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In an effort to keep you up to date on the latest local, statewide, and federal fire issues, OC Firefighters send out monthly news clippings. This newsletter will help inform you about very important fire-related matters.
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Happy Labor Day
Orange County Professional Firefighters Association Local 3631 would like to wish all of our members, their families, and the community a safe and Happy Labor Day!
We would like to take the time to recognize OC Firefighters for their commitment to the people of Orange County and for their willingness to go above and beyond to protect life and property. The personal risks associated with firefighting are great, but our desire to serve the community outweighs these risks. We are honored to be of service to the community.
Last year, OC Firefighters responded to over 142,000 emergency incidents across Orange County. Take a look at the 2018 Orange County Firefighters Year in Review book which serves to illustrate the daily challenges that our First Responders face while serving on the frontlines. Highlighted within these pages is the vast array of emergency services and difficult operations performed by our OCFA Firefighters.
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OCFA now Providing Full Service in Garden Grove
Beginning Friday, Aug. 16, residents of Garden Grove will see a slight difference in the fire vehicles roaming their city – with the emblems reading “Orange County Fire Authority” instead of “Garden Grove Fire Department.” This is the first day the quasi-county agency will provide emergency and medical services instead of the City’s Fire Department, which had served Garden Grove for 93 years. City officials have said that joining the OCFA will cut costs, including relieving pension liability, and fund necessary equipment updates.
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Lake Forest Condominium Fire Sends 1 To Hospital
LAKE FOREST - A natural gas leak was the cause of a fire at a Lake Forest condominium Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said. The blaze sent a column of dark smoke into the sky as multiple concerned neighbors called 911. The house fire was reported in the 26000 block of Fern Glen just before 3 p.m., according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Jon Muir. One resident was found by the first firefighters to the scene, suffering third-degree burns from the blaze that severely damaged the residence.
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Firefighters knock down Westminster apartment blaze
WESTMINSTER - Firefighters needed about 15 minutes to extinguish a fire at an apartment complex in Westminster, authorities said Friday morning. Crews responded to the Cinnamon Creek Apartments on the 15100 block of Brookhurst Street near Bolsa Avenue about 10:15 p.m. Thursday, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. With help from Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach fire departments and Westminster police, the fire was extinguished around 10:30 p.m., the OCFA said.
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OCFA Confirms Honey Oil Operation at Santa Ana Fire Site
SANTA ANA - Firefighters made quick work of a fire inside a commercial building in Santa Ana that housed a large-scale cannabis oil, or "honey oil," extraction lab on Friday, authorities said. The fire was first reported shortly after noon in the 2000 block of South Main Street, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. About three-dozen firefighters extinguished the flames before discovering "an elaborate honey oil operation," the agency said via social media.
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Firefighters Douse Small Blaze Inside Irvine Commercial Building
IRVINE - Firefighters knocked down a fire Sunday that was isolated to a computer station inside a commercial structure in Irvine. Firefighters were dispatched at 3:16 a.m. to the 9000 block of Toledo Way amid reports that there were chemicals inside the building, the Orange County Fire Authority reported. The fire was put out and a hazardous materials teams deemed the building safe. No injuries were reported.
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10,500 SCE customers remain without power in Irvine after substation fire, flights resume at John Wayne Airport
SANTA ANA - A fire at an electrical substation in Orange County caused a power outage that left 28,000 customers in Irvine without power and temporarily grounded all flights at John Wayne Airport, officials said. Southern California Edison said the substation caught fire at 6:20 p.m. Friday and affected customers in Irvine and Newport Beach. The substation was later de-energized but sustained damage. Orange County Fire Authority responded to the area of Jamboree Road and Michaelson Drive, where they extinguished the vault fire that led to the outage.
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OCFA Crews Tackle Vegetation Fire in San Clemente
SAN CLEMENTE - Firefighters from OCFA and Camp Pendleton extinguished a 3/4 acre brush fire. OCFA and OCSD helicopters responded via air working together to suppress the fire.
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Man dies in apparent fall from cliff in Dana Point
DANA POINT - A man who apparently fell from a cliff at Dana Point Harbor died Tuesday, Aug. 27 and had to be airlifted out of the area. Firefighters were called to the location near Cove Road and Dana Point Harbor Drive at about 9:30 a.m., according to fire officials. A rescue paramedic from a helicopter found the person, described only as a male, down the cliff, and pronounced him dead, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Jon Muir.
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Amtrak train collides with forklift in San Juan Capistrano, 1 injured
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - A construction worker was injured when an Amtrak train slammed into a forklift stuck on the tracks in San Juan Capistrano Thursday, Aug. 15. The northbound train collided with the forklift between Route 73 and Hidden Creek Road about 1:15 p.m., Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Jon Muir said.
The train was going about 50 mph when it crashed into the vehicle, Muir said. There were about 200 passengers on board at the time, OCFA officials said in a Tweet.
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Orange County Approves $4.5 Million for Aircraft to Monitor, Help Predict Wildfires’ Spread
Orange County has approved a 150-day pilot program for a plane that will monitor wildfires, providing incident commanders with real-time information on fire conditions. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday accepted a $4.5 million state grant that will fund the program, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Orange County Fire Authority will oversee operation of the dual-prop plane, which will be flown by a contractor, Courtney Aircraft. Firefighters will have access to video shot by the aircraft’s infrared cameras within five minutes of its arrival over a site.
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OCPFA Hosts Fire Ops 3631
On September 7
th
, Orange County Professional Firefighters Association Local 3631, in partnership with the Orange County Fire Authority, will host a daylong program in which participants experience hands-on firefighting and rescue operations under the controlled supervision of professional Firefighters and Paramedics. Through various scenarios, including auto extrications, climbing an aerial ladder to extinguishing fires, elected officials will experience for themselves what First Responders face daily and how challenging it is to keep our communities safe. For more information, please contact Brent Berkompas at (949) 294-5429 or email him at BrentBerkompas@ocfirefighters.org.
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OC Firefighters Install Free Smoke Alarms
On August 12, OCFA partnered with the American Red Cross to install free smoke alarms to residents in the City of Los Alamitos. A total of 146 alarms were installed in 44 homes and over one hundred residents learned the importance of overall fire safety.
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Personal Exposure Reporting
Article submitted by OCFA Captain Jeff Hughes
The California Labor Code Sec. 3212.1 states:
Cancers so developing or manifesting itself in these cases shall be presumed to arise out of and in the course of the employment. This presumption is disputable and may be controverted by evidence that the primary site of the cancer has been established and that the carcinogen to which the member has demonstrated exposure is not reasonably linked to the disabling cancer.
The OCFA uses a third-party administrator (Corvel) to challenge an occupational cancer diagnosis and it is in a Firefighter’s best interest to do everything at your disposal to support your case way before ever being diagnosed. A “cancer presumption” does not make a cancer diagnosis automatically covered by workers compensation. Reduce all controllable risk factors by wearing your PPE and respiratory protection, taking a shower within an hour, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and documenting all occupational exposures!
Exposure reporting is a tool put in place to help you if (heaven forbid) you are diagnosed with a cancer. In the past, the employee would have to rely on the fire captains to document all incident exposures on our OCFIRS reporting system. Our new IRIS reporting system will take over where OCFIRS left off. The legacy exposure reports in OCFIRS are mandated to be archived for thirty years after the separation date (termination or retirement) of the employee.
The goal is to put the member in the driver’s seat for their exposure reporting. Here are three options for third party companies that provide exposure reporting platforms:
1)
The
CPF Personal Exposure Reporting
(
www.peronline.org
) is subscription based and the fee is $15/year for non-CPF members or $10/year for CPF members. This option provides email recaps for every exposure report created and a summary of your annual exposures.
2)
The International Public Safety Data Institute (IPSDI) is the leading research, development, and training organization focused on using data science to provide analytical tools and information to the public safety sector. IPSDI is the parent organization of two established and growing programs, FireCARES and
National Fire Operations Reporting System (NFORS),
which is an app-based system. NFORS has all the features you need to document physical and behavioral health exposures, and you can opt-in to support national research that improves the fire service.
3)
The
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Personal Exposure Reporter
(
www.per.miami.edu
) application allows Firefighters to keep a digital record of on-the-job exposures that can be used by researchers to find evidence of cancer related to firefighting. This information will help supplement Firefighter’s personal health records. This is a web-based system that is free to use, all you need to do is to create a profile.
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2018 Orange County Firefighters Year In Review
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In 2018, our Firefighters responded to more than 142,000 emergencies throughout the 23 cities and unincorporated communities of Orange County. The Year in Review book serves to illustrate the daily challenges that our First Responders face while serving on the frontlines. Click
HERE
to view the book.
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OC Firefighters - IAFF Local 3631 |
1342 Bell Avenue, Suite 3A | Tustin | CA | 92870
THIS MESSAGE WAS CREATED BY JIMMY BLACKMAN & ASSOCIATES.
Copyright © 2017 OC Firefighters, all rights reserved.
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