Here’s the latest news from San Francisco Firefighters Local 798…
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Video courtesy of @citizenappsf |
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Bayview District House Fire In San Francisco Leaves One Dead
One person died Sunday evening in a one-alarm house fire near Candlestick Point in southern San Francisco, the San Francisco Fire Department reported. The fire was reported at 5:43 p.m. Sunday in a single-family home at 1160 Fitzgerald Ave. in the city’s Bayview District. Firefighters were told a person had been trapped in the rear of the house; that person later died, said SFFD Lt. Jonathan Baxter said.
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The San Francisco Fire Department deployed 56 personnel and 14 units to the California wildfires. Local 798 is so proud of all of our Firefighters who are providing mutual aid in the fires surrounding the Bay Area. Our thoughts are also with our own members who have been burned out of their homes and displaced.
'Disaster inside a disaster': California wildfires and COVID-19 form twin crises
The California LNU Lightning Complex fire has charred more than 350,000 acres, destroyed more than 900 structures, claimed the lives of at least five people and forced thousands more to flee their homes as it rampages in all directions. But the destructive walls of flames — spanning parts of normally lush Sonoma, Lake and Napa wine counties, north of San Francisco — are not the only crisis in this fragile region. "We've had a four-fer, with COVID, a heat wave, wildfires and the threat of rolling power outages," Janet Upton, a spokeswoman for Napa County and a former deputy director of Cal Fire, said.
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California Fire Map & Tracker
This interactive map developed in The San Francisco Chronicle newsroom provides information on wildfires burning across California.
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Study finds high levels of cancer-causing chemicals in California firefighters' blood: "I couldn't help but think about 9/11"
Firefighters in northern California say they are gaining control over historic, deadly wildfires that have burned more than one million acres. However, researchers and former firefighters working on a new study fear the responders battling the blazes are in danger of suffering unprecedented long-term damage, as the wildfires destroy over 1,400 homes and businesses. "Something has to be done about it now," retired Captain Tony Stefani told CBS News' Carter Evans. Stefani, a 28-year veteran of the San Francisco Fire Department, started the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation after he himself was diagnosed with kidney cancer. The group funds research to study the link between firefighters' exposure to toxins and cancer.
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Invest In Your Safety Now
As City leaders deliberate the budget for Fiscal Years 2020-21 and 2021-22, it is critical to continue providing first-class service and unparalleled patient care. Please take a minute to visit our website and find out how you can Take Action.
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Local 798 Presents “The Future of the SFFD: We Are in This Together”
San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 is honored to present “The Future of the SFFD: We Are in This Together.” In 2019, San Francisco Firefighters and Paramedics responded to nearly 154,000 emergency calls for service – the highest annual call volume in the history of our Department. Thus far, 2020 has been defined by the global COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests, impacting every aspect of our lives, including our work and how we go about protecting ourselves, our families, and the people of San Francisco. During these challenging times, we continue to respond to structure fires, emergency medical calls, and potentially catastrophic incidents, like the four-alarm fire at Pier 45. These recent events underscore the need to secure funding and resources to support the work of our Firefighters serving on the front lines.
Local 798 has been an integral part of the fabric of the City of San Francisco and we care about our collective future.
We hope that this publication illustrates the critical needs of our brave Firefighters and Paramedics who are asked to do more than ever in dangerous and difficult conditions. We stand ready to save lives and property at a moment’s notice because we love San Francisco and are privileged to serve its residents. Click HERE to view the publication.
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Photo courtesy of the SFFD |
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3 teenagers saved from drowning, among others rescued during busy Ocean Beach weekend
San Francisco Fire Department and National Park Service ocean rescue staff saw an increase in calls this weekend as people flocked to Ocean Beach to beat the heatwave. On Friday, two adults were rescued near the Great Highway and Taraval Street and assisted by rescue units. On the same afternoon, a 22-year-old man was rescued near the Great Highway and Quintara Street. On Saturday afternoon, three teenagers in danger of drowning were saved by seven rescue swimmers, a Coast Guard helicopter and rescue boat. One of the teenagers required CPR, but all three survived, officials said. Later that day, rescue units responded to a beachgoer reporting a broken leg. Another person was rescued and taken to the trauma center after getting injured on the cliff near the USS San Francisco Memorial.
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Video courtesy of Citizen |
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Brush Fires Cause Parts Of Highway 101 To Close
Near 3241 San Bruno Avenue in Visitacion Valley, a 2-alarm brush fire broke was reported around 1:28 p.m., the San Francisco Fire Department indicated via Twitter. The SFFD arrived on the scene around 1:30 p.m. and halted forward progression of the fire by 2 p.m. with no injuries reported. Video uploaded to the Citizen crime alert app taken by a car passenger passing along Highway 101 captured some of the fire engulfing the side of the highway. Clouds of grey smoke rolled toward the sky from burning brush.
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Two prominent Panhandle trees collapse in unrelated incidents
In just over a week, two large, prominent trees in and near the Panhandle Park have fallen in seemingly random occurrences — one of which required firefighters to free a trapped person from their destroyed car. The first tree, a large Monterey cypress, fell into the Panhandle at the corner of Masonic and Oak last week. Officials believe that its root system gave way. About one in three Monterey cypresses, which feature prominently in the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park, expire due to root failure, according to a 2014 study.
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Crisis response teams to respond to non-criminal calls in San Francisco
Mayor London Breed on Tuesday announced the creation of a pilot program that will provide a team of non-law enforcement to respond to behavioral health emergencies in San Francisco. Each Street Crisis Response Team – a collaboration between the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Fire Department – will include a community paramedic from the San Francisco Fire Department, a behavioral health clinician, and a behavioral health peer from the Department of Public Health. The teams will be dispatched to address calls for service by both 911 and 311 call centers. Additionally, individuals can be connected to additional services and would be supported by DPH to use these services.
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Mental-health crisis teams could replace police response
San Francisco plans to launch new emergency response teams as early as this fall to respond to those having a mental health crisis instead of relying on police officers. The six teams — four to launch this fall, and the other two by March 2021 — could potentially handle an estimated 20,000 calls for people in mental health distress currently responded to by police officers. Officers respond to about 300,000 total calls for service each year.
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Coronavirus Map: Tracking COVID-19 cases across California
Track the spread of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area and California and get live updates with The San Francisco Chronicle's exclusive map, the only comprehensive case tracker for the region.
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Gov. Newsom discusses CA wildfires, heat wave, COVID-19 after declaring state of emergency
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency due to fires raging across the state. His announcement comes amid a scorching heat wave that has helped spark and spread multiple large blazes, including in Napa, Nevada and Monterey counties, and put a severe strain on the state's power grid, causing California's first rolling blackouts in 19 years.
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Wildfires Across Northern California Devastate Farmers and Farmland
On Tuesday night, Judith Redmond was alarmed by the thick brown smoke that clouded the air as she drove the 75 miles back from the Berkeley farmers’ market to Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley. By Wednesday morning, she woke up to the ridge surrounding the valley engulfed by an inferno—part of what has become known as LNU Lightning Complex Fires—creeping dangerously close to the valley floor. Weathered by the 2018 County Fire, Redmond began to think logistics: how would she ensure the safety of her workers and neighbors with health conditions and animals that need to be moved?
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Historic California wildfires leave 7 people dead, more than 1 million acres burned
California continues to be ravaged by hundreds of wildfires, including two of the largest blazes in its history. At least seven people have died, and more than 1.2 million acres have burned, which is a combined area almost the size of the Grand Canyon. The fires have displaced nearly 200,000 Californians. Nearly 1.5 million acres are in the firefighting lines, and some attacks can only be done by air due to rugged terrain. The largest of the wildfires, dubbed the LNU Lightning Complex fire, is burning in the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano.
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What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag — With COVID-19 in Mind
Fire season is officially here — and it’s clear the pandemic poses unique challenges for first responders, emergency managers and evacuees going to socially distant evacuation centers. "We have to have it in our minds that grouping people together and shoving them off in a hurry to one location might present an equal, if not greater life-threatening risk," L. Vance Taylor, part of the executive team for the California governor's Office of Emergency Services, told KQED.
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How to support California wildfire victims
California is currently fighting 17 large wildfires — and while San Francisco and Oakland are primarily experiencing their effects via unhealthy air quality, residents of the larger area are in dire need of support. According to Cal Fire, seven people have lost their lives in the fires, and about 1,500 structures have been damaged or destroyed. The best way to help those affected by the fires is to donate money to the disaster relief funds of the American Red Cross, the California Community Foundation or the Latino Community Foundation. You can also donate to affected families directly. GoFundMe has launched a site with hundreds of families seeking relief after losing their homes.
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Bill to Establish Presumptive Benefit for COVID-19 is Now Law
Today, legislation to ensure fire fighters who die or are permanently and totally disabled due to COVID-19 receive full federal benefits officially became law. The Safeguarding America’s First Responders (SAFR) Act of 2020, was introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and establishes a presumptive benefit under the Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB) program for public safety officers who contract COVID-19. As the first healthcare providers responding to pre-hospital 9-1-1 calls, fire fighters are in constant close proximity to patients needing medical attention and at high risk for contracting the disease. Absent the presumptive coverage provided by S 3607, fire fighters would be required to show they contracted the virus in the workplace to receive federal benefit, a nearly impossible task.
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‘Totally worth it.’ Mom, daughter answer stranger’s plea to save Stripper the cat in Bay Area fire
As the one of the state’s largest fires rained ash on her hometown and destroyed homes just beyond the city limits, Carrie Paulson decided to drive right into it to save a cat. Not her cat, but a complete stranger’s. Paulson, a Vacaville resident, was scrolling through posts on the Nextdoor app for her North Bay area neighborhood Wednesday looking for information on evacuations when she came across a plea for help.
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Remembering Our Fallen Brothers & Sisters |
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William Bartels (Ret.)
Deceased: 8-17-20
Rank: H-30
Gerald Dunn (Ret.)
Deceased: 7-30-20
Rank: H-2
Robert Molinari (Ret.)
Deceased: 7-19-20
Rank: H-30
Milton Panagotacos (Ret.)
Deceased: 7-15-20
Rank: H-2
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Victor Zappettini (Ret.)
Deceased: 7-5-20
Rank: H-2
Jim Andersen (Ret.)
Deceased: 7-5-20
Rank: H-40
John Sanchez (Ret.)
Deceased: 6-25-20
Rank: H-20
Victor D'Orazi, Jr. (Ret.)
Deceased: 6-17-20
Rank: H-2
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Dominador Del Pozo, Jr. (Ret.)
Deceased: 6-2-20
Rank: H-2
Edward Banks (Ret.)
Deceased: 6-2-20
Rank: H-4
Richard Wall (Ret.)
Deceased: 5-24-20
Rank: H-2
Vinicio Tudoni (Ret.)
Deceased: 5-19-20
Rank: H-2
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About Local 798
Local 798 is the labor organization of the proud men and women that serve as Firefighters and emergency medical responders protecting San Francisco. The members of the San Francisco Fire Department rely on Local 798 to focus on the wellbeing and safety of those that protect the lives of others. For more information, visit www.sffdlocal798.org.
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