Local HEROES Clean Water

Fire Department NewsChristmas Tree Farm/New Fire StationThank you to everyone that came to ournew property on Highway 116 to get aChristmas tree... We sold more treesthan ever before! A big “Thank You” toour tree farm manager, Heather O’Dell,for all of her hard work getting the treefarm looking so great. We had a greattime meeting everyone and raised a lotof money to go towards the new firestation. Remember- your Christmastree was also a donation and, therefore,a tax-deductible item for your taxes. Welook forward to seeing you next season!The Fire Board hired an architectto design the new station and wewill begin the review process withthe county building department verysoon. All of the volunteer firefighterslook forward to being able to fit all ofour equipment indoors in a buildingthat we trust will hold up during anearthquake.Toy Drive... Another SuccessThe 2008 Toy Drive was a fantasticsuccess, thank you! Graton Fire was ableto deliver presents to over 50 children,brightening their holidays. We wisheveryone could experience the joy wesee when the fire engine pulls up anddelivers your presents... once again,thank you. Tremendous thanks alsoneeds to go out to the Graton Post Officefor collecting the toys for us.Help Us, Help YouReflective address signs help usfind you Download the order format www.gratonfire.com or stop by thefirehouse and pick up an order formjustto the right of the front door. If youhave any questions, please call us at829-7939 for more information.New Laws- Texting and GPS UnitsAs of January 1 st , it is no longer okayto type or read text messages whiledriving; this even includes when sittingat a traffic light or stop sign. Secondly,GPS units are very popular and greatfor finding your way around. Startingin 2009, they can be secured in thelower left or lower right corners of yourwindshield as well as the dash (whichhas always been okay). The goal is toprevent the GPS unit from obstructingthe driver’s view of the road whenplaced in the center of the windshield.2008 in ReviewAs 2008 ended, the firefighters ofthe Graton Fire Protection Districtcompleted 525 calls... a new record.This may not seem like much when youcompare it with large city departments,but Graton Fire still runs every call withvolunteers- from the Fire Chief to theTrainees... they interrupt their payingjobs and personal lives to serve thecommunity. Graton runs more calls thanany other volunteer fire department inSonoma County (and even more thansome paid departments). Thank youto all of our volunteers, employers, andfamilies for their understanding andsupport.Graton Fire hits new record for call in 2008 - 525Forestville FireDan Norther, Chief887-2212Toys for TotsTh e For e s t v i l le Fi r e f ig ht e r sAssociation would like to thank all ofyou who contributed to the Toys for Totsprogram in December. Because of yourdonations the Association was able topass on enough toys to the Giving Treeat the Forestville School, the MethodistChurch and the Toys for Tots Programto meet local needs.GrantCongresswoman Lynn Wolseyannounced recently that the FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA) and the United States FireAdministration (USFA) have awardedthe Forestville Fire Protection District$46,233.00, under the Assistance toFirefighters Grant Program (AFG).Local firefighters and first respondersare our first line in defense in the eventof a natural disaster such as a forest fire,earthquake, or flood” said CongresswomanWoolsey, “but they can’t do it alone. Theyneed our help and support to ensure thatthey have the resources and equipmentnecessary to do their jobs - keeping ourfamilies, homes, and communities safe. Iwant to congratulate Chief Northern forhis continued leadership of the District, andthank every member of his team for theircontinued commitment and sacrifice.”The Forestville Fire Protection Districtwill use the federal funds to purchaseand install an exhaust extractionsystem in the District’s apparatus bay.The exhaust extraction system willassure that the fire station will be freefrom the deadly, carcinogenic vehicleexhaust that firefighting personneland visitors are currently exposed towhen apparatus are started within thestation. Since 2002 the Forestville FireProtection District has been awardedover $450,000.00 in local, State andFederal Grants.The Year in ReviewThe District responded to 694 requestsfor service in 2008. Slightly over half ofthose requests were medical relatedwhich includes vehicle accidents. Firelosses totaled $252,000.00. Fortunatelythere were no fire related deathshowever; there was one firefighterinjury that resulted in time off work.District paid and volunteer membersparticipated in over 1700 hours oftraining in 2008.While You were SleepingAt 3:30 am on December 14, 2008Forestville Fire District personnel weredispatched to a “person thrown from ahorse near the Forestville VeterinaryClinic”. As the Fire Chief, I typicallydo not respond to medical calls, butthis one happened to peak my interest.First of all it was one of those 27 degreemornings and second why wouldsomeone be riding a horse along Hwy116 at 3:30 am? As I listened to my radiofrom home, I heard the officer on theresponding engine state that there wasa loose horse on Hwy 116 near AppianWay (very appropriately named at thismoment). The engine continued on theHwy until they located the patient nearMom’s Apple Pie.Since cars and horses don’t mix, itwas apparent to me that a loose horseon Hwy 116 was significant enoughto require my response and besidesmy curiosity got the best of me. As Iapproached Templemen Road I foundthe horse calmly eating grass alongthe east side of the highway. I exitedmy truck feeling confident that I couldhandle the situation. As I put on theappropriate reflective gear, whitehelmet (the good cowboys alwayswear white cowboy hats), grabbedmy flashlight and my trusty rope, theengine notified me that, according tothe patient, there may be more thanone horse involved. The next thing Iknew, out of the darkness, came fivemore horses for a total of six. They wereall walking lazily down the highwayheading towards town. It didn’t take alot of fire chief training for me to realizethat I was clearly out numbered andneeded help and maybe a few moreropes. I requested another engine andcrew from the station hoping I wouldbe able to prevent an accident untilthey arrived to help. Shortly after thereinforcements arrived, the horsesheaded for a horse corral area north ofTemplemen Road. With a little coaxingwe were able to open a gate and herdthem in without further incident.Apparently the patient in this casethought it would be a good idea toborrow one of the horses from a nearbycoral and take it for a ride along thehighway. While the gate was openthe five additional horses escaped.Somewhere around Templemen thepatient was bucked off the horse,stepped on by another, and althoughnot seriously hurt was transported byambulance to the hospital. Now youknow the rest of the story….Graton volunteer fire fighter Josh Skikos, Anthony Bopp and trainees Kris hawkes and MattMckenzie hand out toys at the annual Toy Drive1/15/09 - www.westcountygazette.com - 29