strike Team 6441A

Total of 11 Lakeside personnel are committed to this incident.

Informational Note: The strike team number indicated the geographical location the strike team originated from. Those ending in an "A" indicate structural engines. Those with a "C" ending indicate brush engines. A strike team is five engines with a leader.

Accident Sends Cyclist to Trauma Center

Glenview-

On Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at 2:43 p.m., the Lakeside Fire Protection District received calls reference a motorcyclist down in the intersection of Los Coches Rd and Ora Belle Ln. Both Engine 3 and Medic 3 were dispatched from the Lake Jennings Fire Station.

Firefighter-Paramedic Chris Williams inspects the bike for damage. Specific types of damage can indicate potential injuries to the rider.

Upon arrival, the paramedics initiated rapid trauma treatment and packaging for a single patient with moderate injuries. The rider states he was traveling at 50 mph when he lost control of the bike. Evidence at the scene indicated that he may have also struck a light pole as the bike skidded to a stop.

The patient was transported to the Sharp Memorial Trauma Center for further evaluation of his injuries. The CHP is currently investigating the accident.

Dispatched Lakeside units: E3 M3. Total personnel: 5 

Automatic Aid Response Holds Harbison Canyon Fire to 5 Acres

Harbison Canyon Area-

On Monday, September 19, 2011 at 12:27 p.m., Lakeside firefighters were dispatched to the T.H. Bar Ranch Trail (Harbison Canyon Area) as part of a multi-agency response to a vegetation fire. The initial dispatch included units from Lakeside Fire, CalFire, Alpine Fire, San Miguel Fire, El Cajon Fire,  San Diego County Fire Authority, and Sycuan Fire.

CalFire and Lakeside Firefighters start the hose lay on Division Alpha. This hose lay would prevent the fire from extending down the canyon.

On the arrival of Battalion 7 (Paskle-Alpine Fire, he reported a quarter-acre fire threatening structures and moving up slope. First arriving units were placed on the threatened structures while CalFire and Lakeside units started an extended hose lay in the steep terrain.

Firefighters navigate the hose lay through a maze of boulders.

Steep terrain hampered firefighters ability to advance the hose line.

With the arrival of the aircraft, drops were made to cut off the fire's advance toward the structures in the area. The CalFire S-2 airtankers made precision drops in the deep canyon while County Copters 10 and 12 worked the flanks keeping the fire in check while ground crews slowly advanced through the thick ground cover.

One of the County Copters making a water drop.

Fixed wing aircraft making drops over the fire.

With persistent effort, the crews were eventually able to surround the fire and stop its forward progress. Unfortunately a firefighter suffered an injury when a large rock rolled off the steep hillside striking him as he worked.

A total of 7 Lakeside Fire personnel responded to the incident. Crews were released around 4:20 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation by CalFire.

Dispatched Lakeside Fire units: BR26 E3

Photos and Story By: Captain Mark Grow, Lakeside Fire District

Lakeside Firefighters Assist in Paraglider Rescue

El Monte - 

Lakeside firefighters were called to the El Monte Valley on the afternoon of Sunday, September 18, 2011, after several citizens at El Monte County Park witnessed a paraglider make a crash landing on the face of El Cajon Mountain. While enroute the area, Lakeside Battalion 1 (Lawler) requested aerial assistance from  the San Diego County Sheriff's helicopter program. Responding fire crews staged at El Monte Park and, with the assistance of several citizens, were able to visualize the injured paraglider pilot high-up on the face of the mountain. County Copter 10 responded from Gillespie Field in El Cajon and quickly made contact with the victim who had suffered traumatic injuries. The Copter 10 crew performed a hoist rescue and delivered the patient to waiting firefighter/paramedics at the park. The injured pilot was transported to Sharp Memorial Trauma Center in San Diego.

Lakeside units attending this incident included: E1, E2, R3, M3, and B1.

Story submitted by: Captain Scott Culkin, Lakeside Fire District

Vegetation Fire Extends into Structure

Glenview-

On Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 8:51 a.m., the Lakeside Fire District received calls reference a vegetation fire in the 13200 blk of Aurora Dr. Callers reported that the fire had extended into a patio area and was threatening structures.

Reserve Firefighter David Csik extends an attack line to the still smoldering deck area.

On the arrival of Battalion 1 (Laff), he discovered a small brush fire that had extended into the deck area of an adjoining structure. Fortunately local residents armed with garden hoses were able to keep the fire from extending further into the structure. Upon the arrival of Engine 3 (Lake Jennings Station), a hoseline was pulled and the area was overhauled.

Damage to the deck area from this small fire was significant

A point to remember: Even though this is a small area, it doesn't take much to suffer structural damage when clearance (green zone) is inadequate

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Approximately $1000 of structural damage occurred.

Dispatched Lakeside Fire units: E3, E1, E2, B1, M1; San Miguel unit: B23;CalFire unit: E3382

Submitted By: Fire Captain Mark Grow, Lakeside Fire District

Kitchen Fire Brings Multi-Agency Response to Lakeside

Los Coches - 

An early afternoon kitchen fire brought firefighters from several agencies to Lakeside on September 16, 2011. Heartland Fire Communications received a 911 call from a resident of the home in the 13200 block of Aurora Drive at 2:40 p.m. Heartland dispatchers promptly alerted the closest fire stations. Firefighters from Lakeside's Lake Jennings fire station (fs3) were first on scene reporting light smoke from a single family home. As firefighters were stretching a hoseline to attack the fire, the smoke became much heavier and fire was observed burning in the kitchen. The attack line was advanced into the smoky structure and the fire was quickly knocked down.

Units assigned to this incident included: E1, E3, M3, B1 (Lakeside); E8, T6 (El Cajon); E19 (San Miguel).

This call demonstrates the excellent teamwork that occurs between the 911 dispatchers and the fire crews that they assign to emergency responses. On this incident, the first-in fire engine (Engine 3) was on the scene and taking action to stop a dangerous and rapidly growing fire in just over seven minutes from the time the 911 call was answered at Heartland Fire Communications. 

Firefighters make entry with hoseline.

Bringing in tools for overhaul

Story Submitted by: Captain Scott Culkin, Lakeside Fire District
Photos by: Alex Peltier, Paramedic Intern

Lakeside Firefighters Extinguish Brake Fire

Los Coches -

Firefighters from Lakeside's Lake Jennings fire station (fs3) attended a brake fire on a semi-tractor trailer rig on westbound I-8 near Los Coches road on Saturday, September 10, 2011. The crew from Engine 3 could smell the hot brakes as they left quarters enroute the fire scene. Several passers-by were attempting to extinguish the fire with dry chemical fire extinguishers as Engine 3 arrived on scene. While firefighters were setting-up to attack the fire, one of the tires blew which always makes these calls more interesting. The fire was quickly extinguished with a preconnected hoseline. Engine 3's firefighters used their thermal imaging camera to identify remaining hot areas and spent several minutes making sure the brakes and tires were cooled-off before picking-up. Lakeside firefighters respond to several of these types of fires every year, especially on the section of  Interstate 8 that traverses our fire district.

Reserve firefighter Kyle Zauss cools off the rims and tires as Firefighter-paramedic Eric Stamm assists.

Story and Photo Submitted by: Captain Scott Culkin, Lakeside Fire District