Too cheap and stingy to pay for mutual aid in the Twentynine Palms county islands, County fire stopped asking Twentynine Palms Fire Department for mutual assistance in their island areas. Last night it cost two peoples lives as the Twentynine Palms FD was not even dispatched.
This dilemma was discussed in the recent LAFCO 29 Palms MSR on page 85 titled Unincorporated Peninsula.
Referencing the map above, in the center of the community there is a one mile wide
unincorporated peninsula that extends five and half miles in a north/south direction
bordered by the Water District and the Marine Corps Combat Center. This peninsula
is within the boundaries of County Fire and is within the Water District’s sphere of
influence. The closest County Fire station is Station 45 in Wonder Valley, the CCFD
is immediately to the east, and the nearest Water District fire stations are Station 421
and/or Station 422, depending on the specific incident location.County Fire, as the agency responsible for service to this area, has existing mutualaid agreements with the Water District and the CCFD. Therefore, Twentynine PalmsFire responds to this area for the majority of incidents. LAFCO staff understandsthat the Twentynine Palms Fire Department desires a contractual arrangement forpayment to serve this area since County Fire has service contracts in other parts ofthe county. County Fire, in its response to the draft staff report, states that it believes that the existing aid agreement and a proposed update to the agreement are appropriate without monetary terms and that a new contract is not necessary.
It is not uncommon for the County to pay its fair share of cost in its area of responsibility. In fact we present you with Two contracts that provide reimbursement for services to other mutual aid fire departments..:
- Loma Linda – Contract
- Loma Linda – Map
- Loma Linda – Memo
- SB City – Contract
- SB City – Map
- SB City – Memo
Last night was a perfect example of where personal animosity by one Fire Chief to another Fire Chief and an unwillingness to play fair has cost the lives of two individuals and thousands of dollar in property damage out in the county island off Mesquite Drive.
While Twentynine Palms Fire Department was no more than 8 minutes away, the first County engine arrived some 90 minutes after the first dispatch. 90 precious minutes, all the while the victims of last nights fire burned to death.
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Just to point out a little bit of more info on this issue.
The fire to the motor home was called in as a vehicle fire. And the two agencies, County Fire and the Twentynine Palms Fire Department, do not have a mutual aid agreement for vehicle fires.
Also to note that they are currently working on a mutual aid agreements for structural and vegetation fires only.
Carey you are missing the point totally. It has to do with county fire actually entering into contracts that pay MONEY to other agencies to serve remote areas in the county areas of responsibility but even by the LAFCO report COUNTY FIRE did not want to pay any money to 29 Palms Fire as they do in Loma Linda and San Bernardino to service those remote areas.
And here we sit with a city that will not provide a dime a county fire department that will not provide a dime and somehow we expect 29 Palms Fire to simply step up to the plate and provide fire service for the county – I think not.
No, my point was to show that there are issues that were missing. Dan did an outstanding job in his report.
The City is not involved in the current internal issue of mutual aid agreement. They can not be.
It is tragic that there was a lose of life. We do not know exactly how the fire started or who called it in.
At this time the only thing we know is that a 911 call came in that there was a vehicle fire. That call, by the way, went to Barstow then was routed the the Marine Base as it was the closest that handles vehicle fires and that they arrived 17 minutes later.
Now 17+ minutes of a fire and mobile home means the fire wins.
I agree that this is a bad situation, but at this moment in time the City has no say.
That is one of my biggest concerns, A person dialing 911 gets an answer in Barstow. While living in 29, I was on Highway 62 and noticed a fire in the rear of the Top 100 Chinese Restaurant. I pulled into the parking lot and my wife called 911 as I went to notify the workers inside who were preparing to open, once outside again my wife is yelling for me to get the building number, she gave the operator the intersecting street and they still wanted the building number before they would dispatch a fire company. Lets think about this, City: 29 Palms, Location Highway 62, intersecting street Hatch, Reply, I need the street number before I can do anything. In the meantime the clock is ticking, flames are spreading and I cannot locate a number on the building. We did manage to turn off the gas line to the building and the workers had it under control when the fire department arrived.
Unfortunately it is not feasible to have a 911 service for the immediate area other than Barstow but maybe they don’t need to check off every box before taking action.
Did you just pull this information? Who gave you this information? Come on… this sounds like you heard it from a friend who was told by a buddy who knows a guy who works as a mechanic and he sometimes repairs fire trucks.
The city does have a say and they balked. They left public safety and turned to arts.
Even the city manager tried to sell the mural last night along with the goats and the low income housing/theater and lets just say the hell with public safety.
Jeesh!
Mobile Homes typically have low ceilings, small hallways, rooms and materials that are highly volatile and toxic when exposed to fire. If your ever inside during a fire remember that smoke inhalation can kill you in 3 minutes, way before flames reach you. If possible and near an exit, get low and crawl for better oxygen and cover your face with a cloth to help filter toxins and smoke. Hopefully someone from the fire dept will post here with some expert life saving advice. That surely wouldn’t break your budget. In light of the current financial problems it’s the least you can do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4xaWMKBlw4
This video is very educational. Too bad the 29 CC doesn’t care about the safety of its residents, businesses or school. Fire safety is not their concern.
Hey I have a suggestion, maybe we could have a mural of the fire trucks painted on the Lear Fire Station so in the future people will remember what it was like when City officials cared about more than art
Be careful – that idea might actually get on the agenda.
That seems questionable, Steve.
Do you think it would be ethical to spend part of the Iron Goat set-aside on a fire truck mural?
An ethical dilemma that needs deep contemplation. Iron sheep/goats or a painting of a fire truck? Hmmmm… How about a real fire truck with real fire personnel. Oops we tried that already and the sheep/goats won. Guess it was not that hard of a dilemma for our city now was it.
There you guys go again using a word that has vanished from the City’s vocabulary “Ethics”. If there was an ethical thought, there would be no murals being pondered, no goats showing the tourists how to get to the Inn, and not even a hint of the project they keep wanting to build. I am sure that a visitor would rather find his/her own way to the Park and have fire protection at the hotel they are staying at rather than a sign with deformed goats. Just saying
Jee I wonder what the savings would be if we the people the big bosses would exercise our authority and fire the one layer of government that is a total waste, the city? If we gave all the millions of saved funds to the fire department how long would it take the department to burn through the savings and come asking for more? Hey just asking.
Dan_O bleated:
Last night it cost two peoples lives as the Twentynine Palms FD was not even dispatched.
BULLSHIT and that is full on speculation.
“Did my homework on this story, every thing posted is fact. Twentynine Palms FD was NOT dispatched. Baaa D ass. Check yourself Rescue Guy….. Here is the Twentynine Palms Fire Department Telephone Number 760-367-7524. End the supposed speculation on my part there RescueGuy. Prove me wrong. I dare you.” Dan_O Bleats.
Dispatched or not, nobody lives via the fire dept in these sort of fires, unless…. the RV catches fire in the fire dept parking lot. The non-response killed nobody and say otherwise is moronic. Call them yourself and ask them. Those people were dead by the time the phone call was made. 200sqft of flaming toxics in an enclosed space will kill fast. Your best call would be to Jesus, not an imaginary fire dept.
You sir, have been proven wrong and to think you are in the right on this one shows your ignorance. Branson gets a pass since he is a certified buffoon, but I had hoped you were a bit more on top of your game.
As you so expertly bleated to me & right back at you….. “BULLSHIT and that is full on speculation.”
Once again, this posted offers nothing. He investigates nothing. He reports nothing. He is a bona fide troll.
Regarding Carey’s call for input, where were you. I know where your head was.
To add to Carey’s story — a focus needs to be a fire department.
No go f yourself city troll person.
Branson (LOL) says: No go f yourself city troll person.
Such brave talk Ben. Come see me some time and maybe can work out some of your aggression.
RescueGuy,
The coroners report states, ” …Fire Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene of a house fire in the 2800 block of Morongo Road in Twenty-nine Palms.”
It goes on to say. “At about 1:57 AM two charred bodies (male & female) were found. The cause of the fire is being investigated by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Arson & Bomb units.”
Unless you have evidence in contradiction to what the San Bernardino County Coroner reports, I believe the fire was a House Fire. So your speculations are thus far are mindless, meaningless, ramblings.