CONFIRE to Launch Traffic Safety Unit, Report Out on Wildland Fire Preparedness

On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors will receive an update from the Fire District along with a report on wildland fire preparedness.

The Board of Supervisors, who act as the governing board of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, will receive two reports (Items D.2 and D.3). The first is a status summary for ongoing fire district activities and initiatives. The second, a status report on Wildland Fire Preparedness.

At the meeting, the report includes a new Traffic Safety Unit after multiple fire trucks have been hit during emergency scenes on the freeways. The District has retrofitted a 23 year old surplus fire engine into a specialized traffic safety unit designed to provide effective “blocking” of an emergency scene.

The unit is equipped with a Scorpion truck mounted attenuator on the rear of the apparatus to absorb the impact of a collision, multiple lighting systems to prominently identify the apparatus, an overhead LED message board that can be programmed to alert drivers, an illuminated directional arrow on the rear of the unit, and a supply of traffic cones and other warning devices to alert drivers of the incident.

CONFIRE says this is the first of what may be several traffic safety units to be deployed throughout the District in areas where collisions have been occurring. They plan to deploy the unit in February and will use this prototype and the subsequent months of its initial use to shape the future of the program.

Report Tidbits:

LA Fires – As of January 15, the District had two engines and one water tender deployed. There were also multiple individual positions sent to support these incidents including one fire dispatcher, three public information officers, and two urban search and rescue team members. There were a total of 16 members deployed to these fires.

Wildland Battalion Chief: The District filled a vacant Battalion Chief position effective on January 1 in the dedicated role as the District’s Wildland Fire Program Chief. Chief Tom Zurflueh will fill this new dedicated 40-hour position where he will be responsible for the direction and leadership of the various mitigation and operational programs related to wildland fire.

New Water Rescue Deployment: Water rescue capability will be implemented at Fire Station 14 in Martinez in early February. The rescue boats will be housed at Fire Station 14 and deployed from a trailer at the marina when a water rescue call is received in that area. The two Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRB) are powered by a 30HP outboard motor. There is an additional flood evacuation raft for use in transporting victims of flood out of the inundated area. The tow vehicle and trailer were purchased with a grant. This complements the water rescue capability in Pittsburg, Antioch, Bethel Island, and Discovery Bay.

Fleet Renewal: With the deployment of several new engines in November the District reached a significant milestone. The District now has 100% of our frontline Type I engines and ladder trucks at 10 years of age or less. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard for frontline service is 10 years and many agencies are not able to achieve compliance with this standard

Fire Station 90 (Brentwood): The real estate transaction has concluded and we have initiated the CEQA processes for the project. The architect is reutilizing the site plan and station layout from the previous location to determine the needs of the District in coordination with the County.

Fire Station 94 (Downtown Brentwood): The project is anticipated to be heard by the Brentwood Planning Commission in mid-February.

Fire Station 9 (Pacheco): Work continues on the design and layout of the station on the site. Staff is working to identify a temporary fire station site that will be needed during construction for approximately 24 months.

Wildland Preparedness

This is a 22 slide PowerPoint presentation which highlights the wildfire preparedness program which one of the slides offers information on programs available which include: