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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from the Chief Page 3 Acknowledgements Page 4 Mission and Values Page 5 History Page 6 Headquarters Page 7 Operations Page 8 Professional Standards Page 9 Training Page 10 Battalion 1 Page 11 Battalion 2 Page 12 Battalion 3 Page 13 2018 Incident Breakdown Page 14 2017 vs. 2018 Comparison Page 15 Incidents by Station and Month Page 16 In & Out of County Page 17 Promotions & Retirements Page 18 Academies Page 19 Employee Recognition Page 20 Tree Mortality Page 21 2018 Fire Service LODD’s Page 22 Community Involvement Page 23 Thank You Letters Page 24
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF
2018 has been a year of increased activity, growth, and transition in our department. There have been a wide variety of opportunities for personal growth and professional devel- opment. With these new opportunities, we look forward to ongoing innovation and in- creased levels of service to the public. The Tree Mortality Fuels Crew was able to clear 886 acres and remove 5,000 hazard trees while working on the 2 projects. We will continue to work on these projects through 5 additional grants awarded by CalFire for work to be completed from 2019 to 2021. January was a busy month for TCFD as our call volume remained at Holiday levels. The TCFD also assisted with the Thomas Fire Mudslide Incident early in the month. Local- ly there were two minor storms which resulted in some minor localized flooding, downed power lines and some traffic accidents. Tulare County did experience a few minor storms in February followed by a signifi- cant storm during the week of March 19th. Sections of Highway 190 were closed for a peri- od of time due to mudslides related to the Pier Fire burn scar. During the height of the storm, TCFD crews responded to 62 calls for service in a 24 hour period with approximately 20 of those calls directly relating to the weather. In April the TCFD experienced a decrease in calls for service followed by a signifi- cant increase in calls for service in May. Locally, 83 vegetation fires were reported in May compared to 46 in April. TCFD received 2 new Rosenbauer Type 6 Patrols and one Rosenbauer Type 3 En- gine in June. These new apparatus will help us to embrace the challenges in our communi- ties for future incidents. Statewide there were 11 active fires burning at the close of June and several TCFD crews went out of county to help with these incidents. Throughout July fires in the state continued to burn, tragically resulting in several firefighter and civilian fatalities. TCFD crews continued to help with several of the major statewide incidents. TCFD rolled out the Administrative Citation program and was able to issue several citations during the Fourth of July holiday. We will continue to educate the public on “Safe and Sane Fireworks” and what is allowed locally. During August and September, a number of wildland incidents in the state contin- ued. There were 29 wildland incidents in August alone. Tragically by the end of September, the fire service had experienced 8 line of duty deaths on California incidents. The tragic Camp Fire incident occurred during the month of November. The Camp Fire was devastating to the community of Paradise, California with over 19,000 structures destroyed and 88 civilians were fatally injured. TCFD wrapped up the year with several community events including helping Santa to deliver gifts to some deserving children! We also participated in several community pa- rades and assisted at the Visalia Rescue Mission. On behalf of the men and women of the Tulare County Fire Department, thank you for allowing us to serve you.
Sincerely, Charlie Norman Fire Chief, Tulare County Fire Department
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrative Officer for their ongoing support.
Pictured left to right: Pete Vander Poel, Supervisor District 2; Mike Ennis, Supervisor District 5; Kuyler Crocker—Vice Chairman, Supervisor District 1; Amy Shuklian, Supervisor District 3; and J. Steven Worthley—Chairman, Supervisor District 4.
County Administrative Officer County Administrative Officer Michael Spata— Jason Britt retired November 30, 2018 4
MISION STATEMENT
The Tulare County Fire Department is committed to providing leadership, coordina- tion and customer based service through fire prevention, suppression, and emergency medical services.
CORE VALUES
INTEGRITY RESPECT LOYALTY TEAMWORK COMPASSION
CORE VALUES
We are committed to excellence through professionalism and trustworthiness achieved through our daily operations. We will continue to expand our public service delivery model through innovative and fiscally-responsible practices. We will strive to offer our workforce the best opportunities available for training and education to further enhance the public service we provide.
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HISTORY
The Tulare County Fire Department was established on July 1, 2007. Prior to 2007, the County of Tulare contracted with the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection (CDF), through a cooperative agreement, to provide fire protection for the County. This agreement was established in 1929. CDF provided personnel to staff fire stations and apparatus, which are owned by the County, as well as administrative staff to manage the Department.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors (BOS) hired Steve Sunderland in February 2006 as its first Fire Chief in anticipation of having their own fully operational Fire Department on July 1, 2007. Chief Sunderland hired three Division Chiefs, Ted Mendoza, John Crivello and Joe Garcia to assist him with the transition to a Department independent of CDF. Chief Mendoza was responsible for the operations of the Department, Chief Crivello was responsible for the Training Division and Chief Garcia managed the Fire Prevention Division.
In October 2011, the BOS appointed Division Chief Garcia as their second Fire Chief after Chief Sunderland retired. Chief Garcia hired Clay Smith as the Support Services Division Chief and Charlie Norman as the Operations Division Chief after Division Chief Mendoza retired and Division Chief Crivello was hired as the Fire Chief of the Farmersville Fire Department. The BOS appointed Division Chief Norman as its third Fire Chief in January 2016. Chief Norman promoted Jeff McLaughlin, who began as a Lieutenant with the Department in 2007, from Battalion Chief to Division Chief of Operations in 2016.
Pete Marquez was hired as the Division Chief for Support Services in 2016 when Division Chief Clay Smith was appointed as the Fire Chief for the Kings County Fire Department. Division Chief Marquez is currently responsible for the Professional Standards Division. Chief Norman promoted Battalion Chief Jeff Smith, who began as a Lieutenant with the Department in 2007, to Division Chief in November 2018. Division Chief Smith is the Department’s third Division Chief and is responsible for the Training Division.
The Department moved its headquarters from Farmersville to a new facility in Visalia, which is located at 835 S. Akers St., in September 2017. The Tulare County Emergency Operations Center is located in Fire Department Headquarters which is next to the Sheriff’s Department. The co-location of the County’s Emergency Services allow for collaboration between the three Departments to improve services for the residents of the County.
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2018 HEADQUARTERS STAFF
Fire Chief Charlie Norman
Department Secretary Anne Haynes
Operations Professional Standards Training Administrative Division Chief Division Chief Division Chief Services Officer Jeff McLaughlin Pete Marquez Jeff Smith Steven Murch
Prevention Training Captain 1
Battalion 1 Battalion Chief Kyle Newton Payroll Clerk Kevin Riggi Christina Whitendale
Training Captain 2 Duane Shiers Prevention Office FireComm Assistant III Battalion 2 Dispatch Supervisor Maria Orozco Gloria Simoes Facilities Management
Principal Account Clerk Divina Santos Battalion 3 Fleet Services Coordination Training Office Assistant III Ana Ferreira
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2018 OPERATIONS DIVISION
Operations Division Chief Jeff McLaughlin
Battalion 1 Battalion 2 Battalion 3 A Shift A Shift A Shift Mike Pavone Richard Doyle Raymond Russell
Battalion 1 Battalion 2 Battalion 3 B Shift B Shift B Shift Mark Fleming Derek Steidley Jesse Renteria
Battalion 1 Battalion 2 Battalion 3 C Shift C Shift C Shift David Vasquez Bryan Duffy Jason Elizondo
Emergency Management/ Planning
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2018 PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
Professional Standards Division Chief Pete Marquez
FireComm Fleet Prevention Dispatch Services Battalion Chief Gloria Simoes Coordination Kevin Riggi Jody Adney Justine Bunker Delylah Elizondo Cheyenne Gist Prevention Melissa Hernandez Fire Captains Brian Ramsey Joe Rosa, Jr. Amber Trimble Joanne Bear Josie VanHooser
EH Dispatchers Code Enforcement Sebastian Avina Fire Inspectors Deanna Lavinder Cyndi Adney Brad Farr Jimmy Herrera John Meyer Gilbert Portillo (EH)
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2018 TRAINING DIVISION
Training Division Chief Jeff Smith
Training Facilities Admin Captains Maintenance Duane Shiers Maintenance Kyle Newton Worker III Mere Saucedo
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BATTALION 1
Station 1 Station 4 Station 12 Visalia Cutler/Orosi Woodlake
Station 2 Station 8 Station 13 Kings River Ivanhoe Lemon Cove
Station 3 Station 11 Station 14 Dinuba Exeter Three Rivers
Station 17 Badger
Key: Mountain Stations Valley Stations
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BATTALION 2
Station 5 Station 16 Station 20 Posey Strathmore Doyle Colony
Station 6 Station 18 Station 21 California Hot Kennedy Terra Bella Springs Meadows
Station 15 Station 19 Station 22 Lindsay West Olive Springville
Station 23 Camp Nelson
Key: Mountain Stations Valley Stations
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BATTALION 3
Station 7 Station 25 Goshen Tulare
Station 9 Station 26 Alpaugh Tipton
Station 10 Station 27 Richgrove West Pixley
Station 28 Earlimart
Key: Mountain Stations Valley Stations
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2018 Incident Breakdown
While overall call volume did decrease slightly from 2017, our Rescue & Emergency Medical Service calls went up 5% and our Service Calls also increased slightly from 2017 . Even with this increase we are still below the national average for “medical aids”. “Medical Aids” can range from basic medical aid calls, to citizens in their homes requiring our assistance, to vehicle accidents.
Even with the slight decrease in volume, our out of County mutual aid respons- es increased by approximately 27%. We provide mutual/automatic aid to a few of our neighboring counties and to several of the cities within Tulare County. As needed, we also receive mutual aid from some of our neighboring counties and cities within the County.
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2017 vs. 2018 Incident Breakdown
Rescue & Emergency Medical Service (Medical Aid calls) continue to increase year after year as TCFD continues to respond to “All Hazard” calls throughout the county.
The overall call volume decreased by approximately 2% in comparison to 2017. We also saw a decrease in call volume for Good Intent Calls from 2017 to 2018.
The number of fires remained steady from 2017 to 2018, as they did from 2016 to 2017.
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2018 Incident Count per Station
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In & Out of County Assignments Local Incidents Alder/Mountaineer/Moses Fires (Tulare)—5,942 acres Pier Burn Scar Flooding Out-of-County Assignments Airline 2 Fire (San Benito)—1,314 acres Boyer Fire (Mariposa)—53 acres; 1 structure destroyed Camp Fire (Butte)—153,336 acres; 86 civilian fatalities; 12 civilians injured; 3 civilians missing; 19,382 structures damaged or destroyed; non-fire operations are ongoing Carr Fire (Shasta)—229,651 acres; 3 firefighter and 5 civilian fatalities; 1,881 structures damaged or destroyed County Fire (Lake, Napa, Yolo)—90,288 acres; 1 firefighter injured; 20 structures destroyed Delta Fire (Shasta)—63,311 acres (merged into Hirz Fire); 20 structures destroyed Donnell Fire (Tuolumne)—36,450 acres; 9 civilians injured; 135 structures destroyed Ferguson Fire (Mariposa)—96,901 acres; 2 firefighters killed; 19 firefighters injured; 10 structures destroyed Hirz Fire (Shasta)—46,150 acres Holy Fire (Orange, Riverside)—23,136 acres; 3 firefighters injured; 18 structures destroyed Mendocino Complex (Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn)—459,123 acres; 1 firefighter killed; 4 firefighters injured; 317 structures destroyed or damaged Oak Fire (Madera)—360 acres Oneals Fire (Madera)—300 acres Pawnee Fire (Lake)—15,185 acres; 1 injury; 22 structures destroyed Ranch Fire—Collectively part of Mendocino Complex River Fire—Collectively part of Mendocino Complex Snell Fire(Napa)—2,490 acres Steel Fire (Napa)—135 acres; 12 structures damaged or destroyed Wheeler Fire (Mariposa)—115 acres Valley Fire (San Bernardino)—1,350 acres
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Promotions and Retirements Promotions
Division Chief Jeffrey Smith
Battalion Chief Smith Richard Doyle Doyle Elizondo Jason Elizondo Jesse Renteria Raymond Russell
Captain Francisco Benitez Grant Jackson Renteria Russell Robert Macauley Kyle Newton Tim Scoville Benitez Jackson
Lieutenant Rosamber Ambriz Marcus Delon Joshua Holden William Wells Ambriz Delon Payroll Clerk Macauley Newton Christina Whitendale
Holden Wells Scoville
Whitendale
Retirements
Battalion Chief Mike Green Battalion Chief Claudia Whitendale Captain Marcial Torres
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Full Time Academy 15
From Left: FAE Rosamber Ambriz, Lt. Teresa Lovero, FAE William Wells, Lt. Jacques Rayburn, Lt. Christopher Sanchez, FAE Michael Rawson, FAE Zane Duvall Full Time Academy 16
From Left: Lt. Eric Fonseca, FAE Justin Komin, Lt. Lance Morton, Lt. Marcus Bair, Lt. Daniel Sanchez Extra-Help Academy 18-01
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Recognition
Jesse Renteria—Knights of Columbus— Tim Scoville—Three Rivers Exeter Firefighter of the Year Historical Society Derek Steidley—Exchange Firefighter of the Year Club of Porterville Firefighter of the Year
Robert Macauley—Knights of Columbus—Visalia Firefighter of the Year Left to Right: Greg Simeral, Retiree; Christian Avalos, TCFD Employee of the Year; Delylah Elizondo—TCFD Dispatcher of the Year
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Tree Mortality 2 Projects—Parker Pass and Ponderosa 886 acres cleared 5,000 hazard trees removed
Crew Boss: Crew 1 Jared Arciniega Crew 1: Justin Burleson Isaias Castanon Kenny Fabian Pedro Figueroa Francisco Franco Blake Garrison Grady Sanchez William Stout Casey Timmerman
Before After
New Fuels Crew Truck
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Line of Duty Deaths
Captain David Rosa— Braden Varney— Brian Hughes— Long Beach Fire Dept. CALFIRE National Park Service
Jeremy Stokes— Don Ray Smith— Andrew Jason Brake— Redding Fire Dept. CALFIRE Contractor CALFIRE
Draper City Fire Dept.
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Community Events
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Thank You’s
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