Posts Tagged ‘Oakland Fire Department’
New law boosts mental health support for Californian firefighters
When Oakland Fire Department (OFD) Captain Christopher Foley and his coworkers learned that one of them had been killed in a San Jose shooting, not long after 36 people died in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire, they needed help—and found it in the department’s peer support program.
Read MoreParadise, Calif., is in ruins after deadliest, most destructive fire in state history razes most homes
First responders are combing through the desolate scene, where ashes now take the place of where entire neighborhoods once stood. The vast majority of homes were destroyed by the Camp Fire, and not much remains of the town.
Read MoreFire sweeps The Village homeless camp for the second time this fall
A fire tore through The Village on Friday, destroying tents belonging to 15 people and causing further concerns about the safety of homeless encampments.
Read MoreFire departments educate youth during high risk month for California wildfires
Last year, the state of California experienced its most destructive and deadliest wildfire season on record. October is one of the highest-risk months of the year for wildfires in the state. Currently, fire departments and agencies are working to spread the message and give people the tools they need to prevent fires in the first place.
Read MoreOakland’s firefighters help contain massive Napa wildfires
As the strike team drove into the Sonoma valley early Monday morning, the glow of fires surrounded them on both sides of Highway 12. Oakland Battalion Chiefs James Bowron and Nicholas Luby headed a team of engines from Oakland, Hayward, Fremont and Alameda County, and they listened to radio traffic describing the rapid spread of fire through the wine country and people needing immediate rescue.
Read MoreGrass fire prompts evacuations in Oakland hills
A four alarm fire spread through the Oakland hills Tuesday. Oakland Police Department officers evacuated an estimated 100 homes in the Monte Vista Villas housing development.
Read MoreOakland rescue crews join hurricane recovery efforts in Texas and Florida
Oakland’s Urban Search and Rescue team hadn’t deployed in nine years. But three weeks ago, when Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Robert Lipp answered the call to respond to Hurricane Harvey, they mobilized a team in under four hours. Immediately following their deployment to Texas, they were re-tasked to assist with rescue efforts in Florida.
Read MoreOakland Ghost Ship fire death toll rises to 33; city prepares to release names
Speaking at a late afternoon press conference near the site of Friday’s Oakland Ghost Ship fire, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced that the death toll has officially reached 33, and that city officials have positively identified seven of the victims. Their names will be released via the city’s website and social media feeds later on Sunday.…
Read MoreOakland Ghost Ship fire claims at least 9 lives, with more feared missing
A fire that broke out during an electronic music party at an artists’ warehouse space in the Fruitvale late Friday night has claimed at least 9 lives, and an estimated 25 more people are feared missing. A joint statement by the Oakland Police Department and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office released mid-day on Saturday tallied…
Read MoreHome fire preparedness campaign reminds residents to stay safe
Members of the American Red Cross and the Oakland Fire Department knocked on Fruitvale residents’ homes to install and inspect new smoke alarms.
Read MoreOakland’s plan to prevent wildfires in Oakland Hills faces challenges
City of Oakland plans to reduce plants that can fuel fire and create a more accessible pathway for emergency vehicles, but there’s opposition.
Read MoreBlaze in Rockridge rental property extinguished, no one injured
A fire broke out in a cottage on a property in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, Nov. 2, 2014.
Read MoreBay Area scientists design fire-detecting satellite
The satellite would use infrared sensors to detect fires as small as one quarter of an acre in size and could scan the entire Western US in under three minutes.
Read MoreDuring peak fire season, Oakland fire stations still having rotating closures
Fire stations throughout Oakland are shutting down for days at a time in response to a cost saving measure that came out of City Hall last year.
Read MoreMcClouds, Pulaskis and brush hooks? Oakland’s firefighters explain how to tackle wildland fires
Twenty years ago, when Oakland Fire Department Captain Ian McWhorter was out on the burning hills, joining hundreds of other firefighters battling a blaze that took 25 lives and destroyed over 3,500 homes, he was dressed for battle with a structural, not a wildland fire.
Read MoreTwenty years after the Oakland hills fire, what has changed?
On October 19, 1991, the tiny flame that would become the Oakland hills fire was ignited. The ensuring wildfire, which lasted for several days, took 25 lives, consumed over a thousand acres land, and destroyed more than 3,500 homes. On the 20th anniversary of the fire, Oakland North takes a look at some of the changes the city has implemented to try to prepare for the next big wildfire—as well as what still needs to improve.
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