Date: 26 October 2010
Time: 17:27 Initial Request
Type: Vegetation Fire
Size: Guessed at 2 alarm level.
Jurisdiction: Cal Fire
Location: Initially, San Bruno Ave., off Santa Teresa Blvd. with Rehab later set up off dirt trail accessed via Willow Springs Rd.
Initial Cal Fire incident dispatch was 16:47 hrs. More than a dozen engines and water tenders were dispatched along with 2 dozers, 2 hand crews, 2 copters, 2 air tankers and 1 Air attack. Staging was Santa Teresa Blvd. at San Bruno Ave. Access was changed to Willow Springs Rd. just west of Santa Teresa. Total acreage was 13 acres, as mapped by Air Attack 460.
Incident Commander requested "Rehab" and within a minute or so, at 17:27 hrs, John Whiteside received a call from Cal Fire’s Morgan Hill Emergency Command Center asking for rehab assistance. During that phone conversation, it was agreed that Fire Associates was the best choice rather than John responding as a Cal Fire VIP volunteer to Morgan Hill to collect necessary supplies. John left SJFD Station 6 with FSU-2 at 18:11. At the scene, John was directed by Battalion 1613 to drive up a trail that a dozer and the engines had made. A half-mile later, over steep and very bumpy terrain, John reached the scene atop the Santa Teresa hills, with a spectacular view from San Jose down to Gilroy. It was a crisp, cool, windy location. John was met by Don Gilbert, John Whitaker and Mike Chappell (who had cases of Gatorade and water in his van), who all followed FSU-2 up the hill in their POVs. Quite a test for our usual road vehicles up and down a narrow trail, with steep grades, in the dark!!!
FSU-2 was released some time after 22:00 and went to a local Morgan Hill restaurant for meals arranged by Cal Fire, joining released engine crews for some late dinner and good conversation.
- 3D Map view of Rehab location up the ridge off Willow Springs Rd.: 3D Map
-- Accompanying Photo by John Whitaker
