General Plan - Moreno Valley

CHAPTER 6 – SAFETY1981): “There must be a maximal sense ofurgency in starting basic life support. Timeis critical. If the brain is deprived of oxygenfor four to six minutes, brain damage islikely to occur. After six minutes withoutoxygen, brain damage is extremely likely”.Information from the American Red Crossdocument, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation(Washington, D.C., 1974) also establishesthe need for rapid response to strokes,heart attacks, airway obstruction, andserious bleeding incidents.Thus, the number and location of stationsand companies are dictated by emergencymedical services response time objectives,in addition to the response requirements forevacuation and suppression.The Fire Department responds to medicalaid calls with advanced life supportservices. American Medical Responseprovided support paramedics andambulance transportation under contractwith the County of Riverside.6.2.5 Emergency ManagementThe Moreno Valley Fire Department is veryinvolved in emergency management. TheFire Department will be the incidentcommander, or be working in a unifiedcommand with other responding agenciesdepending on the nature of the emergency.The objective of the Fire Department is tomitigate emergencies and disasters bykeeping loss of life, property, andenvironment to a minimum. The FireDepartment maintains a clearunderstanding of the statutory responsibilityand authority it has depending upon theemergency; along with a working knowledgeof the Incident Command System, CaliforniaDisaster and Civil Defense Master MutualAid Agreement, and SEMS.MORENO VALLEY GENERAL PLAN6.2.6 Public AssistanceThe Moreno Valley Fire Department has alarge inventory of skills and resources thatcan be of significant benefit to the residentsof the city in many important, but nonemergency,situations. Examples of suchservices include: blood pressure screening,gaining entry for persons locked out ofcars/homes, etc.6.2.7 Fire Prevention CodesCodes prescribe regulations to safeguardlife and property from the hazards of fire,explosion, and other dangerous conditionsand to assist emergency responsepersonnel.A jurisdiction is mandated by State Statue toadopt Title 24, of the California Code ofRegulations. A jurisdiction has the ability toamend the code, to be more restrictivethrough the filing of facts process.Enforcement of fire and life safety codesprotects lives and reduces injuries (for bothcivilians and firefighters); as well as,significantly reduce direct and indirecteconomic losses. Direct losses refer to thestructure and its contents. Indirect lossesinclude loss of business income; wages orentire businesses.6.2.8 Wildland Urban InterfaceNatural topography, terrain, volatile fueltypes, and local climatic conditions haveprovided the necessary components thathave resulted in, and will continue to resultin large and damaging wildfires.The potential for a large and damaging fireis present throughout much of the year.During the months when the Santa Anawinds blow, the potential for a large anddamaging wildland fire is increasedsignificantly. It is imperative theseconsiderations are addressed during theplanning phase of development. MitigationPage 6-10 July 11, 2006