CAL FIRE Gets Ready for New Equipment

Source: CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit/ Tehama County Fire Department Facebook page.
Source: CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit/ Tehama County Fire Department Facebook page.

George Johnston
Red Bluff Daily News, Calif.
(TNS)

RED BLUFF – Cal Fire Chief Monty Smith came to the Tuesday Tehama County Board of Supervisors meeting to discuss his department’s activities in December and a preview of things to come.

In December, the Cal Fire-Tehama County Fire Department responded to 646 calls for service. Responsibility for these calls is typically shared between the 13 volunteer fire stations and the county’s eight additional Cal Fire stations. Smith said these are significant call lines.

The department has 76 active volunteer firefighters in Tehama County, spread out over 13 fire stations, and three prospective volunteers.

The fire marshal’s office conducted 91 inspections for new construction, plot plans, pre-inspections, fire screen clears, ADUs, underground plumbing, ground mount, solar, utility magazine structures and additional inspections. Smith said 71 were inspected, with 24 total violations, 21 without violations, and three clear violations.

He shared that the county and emergency personnel have discussed purchasing five new Type Six fire engines over the past year and a half. Smith said they are working frantically to get those in service. Staff are buying all the equipment to prepare the vehicles for service.

“So those we go in service here in the next few months when we go to Vina, another one in El Camino, Dibble Creek, Corning and Lake California, as well as our two new tactical water tenders that were approved as an agenda item a few years ago,” Smith said.

The two new water tenders will be delivered in the next few months. Personnel will use these vehicles when they go to Vina, while the other tender will be for Diddle Creek. One of the tenders will replace the department’s oldest piece of equipment, which is 47 years old.

“So very exciting times for our volunteers and our fire department to get the new equipment we need to serve all the citizens,” Smith said.

The multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan is on schedule. Cal Fire was tasked with this responsibility a few years ago. The fire agency said the plan was completed by dynamic planning and science with information gathered from Tehama County and municipalities within the county.

It will be presented to everyone on Jan 28th.

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