Page 46 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2017

Russian River Fire: The Russian River Fire Protection District
is accepting applications for Volunteers. Please inquire within for more information or visit our website at www.russianriverfire.org. The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be on April 12th at 6pm at the fire station, 14100 Armstrong Woods Rd. We hope you will consider attending.
Forestville Fire: Pancake Breakfast! Don’t forget to join us on May 7th at the Forestville Fire station for some pancakes, eggs, sausage, co ee, orange juice and milk. The price for adults is $7 and $5 for kids and Seniors. We’ll have t-shirts and sweat shirts for sale, the Fire Safety Trailer, Free Book Mobile for the kids and a ra e with great prizes. We look forward to seeing you there!
Graton Fire: The Graton Fire Board of Directors said thank you this month to the volunteer firefighters for another year of service with our annual awards dinner at the Union Hotel in Occidental. This is the one time each year, when we can relax (because Sebastopol Fire Department provided station coverage) and socialize with our spouses and significant others. We often forget the sacrifices our families and friends make so that we can serve the community... this is a night to thank them as well.
It is also time to recognize those individuals that went above
By Tre Gibbs, LAAS
Spring has arrived, making it a great time to gaze at the celestial show going
and beyond the call of duty – Taylor Marshall was singled out as Firefighter of the Year. After joining the department in 2011, Taylor has
been a tremendous asset to the department. He regularly responds to calls, participating in training both internal and external, completes station projects, and was recently promoted to engineer. Great job!
The swift and mysterious Mercury is the closest planet to The Sun and therefore never strays too far from it. It will only be visible for a very short window of time early this month...but you’ll need a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon to see it. On the evening of the 1st, look low and to
the west about 15 - 20 minutes after sunset. As the the sky dims, Mercury
will begin to appear as a faint but steady “star”, barely visible in the glow of twilight. The crescent moon, super faint Mars and Mercury will all appear in a straight line that night, heading towards the sun, so use them to help you find Mercury – if you need to. On the following nights, the moon will drift further east and Mercury will continue to sink even closer to the horizon, making it more and more difficult to spot each subsequent night as it heads towards the sun.
There are certain people that you can rely on to always be there when you need them. Whether it is leaving work to run calls, handling additional station projects, or running the firefighter association – Lindsay Cruckshank is always going Above and Beyond the Call. This year, we recognize Lindsay for his outstanding service to the department since 2010. Thank you!
Devin McBride received the award for Most Improved Firefighter. In addition to completing our academy in 2015, he also graduated from the SRJC Fire Academy. Devin has been a great help. He continues to take fire classes to improve and is an intern with Gold Ridge Fire. Congratulations!
The mighty planet Jupiter, the largest in our Solar System, is wandering
into our early evening skies this month. During the early part of April, Jupiter rises in the east around the same time the sun sets in the west. So look low in the east just after dark and you should easily see Jupiter – it’s bright, in fact it’s the fourth brightest object in the sky after the Sun, Moon and Venus. On the evening of April 10th, look to the east after sunset and you will see the “Full Pink Moon” and Jupiter rise together, with Jupiter just slightly above and to the right of the moon.
This year’s recipient for Most Improved Trainee goes to Justin McCabe. Joining the department as a trainee, he has quickly become a great asset... We are lucky to have him. Justin currently manages our chain saws – including standardizing them. Thank you for your hard work in training and we look forward to your participation for years to come!
The planet Saturn rises in the east much later – around 2:00 am early in the month and around midnight late in the month. Although by mid summer,
the quintessential ringed gas giant will be high in the south and poised for viewing just after sunset. But remember – it’s so far away that it only appears to us as an insignificant “star”. Yet a glance in even a small powered telescope or pair of binoculars would reveal so much more...
Congratulations to all of the recipients and a BIG thank you to all of our volunteers and their families. We also recognized all firefighters and board directors for their years of service – Those with over 20 years include:
Board Secretary Mario Cesaretti – 21 years Deputy Chief Scott Fisher – 30 years Board President Bob Maddocks – 33 years Engineer Lee Walker – 37 years
The planet Mars is scarcely visible, very low in the west after sunset only for an hour or two, Earth’s orbit is faster than Mars’ and as we keep speeding away from The God of War, it appears to get dimmer and dimmer, while simultaneously getting engulfed by evening twilight’s glow.
Night Sky April 2017
on above our heads every night (weather permitting!). The days are longer and many of us are remaining outdoors later and later, hopefully enjoying the romance of twilight. One planet in particular, rarely escapes this transitional luminance and that planet is Mercury.
2016 Awardees (Left-Right) Firefighter Justin McCabe, Engineer Taylor Marshall, Firefighter Dustin McBride, Firefighter Lindsay Cruckshank, and Fire Chief Bill Bullard
46 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 4/17
AND... as always, use the moon to help you find the planets! On April 10th, the moon rises with Jupiter – just below and slightly to the left. On April 16th at 1:30 am, the moon and Saturn rise together, with small Saturn trailing just below the waning gibbous moon. On the morning of April 23rd, both Venus and the moon travel the sky together, both low on the eastern horizon around 5:45 am. So until next month, KEEP LOOKING UP !
Uranus and Neptune are too far away to see with the unaided eye, so that leaves the planet Venus. Where IS Venus? If you remember, The Goddess of Beauty and Love was exceptionally prominent in the western sky after sunset all through January and February. Now, however, due to her continuing orbit around our nearest star – The Sun, Venus rises low in the east just prior to sunrise. If you’re an early riser, you may spot Venus low in the east around 5:45 am early in the month, and as early as 5:00 am late in the month.