Page 48 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2018

With a few safety tips, you can prevent these accidents.
• Before setting up the campfire, be sure it is permitted. Check with your local fire department.
• If “fire weather” exists (hot, dry and windy), please refrain from outdoor activities near dry grass and brush.
• If campfires are permitted, they need to be at least 25 feet away from any structure and anything that can burn.
If you have any questions regarding mowing or weed abatement, please contact your local fire department.
• Clear away dry leaves and sticks, overha nging low branches and shrubs.
• Avoid burning on windy, dry days. It is easier for open burning to spread out
of control when it is windy and dry.
• Watch children while the fire is burning. Never let children or pets play or
Goldridge Fire:
Wrong Tool For The Job
On June 29th at approximately
noon, Gold Ridge Fire District was
dispatched to a reported vegetation
fire in our Station 2 and 3 response
area. The first arriving units found
approximately a 1⁄4 acre fire in freshly
mowed weeds. The first two arriving
units were able to extinguish the fire
and keep it to the 1⁄4 acre with the
only other resulting property damage being the riding lawn tractor as seen in the picture. A person was mowing their weeds with the above pictured lawn tractor when some of the weeds became lodged in the engine igniting those weeds. The fire then spread to the nearby vegetation and consumed the riding lawn mower. There were no injuries as a result of the incident.
• When mowing weeds, please make sure you are using the right “tool” for the job. A weedeater or high weed mower is the appropriate tool for mowing “high weeds”, not a lawn tractor or lawnmower.
FIRE TRUCK ACCESS - During emergencies fire trucks must have clear access to fires. Parked cars that obstruct access can be ticketed or removed. We are having serious problems in neighborhoods close
to the Russian River with cars blocking access while visiting beaches. Any obstructions can delay or even prevent adequate emergency operations. The delay could cost someone’s life.
How much room is needs for fire truck passage? 14 feet wide minimum - but 20 feet is preferable. If a fire truck needs to follow a curve or corner, it must have at minimum of 25 feet.
Thanks to Sebastopol Fire Department for the following important camp fire safety message:
• When mowing weeds, please make sure you have an extinguisher and or hand tools in close proximity to control any type of small fire that may start as a result of mowing.
Sitting under the stars by a crackling fire has its appeal. It’s where stories are told, sing-a-longs happen, and meals are cooked over an open flame. Campfires bring family and friends together. But campfire mishaps can cause injuries.
• When mowing, please ensure that all activity is done early in the morning and completed before 10am.
Things to remember:
stand too close to the fire.
• Attend to the campfire at all times. A campfire left alone for only a few
minutes can grow into a damaging fire.
• Keep a campfire small which is easier to control.
• Never use gasoline or other flammable or combustible liquids.
• Always have a hose, bucket of water, or shovel and dirt or sand nearby to put
out the fire. Make sure to put it completely out before leaving the site.
• If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll. Stop, drop to the ground and
cover your face with you r hands. Roll over and over or back and forth until
the fire is out.
• Treat a burn right away. Cool the burn with cool water for 3 to 5 minutes.
Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Get medical help if needed.
• If roasting marshmallows, help young children. Never shake a roasting
marshmallow. It can turn into a flying, flaming ball. A heated metal skewer
can cause burns.
• Attend to the campfire at all times. A campfire left alone for only a few
minutes can grow into a damaging fire.
Forestville Fire: We have a few personnel changes this month. Dave Franceschi has been promoted from Assistant Chief to Chief after 44 years
with the department. Michael Franceschi has been promoted from Engineer
to Captain after 14 years of service, and after 8 years serving as a part time Firefighter and volunteer Spencer Hanson has been hired as a Driver/operator.
Forestville sent a fully-staffed engine to assist at the Pawnee Fire in Lake County for a week this month, and then spent another week at the Klamathon Fire in Siskiyou County.
Graton Fire: Burn Ban The Sonoma County Fire Marshal and CAL FIRE have enacted the burn ban. This is due to the increasing danger of wildland fires. Sonoma County firefighters are deploying to other counties to help fight massive fires... let’s hope we can be fire safe here at home.
All backyard burning must stop until the fire marshal believes
the threat is less severe (after 2-3” of rain). Call or visit your local firehouse (in Graton, that is 823-8400 x105 or look at the map outside our front door to find out). At that time, the Air Quality Management Districts will resume authority and you will need to follow their burning permit/notification process (forms available in front of the Graton firehouse).
48 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 8/18