Thursday, September 3, 2009
Metro Fire Hires New Deputy Chief
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District announced today to its staff that they have hired a new Deputy Chief of Operations. Kurt Henke, formally of Vallejo Fire Department, will be taking the position upon the retirement of current Deputy Chief Geoff Miller. According to the bulletin distributed to Metro Fire personnel, Chief Henke was an assistant chief at Vallejo Fire with 25 years of experience.
According to the IAFF Local 1186 website, Chief Henke is the executive board president for this local. Chief Henke has been very involved in fighting the City of Vallejo bankruptcy proceedings.
Further information will be posted as it becomes available.
According to the IAFF Local 1186 website, Chief Henke is the executive board president for this local. Chief Henke has been very involved in fighting the City of Vallejo bankruptcy proceedings.
Further information will be posted as it becomes available.
Metro Fire promotes Chief
From the Sac Bee.
Sac Metro fire district chooses new chief
kminugh@sacbee.com
Published Tuesday, Sep. 01, 2009
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District board of directors voted Saturday to replace retiring Chief Don Mette with the district's current chief financial officer, according to authorities.
William "Bill" Sponable, 52, is being promoted to the position of chief deputy fire chief, where he will shadow Mette until he retires at the end of December, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, district spokesman. At that point, Sponable will take the helm.
Sponable has been the district's chief financial officer for three years and has been with the district since its inception in 2000. He has more than 30 years of fire service, Pebbles said.
"With his 30 years of experience, he brings a comprehensive understanding of the fire district, its operations, strategic plan, budget, culture and relationships with allied agencies," Pebbles said.
As chief financial officer, Sponable made almost $152,000 a year. In his new position, he will make a little more than $183,000 annually, Pebbles said. His salary as chief will be determined by the board of directors at a later time, Pebbles said.
Mette earns almost $225,000 annually in salary, though in 2008 he made almost $321,000 in pay and incentives combined.
The announcement of Sponable's promotion comes a little more than a week after the district laid off 24 employees as part of an effort to cut $11 million from a budget ailing from declining property tax revenue.
The layoffs saved the district about $4 million. Previously, officials had cut costs by eliminating engine companies from three fire stations, moving eight captains from administrative roles back to stations, demoting 27 captains and engineers, and implementing an "exit incentive program," in which eight employees left the district voluntarily.
The district serves about 600,000 people in parts of Sacramento County, Placer County, Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova.
Sac Metro fire district chooses new chief
kminugh@sacbee.com
Published Tuesday, Sep. 01, 2009
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District board of directors voted Saturday to replace retiring Chief Don Mette with the district's current chief financial officer, according to authorities.
William "Bill" Sponable, 52, is being promoted to the position of chief deputy fire chief, where he will shadow Mette until he retires at the end of December, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, district spokesman. At that point, Sponable will take the helm.
Sponable has been the district's chief financial officer for three years and has been with the district since its inception in 2000. He has more than 30 years of fire service, Pebbles said.
"With his 30 years of experience, he brings a comprehensive understanding of the fire district, its operations, strategic plan, budget, culture and relationships with allied agencies," Pebbles said.
As chief financial officer, Sponable made almost $152,000 a year. In his new position, he will make a little more than $183,000 annually, Pebbles said. His salary as chief will be determined by the board of directors at a later time, Pebbles said.
Mette earns almost $225,000 annually in salary, though in 2008 he made almost $321,000 in pay and incentives combined.
The announcement of Sponable's promotion comes a little more than a week after the district laid off 24 employees as part of an effort to cut $11 million from a budget ailing from declining property tax revenue.
The layoffs saved the district about $4 million. Previously, officials had cut costs by eliminating engine companies from three fire stations, moving eight captains from administrative roles back to stations, demoting 27 captains and engineers, and implementing an "exit incentive program," in which eight employees left the district voluntarily.
The district serves about 600,000 people in parts of Sacramento County, Placer County, Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Watch Where You Sleep
Fire department ambulance runs over homeless man's foot
blindelof@sacbee.com
Published Monday, Aug. 24, 2009
A Sacramento Fire Department ambulance ran over the foot of a homeless man in the dark early this morning.
The man was sleeping in front of the fire station garage doors at Station 20, 2512 Rio Linda Blvd. in North Sacramento, about 4 a.m. this morning when Fire Medic No. 20 began responding to a call and ran over the man's foot.
The man was taken to Sutter General hospital by firefighters. His injury was not serious, officials said.
blindelof@sacbee.com
Published Monday, Aug. 24, 2009
A Sacramento Fire Department ambulance ran over the foot of a homeless man in the dark early this morning.
The man was sleeping in front of the fire station garage doors at Station 20, 2512 Rio Linda Blvd. in North Sacramento, about 4 a.m. this morning when Fire Medic No. 20 began responding to a call and ran over the man's foot.
The man was taken to Sutter General hospital by firefighters. His injury was not serious, officials said.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
8 USFS Firefighters Hurt
Eight firefighters injured in collision
Staff Reports
Posted: 08/22/2009 11:00:00 PM PDT
LOS MOLINOS — A crew of eight U.S. Forest Service firefighters suffered moderate to major injuries Saturday morning, after a semi truck collided with a wildland fire engine on Highway 99 near Lassen View Elementary School.
www.chicoer.com/news/ci_13187892
Staff Reports
Posted: 08/22/2009 11:00:00 PM PDT
LOS MOLINOS — A crew of eight U.S. Forest Service firefighters suffered moderate to major injuries Saturday morning, after a semi truck collided with a wildland fire engine on Highway 99 near Lassen View Elementary School.
www.chicoer.com/news/ci_13187892
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Air Tanker Pilot Killed in Nevada
The Secret List is reporting that an Air Tanker pilot was killed in Nevada today.
Metro Fire Lays off 24 Support staff.
Two dozen employees – none of them firefighters – were laid off Wednesday from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District as part of $11 million in cost-cutting by the organization.
See the who article at http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2124254.html
Fire prevention bureau hit especially hard. About 2/3 of the inspectors and half of the investigators were laid off.
The Department is now cut to the bone. Any additional cost saving measures will be firefighters will be taking the hit.
See the who article at http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2124254.html
Fire prevention bureau hit especially hard. About 2/3 of the inspectors and half of the investigators were laid off.
The Department is now cut to the bone. Any additional cost saving measures will be firefighters will be taking the hit.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Rescue team removes 24 people stuck on Great America ride for four hours
Posted: 08/10/2009 09:51:24 PM PDT
Updated: 08/10/2009 11:16:17 PM PDT
Great America introduced a new adventure to 24 thrill seekers Monday — their high-speed Invertigo roller coaster that ground to a torturous halt near its zenith and remained stuck for hours in the sweltering afternoon heat, suspending riders as high as 80 feet in the air before they were rescued by firefighters.
The Santa Clara amusement park's Invertigo roller coaster, which ordinarily specializes in turning people upside down, instead got stuck on the tracks, stranding two dozen people for an afternoon just as they began the adrenaline-filled ascent to the top of the ride. Park officials and state investigators are trying to determine why the ride malfunctioned. The coaster stopped about 1 p.m., leaving the riders strapped in their seats, legs dangling in the air while firefighters hoisted basket-topped ladders to retrieve them one by one. It took more than four hours in 95-degree heat before the last relieved patron reached the ground.
Two ladder trucks — one with a basket that can accommodate two or three people and is capable of reaching a height of 110 feet — brought the riders down, ending the effort shortly before 6 p.m
First Post
This is the first post of my blog that will discuss firefighting in Northern California. I don't know who this will turn out. This is more of an experiment than anything else. We will see out it goes.
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