Fire Brigade News
I’m going to start my article with something completely non-fire related. I think we need a new sign. I know we all don’t like to look at signs on Highway One, (like why do we need yet another 35 MPH sign at the Bull Pen when there is one about 500 feet away from it already). Anyhow, I was heading north the other day and there walking in the road by the St. Parks sewer plant, was a mother turkey, I assumed she was the Mom, and 6 or 7 of the cutest little fuzzy chicks you ever did see. She was casually herding them across, oblivious to the cars speeding, yes we all speed, down the road. I stopped and turned on my rear yellow hazard light, to give a heads up to drivers behind me, and watched them as they made it safely across the highway. So I believe if they can have a pig crossing sign at the artichoke fields we can have a turkey crossing sign at the straight away just north of the St. Park entrance. Please watch out for these little guys and slow down there and any other place we usually have the turkeys.
OK, on with fire stuff, by the time you read this BURN SEASON HAS ENDED!!! No more burning until December. Santa Cruz ended their burn season early due to the already high fire hazard. Judging from the number of calls I got in the last 5 months a lot of you got some good clearing done. Remember you can still chip or haul away brush if you want to continue to clear. Please be careful if you are running equipment like chain saws or weed eaters, they have been known to cause a number of fires. It is good practice to limit their use to before 11:00 in the morning before the heat of the day.
And this segues right on into my next topic of the fire we had already. The was the first of the season, and way too early to be having one. It started down near Dolan Ck and was apparently caused by sparks from a metal rim being pulled along the highway, it was 8 acres before it was over. It was our usual steep hillside it was going up and heading towards homes above it. This happened on the 16th and we had our volunteers respond along with USFS, Cal Fire, Carmel Highlands, Hunter Liggett, Gabilan hand crews, Sheriffs deputies, a helicopter from the Sheriffs department, a helicopter from Santa Barbara Fire and one engine started from Carmel Fire then cancelled. There were evacuations being made and during them a SUV rolled over on the road, blocking access to the area for firefighters to get in as well as for other people trying to evacuate. It could have been a huge disaster, fortunately firefighters got on it quickly and stopped the spread. Highway One also had to be closed as all the engines, personnel and hose were working in the highway. Our new water tender made its maiden voyage to the fire and performed beautifully!
Speaking of the water tender, I promised a little summary of our trip back east to get it. (As Jaci is waiting impatiently for my article, I’ll make it brief.) Jess went back ahead of me to Kentucky, had to stay an extra day there, due to it not quite being ready. He picked me up at the airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, (I have to tell you, not everyone gets picked up at an airport in a water tender, we got the thumbs up from some of the guys). Anyhow, headed to Hot Springs, stayed there a day and a half, ate at all our favorite places like Stubbies and McClards, (I call it McLards, and it is one of President Clintons favorite places to eat). Left the next day, stopped at Burls smokehouse for a smoked ham sandwich for lunch on the road and a cinnamon roll the size of a dinner plate. Made it to Amarillo, Texas the first night, Flagstaff the second night and did a long 15 hour drive to make it home the third day. Now this is all at the blistering speed of 57 MPH. That is what the tender’s speed was set at. While it seemed like it took forever, when you looked back at the map at the end of the day we actually made good progress. Although not a lot of leg room the tender was great to drive and I have a new respect for all the truckers out there.
Our First Responder class is finally over, everyone passed with flying colors! Brigade members that finished it were, Margaret Grahame-Doyle, Ashley Seefeldt, Steve Weintz, T.S. O’Grady, Carl Swanson, Laura Zarcone, John Handy, Thomas Varner and J.C. Corley. Congratulations! We also picked up 2 new probationary members from the class, Anne Roemer and Corin Maxwell and had several other community members complete it.
We have the Marathon coming up this Sunday and Wildland Fire school in June, always something to do.
Lastly please, everyone come to our 2nd annual Benefit BBQ on May 17th. See the flyer in the Round Up for further details. You can ogle our beautiful new tender and as far as we know we should have the two smaller engines in by then. Jess and Christian are going on this trip, I just can’t do it all….
Martha Karstens, Administrator