Fire Associates Responds to Yet Another Flood Area

   
Date: Feb. 21, 2017
Dispatch: 20:45
Location: Williams and 22nd Streets, San Jose
Type: Multiple Flood Rescues
FASCV Response: FSU-3, Dembecki

Details: After completing meal service at the Oakland Road incidents, SJFD units were working yet another flood incident covering multiple blocks in the area of Williams and 19th streets. Multiple rescue boats were working the incident and traveling up and down normally dry streets evacuating residents. Fire Support Unit 3 brought approx 40 meals to the Williams Street incident at around 21:00. While rescue efforts continued the meals were popular and FSU-3 was released soon after 10:00pm.
 
Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki

FASCV Responds To Second Flood Area In San Jose

 
Date: Feb. 21, 2017
Dispatch: 16:13pm
Location: 1350 Oakland Road, San Jose
Type: Multiple Flood Rescues
FASCV Response: FSU-2, Gilbert, Whiteside and FSU-3 Dembecki
Released 20:45
 
After a busy morning and afternoon, San Jose Fire personnel were presented with continuing flood problems along the Coyote Creek. Having finished a search of the properties in the Nordale area and evacuating more than 200 people, San Jose Fire moved on to a series of problems at several mobile home parks along Oakland Road. Three parks were put under mandatory evacuation orders as the flood waters along the Coyote Creek threatened to overwhelm the barrier walls protecting the parks. Along with minor flooding, several people required rescue and removal by flood boat during the evacuation.
   
Fire Support Unit 2 along with drivers Don Gilbert and John Whiteside responded directly from the earlier incident, while Bruce Dembecki brought FSU 3 to the scene along with fresh supplies.
   
Fire Associates was tasked with acquiring and serving 65 meals… The local Togo’s closed their doors so they could work on meeting our needs. Meals were served to Fire, Police, Parks, and PG&E personnel involved in the evacuations. After dinner, the evacuations were completed and the parks were handed over to the PD to provide security.
   
FSU-2 and a weary John and Don were released at 20:45 and sent home after a long, long day. FSU-3 was dispatched to provide additional meals at a third flooding location.
   
Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki

Fire Associates Called To Aide San Jose Food Response

 
Date: Feb. 21, 2017
Dispatch at 10:37am
Location: San Jose's Nordale neighborhood - Phelan & Senter Roads
Type: Multiple Flood Rescues
FASCV Responders: FSU-2, Gilbert, Whiteside
   
Details: San Jose Fire called Fire Associates looking for assistance with meals for an ongoing rescue operation in the Nordale neighborhood, near Kelley Park. The Coyote Creek had flooded and was flooding multiple homes and apartments. San Jose responded with multiple rescue boats and were working to evacuate residents.
   
The nature of the flood meant the floodwaters were contaminated wth raw sewage, fuel and oil from flooded vehicles, and assorted chemicals picked up in various homes and garages. This meant as well as evacuating the residents it was important to decontaminate the residents who had been exposed to the flood water.
   
San Jose worked to evacuate over 200 residents by boat. Meanwhile Fire Associates were setting up to provide rehab to the first responders working the scene. Setting up a rehab facility across the street from the incident in the lobby of the Fire HQ building proved advantageous, and our helpers throughout the day even included San Jose’s Fire Chief Jacobson.
 
Don Gilbert and John Whiteside responded to the scene with Fire Support Unit 2, stopping en route to collect the first 40 meals, along with a supply of donuts and coffee. Setting up Rehab in a downstairs conference room gave our first responders a higher than normal comfort level, and good access to bathroom facilities. Of course having been wading through chest deep water across the road they all had to decontaminate before entering Rehab.
   
As the event dragged into the afternoon a second food run was made to bring in another 40 meals for hungry first responders. Once the primary search had been completed of all the residences in the impacted neighborhood units were released to additional flood areas around San Jose. With FSU-2 being dispatched to an ongoing operation on Oakland Road at around 16:15.
 
Report submitted by Bruce Dembecki

Los Gatos Condo Fire Goes to 2 Alarms

   
Date: Feb 5, 2017
Requesting Agency: County Fire (CNT).
Incident Location: Los Gatos, Unit 120k, at dead-end of College Terrace Court at College Ave. Near Main Street/Hwy 17, southwest of downtown, uphill above Hwy 17.
Type: 2-alarm; plus SJS for 2 engines, station coverage.
   
Details: Continuous rain, downhill walk into the scene at a Multi-unit condo structure fire with narrow street access. Fire unit at ground level, only feet from parked engines. Hydrant within complex. Per IC, we only provided water, Gatorade and CLIF bars. Fire in attic, thought to have originated from fireplace. Contained to single, end unit.
 
FASCV Response: FSU-2, John Whiteside (driver), Mike Garcia, Walter Huber, and guest Christian Sevilla. Departed SJS Station 6 at 19:20, released 20:40.
   
Report submitted by John Whiteside