Firefighter News - March 2018
Forestville Fire Our new Type 3 Wildland Engine has arrived. This engine will assist with all fires in our district, and serve as the primary engine to access narrow roads where access is limited.
On February 1st Firefighter Charles (Chuck) Franceschi was hired as a full time Driver/Operator with the Department. Chuck has served the Department and our community as volunteer and part-time Firefighter for the last 14 years.
The Fire Association hosts our EASTER EGG HUNT, March 24th at 10am at the Forestville Youth Park. INFO: (707) 887-2212.
Graton Fire YES, respond for fires in clothes dryers... and February was no exception.They are caused by a buildup of lint underneath the drum or in the vent. Every year, more than 16,000 fires are sparked by dryers.That accounts for almost 5% of all house fires! While the lint screen captures most of the lint, smaller particles pass through and build up on the bottom of the dryer... and the dryer duct vent. Most people don’t realize that the area underneath the drum is open to the air flow and lint collects here even faster than it collects in the dryer duct. Over time, enough collects to catch fire due to the heating element... whether gas or electric. Check your owner’s manual about the best way to access this area and clean it out (make sure you unplug the dryer first). Also make sure that the dryer duct vent is cleaned regularly – this will save money as clothes will dry faster.
Russian River Fire Daylight savings begins on March 11 so remember to set your clocks forward. Time changes area a great way to remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Remember, smoke detectors save lives.
The Russian River CERTwill be hosting an informational meeting on March 22nd at 6pm at the fire station.This program is a great opportunity for community members who are not necessarily interesting in being a volunteer firefighter, but still wants to participate in their community. If you have any questions in advance of this meeting, please email russianrivercert@gmail.com
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be on March 14th at 6pm at the fire station. We hope you’ll consider attending.www.russianriverfire.org
Bodega Fire Sunday February 11, we held an appreciation dinner to thank our volunteer firefighters and major community member supporters. Our volunteer firefighters spend countless hours to train and respond to emergencies for no compensation. Our 15 volunteers responded to 188 calls for service in 2017. 45 of those emergencies were in our small community of Bodega. 80 of the calls were to assist Bodega Bay Fire and 32 calls for service were to the community of Valley Ford. The remaining 31 emergencies were to other neighboring towns including spending 2 weeks helping battle the Santa Rosa Fire Storm. Bodega Volunteer Fire has a strong automatic aid working relationship with Bodega Bay Fire and Valley Ford Fire which is important to insure there is adequate emergency response available at all times. We thank our community for helping with fundraisers to continue to maintain our volunteer fire department. We thank our Fire Chief Ron Albini and our Board members for running a successful volunteer fire department without relying on a special tax. For almost 70 years this department has been run on volunteers with the support of fundraisers, donations, voluntary dues, grants and support from Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services. We hope to see you at our next fundraiser- Polenta and Beef Stew Dinner. Saturday March 3rd @ McCaughey Hall in Bodega. Tickets sold at the Door. www.bodegafire.org
2nd Annual “People Helping People” Saturday, April 7, 10 am – 2 pm Graton Fire Department, 3750 Gravenstein Hwy N.
This free, fun, family friendly event will help community members learn how to empower themselves during a disaster.
The Graton Fire Department will be conducting fire extinguisher training, CPR training, and displaying their vehicles.
Address signs, allowing your house to be found faster during an emergency, can be made while you enjoy the festivities.
Families can learn how to escape from a burning building and test their knowledge (and win prizes!) through games. Adults will learn how to safely turn off gas valves, avoid electrical hazards, develop survival strategies, and provide emergency first aid.
There will be information about large animal rescue, search and rescue, ham radio operation, and volunteer opportunities. Everyone will be able to enroll in SoCoAlert or Nixle, the countywide emergency notification systems, and receive a handbook of practical information compiled by the sponsoring groups.
The fair will include booths from sponsoring non-profits and government organizations, such as the Graton and Sebastopol Fire Departments, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services, the Community Disaster Response Team, the American Red Cross, Sonoma West Medical Center, and Palm Drive Healthcare District.
The tagline, “People helping People,” emphasizes how important our communities are in dealing with disaster. Limited parking will be available, so please carpool or use alternative transportation where possible.
