Sacramento-area first responders train for large-scale natural and human-caused disasters

First responders from across the greater Sacramento region started an intensive disaster response training exercise Wednesday that will last a day and a half. Eighty members of the more than 200-person FEMA Task Force 7, which is composed of civilian and professional first responders from the area, gathered at McClellan Park for an urban search and rescue (USAR) mobilization exercise. The exercise, dubbed “Shake-Ramento,” is “a full-scale test designed to evaluate many aspects of a Type I National USAR deployment to an earthquake and major flooding,” according to the hosting agency, Sacramento Fire Department. At any time, FEMA Task Force 7 members could be called upon to assist after a natural or human-caused disaster.
KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

Tulare County firefighter defending his station at Battle of The Badges

Firefighter Chris Sanchez says his upcoming fight at Battle of The Badges is about more than raising funds for a worthy cause or having his hand raised in the ring. Battle of the Badges is a non-profit boxing organization made up of first responders including law enforcement, firefighters, and military, who box in the ring to raise money for charities. On April 27, the Visalia Convention will host their latest event and commemorate the organization’s 10th anniversary in the Central Valley. Sanchez is a lieutenant with the Tulare County Fire Department and says they may not make a lot of noise, but the area they serve is vast. “We’re a very large county – we’re not a loud department, but if you look at our fire, EMS, and hazmat calls, we’re up there at the top,” Sanchez said.
KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno

Region: Oregon State University collaborates with Karuk Tribe to learn how traditional tribal forest fire controls worked

Oregon State University researchers have teamed with the Karuk Tribe to create a novel computer simulation model that showcases Indigenous fire stewardship’s role in forest ecosystem health. Western scientists and land managers have become increasingly cognizant of cultural burning but its extent and purpose are generally absent from fire modeling research, said Skye Greenler, who led the partnership when she was a graduate research fellow in the OSU College of Forestry. “We developed this project in collaboration with the Karuk Tribe to explore the impact of cultural burning at a landscape scale in a completely new way,” she said. “The information that went into this model is not new at all – it’s been held by Karuk Tribal members for millennia – but we developed new methods to bring the knowledge together and display it in a way that showcases the extent of Indigenous cultural stewardship across this landscape.”
The Corvallis Advocate - Metered Site

Butte County Supervisors approve increasing volunteer firefighters stipend

More money is on the way to retain volunteer firefighters here at home. The Butte County Board of Supervisors approved a stipend increase for volunteer firefighters. That stipend has not changed since 1999. The Butte County Fire Department said that since 1999, its volunteers have received $7.50 per call and $9 per drill. This decision will double the stipend to $15 per call, $20 per half day or dill, or $30 for a full day. District 4 Supervisor and Chair, Tod Kimmelshue, said this is an investment in the volunteers that are vital in helping protect the community. “They get a small amount when they come out to fires, and we increased it a little bit, so it makes it a little more advantageous for those folks to be more involved with the volunteer fire department,” Kimmelshue said.
KNVN-TV NBC 24 Chico

City of San Gabriel to ‘light’ up in red for fallen firefighters

The city of San Gabriel lights up soon, in honor of fallen firefighters. In support of “Light the Night,” San Gabriel’s fire station and the city’s historic Mission Playhouse will light in red. They’ll be paying tribute to the sacrifices of fallen firefirefighters locally and across the nation. “Light the Night” is a national campaign organized by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The tribute — from dawn to dusk — will begin on International Firefighters’ Day, May 1 and continued until May 5, into National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. This year’s national tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Metered Site

Elderly woman treated for smoke inhalation after Carmichael house fire, Sac Metro Fire says

VIDEO: An elderly woman was treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at a Carmichael home on Wednesday morning, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said. Crews arrived at the home in the 6300 block of Rampart Drive just after 7:30 a.m., Parker Wilbourn with Sac Metro Fire said. Heavy fire and smoke was pouring out of the back side of the home, and the fire had gotten into its attic, Wilbourn said. The fire is believed to have started in the backyard. Firefighters helped rescue a 92-year-old woman with mobility issues. “Fortunately, we were able to get in there and make the difference today," Wilbourn said. The woman was taken to a hospital and treated for moderate smoke inhalation. The woman's adult daughter who was also in the home was OK. It was unclear what caused the fire.
KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

Stolen vehicle pursuit in Southern California ends in violent rollover crash, arrest in West Covina

PHOTOS: A stolen vehicle suspect who led authorities in Southern California in a high-speed pursuit before it ended in a violent rollover crash was arrested Tuesday in West Covina. Officers with the La Verne Police Department received word from authorities in Upland that a male suspect and a female passenger in a stolen vehicle were driving in the area of Williams Avenue and Foothill Boulevard at around 4 p.m., LAVPD said in a news release. The driver failed to yield when police attempted a traffic stop and led authorities in a chase onto the westbound 10 Freeway. During the pursuit, the female passenger attempted to exit the vehicle several times but was forcibly pulled back inside by the driver, police said. After some time, the suspect slowed the vehicle enough for the woman to jump out.
KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles