Firefighter kills man with mulching machine
An off duty firefighter in Farmington, New Mexico, contracted to clear vegetation from a vacant lot with a mulching machine, ran over and killed a man on Monday with the machine. Freddie Simpson was sleeping under a tree when he met his demise.
Here is an excerpt from an article at Farmington, New Mexico’s The Daily Times:
[Firefighter Chasen] Kelley was contracted to clear the nearly eight acres of woods and brush, which, in addition to posing a fire hazard, also posed a public safety issue to the area because it was the location of makeshift street-inebriate camps.
Robert Bustos, a 47-year-old Farmington man, was beaten to death in the area in July while he was walking home after buying groceries from Safeway, according to court records.
Authorities believed clearing the lot would help rid the area of crime.
The San Juan Soil and Conservation District contracted Kelley, who privately owns the Rocky Mountain Fire Mitigation Service, based in Colorado, to clear the lot, Gary Hathorn, project coordinator said in a phone interview.
He received $1,250 for each acre he cleared.
The conservation group was tasked with administering the federal stimulus funds which were awarded to the New Mexico State Forestry Division for hazardous fuel removal and for wildfire protection.
Wildland fire vehicles debut at Firehouse World in San Diego
Firehouse.com has an article about some new wildland fire and interface fire vehicles that were introduced at a recent conference in California.
Video about the San Diego County Fire Authority
The County of San Diego has produced a slick video about the San Diego County Fire Authority, which provides fire protection for the rural areas of the county. The Board of Supervisors formed the San Diego County Fire Authority in June 2008 to improve fire protection and emergency medical services in the region. The mission of the Fire Authority is to unify the administrative support, communications and training of 15 rural fire agencies and extend “around the clock” protection to 1.5 million acres of the unincorporated county that previously had either limited, or part-time “on-call” protection.
Franklin Police and Fire High School in Phoenix
The Bureau of Land Management is helping to support a specialized high school in Phoenix that trains students in various public safety professions, including wildland fire. The Franklin Police and Fire High School has seen ten of their students become full-time employees of the BLM or other federal land management agencies.
Here is an excerpt from an article at azcentral.com:
[The students] work hard, they see the country and earn $11 an hour to pay for college courses or support their families, said Jim Kenna, BLM state director.
“It’s remarkable – this puts education and public service together,” said Kenna, of the program. “These are good kids trying to do the right thing and they end up with opportunities.”
Phoenix Union opened Franklin Police and Fire High School, 1645 W. McDowell Road, in October 2007.
Since then, Fernandez has taught the six-week wildland-fire course each winter at the small high school for students interested in careers in public safety.
“They have great attitudes and are willing to work hard to prove themselves,” Fernandez said about his students. This semester, 35 fire-science students, primarily seniors, but also some juniors, are taking the wildland-fire training course.
The school’s 365 students take English, math, history, Spanish and science courses taught by certified teachers. Instead of typical elective courses, such as band or art, students take career-specific courses taught by public-safety professionals. Instead of extracurricular activities, such as drama or basketball, students participate in Junior ROTC or Explorer posts that partner with municipal fire or police departments.
In addition to fire science, students are exposed to potential roles as dispatchers, emergency medical technicians or criminal investigators or in criminal justice.
During a recent demonstration of the school’s wildland-fire program, the BLM announced an $8,000 donation of equipment, such new helmets and packs, to the program.
Paul Montañez, Franklin’s firefighting/EMS instructor, said students can connect with their professional careers sooner through the BLM program.
Thanks Dick
