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Off-Duty Firefighter Saves Shooting Victim Picture of Casey Dodge
 San Bernardino County Firefighter/Paramedic
Casey Dodge, assigned to County Fire's Silver Lakes/Helendale station, saved a shooting victim's life in an incident described in the Victorville Daily Press. You can read the news article by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Victorville Daily Press
Picture of ButterButter's Big Day “Butter” is Isabella Rainbolt’s nickname within her family. She’s a four-year-old girl who has some special needs and a good reason to learn who firefighters really are. Her family’s “thank you” letter and video program to County Fire’s Station 2 tell the story of a special visit. Click here to see the letter and the video.
 
Picture of Academy GraduatesEngineer Academy Graduates 15 The third Engineers Academy ended February 1, 2008, and 15 applicants successfully completed the program. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
 
Chief Jerry Riha Passes Away It is once again with great sadness that we announce the death of a fire service leader, Jerry Riha, a former San Bernardino County Fire employee. Please click here for information about funeral arrangements. 
Fire Captain Vance Tomaselli Passes Away It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Captain Vance Tomaselli. Captain Tomaselli passed away late in the evening of February 21. Click here for more details.
Ron Avanzolini Honored Again County Fire’s Special Events Coordinator, Ron Avanzolini, was honored by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership at the IEEP’s 22nd Annual Gala to be held at the Ontario Convention Center, on Monday, February 4, 2008. To read the story, click here.
 
Three Injured in Building Collapse Two of the San Bernardino County Fire Department’s Heavy Technical Rescue Units based in Fontana were called in to free a woman trapped in debris from the collapse of a business building’s second story on Tuesday, January 29, 2008. A contractor and another employee also received minor injuries in the incident. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
 
Garth Brooks Honored for Concerts to Aid Fire Victims

On behalf of Southern California Fire Chiefs, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Pat Dennen on Thursday pronounced country music star Garth Brooks an Honorary Firefighter. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
Supervisor Gonzales presents awardThe San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, honored a Muscoy man who comforted and quieted a three-year-old boy who had been struck by a vehicle, saving the child’s life, until fire units arrived. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
 
Division Chief Summers Receives Festive Send-off County Fire South Desert Division Chief Paul Summers marked the end of a 37-year fire service career with a well-attended luncheon, ceremony and celebration on December 5, 2007. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
 
A Day of Barbecue, Memories and Memorabilia A reunion and barbecue for volunteer firefighters turned into a day of memories and memorabilia at the Needles Fire Station (Station 31) on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
Avanzolini Is "County Employee of the Year" Ron Avanzolini, County Fire’s Special Events Coordinator, received the “County Employee of the Year” prize from the California On Location Awards at a ceremony held Sunday, Oct. 14.

For Avanzolini, the third time was a charm. He had been nominated for the award in two previous years, but had been selected runner-up.

Ron Avanzolini, County Fire’s Special Events Coordinator, received the “County Employee of the Year” prize from the California On Location Awards at a ceremony held Sunday, Oct. 14. To read the story and view pictures, click here.
 
Big Bear Rescue A U.S. Forest Service (USFS) helicopter fire crew of eight were involved in a vehicle accident on October 1, 2007 at 9:45 a.m. The crew was from the USFS’s San Bernardino National Forest Helitack Crew stationed at the Heaps Peak heliport. While driving east on Hwy. 18 in the “Arctic Circle” area about a half-mile west of the Big Bear Dam, the crew carrier went through a guardrail and plunged about 400 feet before coming to rest. Read the full story and view more pictures here.
 
County Fire Aids in Fighting Butler 2 Blaze The San Bernardino County Fire Department provided assistance in the form of crews; equipment, including dozers; and management for the Butler 2 Fire in the Big Bear Lake area of the San Bernardino mountains. County fire personnel were among 2,505 firefighters involved with this incident. Read the full story and view more pictures here.
 
Hazardous Materials Spill On July 25, San Bernardino County Fire Department Hazardous Materials responded to a leak of liquid from a filled tank car in a railyard at Etiwanda Avenue and Slover Avenue in Fontana. A medic engine also responded. Read the full story and view more pictures here.
Needles House Fire Knocked Down Quickly A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy on routine patrol spotted a house on fire at about 10:30 p.m. on July 16. His radio report resulted in an immediate response by San Bernardino County Fire Department units and Mohave Valley Fire Department units from Arizona.  Read the full story and view more pictures here.
 
Farmington Fire 7-11-2007 An engine fire in a pickup truck spread to surrounding desert grassland in Hesperia at 11:19 a.m. Wednesday, July 11, but aggressive action by over 75 firefighters held the fire to seven acres and saved nearby homes.  Read the full story and view more pictures here.
  
Using surveillance, traffic stops, citations and confiscations, the 2007 San Bernardino County Fireworks Interdiction Team intercepted dangerous, illegal fireworks that were purchased out-of-state before they could reach California destinations from April through the Fourth of July holiday. The team consisted of County Fire investigators, County Sheriff’s Arson/ Bomb Unit detectives, and representatives of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The 2007 team made a total of 932 traffic stops, resulting in 13 arrests, 157 citations for violating California dangerous fireworks possession laws, and confiscation of nearly 30 tons of illegal fireworks, valued at $128,352.  View more pictures here.
06.04.07  A caravan of firefighting and law enforcement vehicles stopped at County Fire’s Devore Station Monday morning to pick up a check for $8,000—proceeds from last fall’s 9-11 Golf Tournament sponsored by County Fire Firefighters—and a $700 check from the Phelan Fire Explorers Post. The Devore stop was the third on the first day of the Firefighters Quest for Burn Survivors’ five-day, five-county fundraising journey. Read the full story and view more pictures here.

05.11.07  Firefighters rescued a construction worker trapped by tons of cinder block and soil in a trench rescue in Muscoy. Read the full story and view more pictures here.
05.10.07  Fire Inspector Karl Von Oesen and Kirk Hightower, a contractor, were honored by the County Board of Supervisors for rescuing an elderly man from a burning home in Landers.  Read the full story and view more pictures here.
05.08.07  Fire Capt. Dan Munsey believes in standardizing procedures across all of County Fire’s divisions over the county’s 20,000 square miles. He also believes the standard to be met is the one in the department’s vision statement: to make County Fire a “premier provider of fire services in Southern California.” Read the full story here.
04.15.07  On Sunday, April 15, 2007, about 25 paid-call and probationary firefighters received instruction and hands-on training at a “live fire” exercise set in an abandoned house in Fontana. The exercise was led by Training Division Battalion Chief Tom Pambianco and four other instructors, including Eng. Jay Hausman, Capt. John Chamberlin, Capt. John Lansing and Capt. Shawn Millerick. Read the full story and view more pictures here.
03.31.07  The Las Flores Fire burned 4,100 acres on Saturday, March 31, 2007. It forced the evacuation of about 235 homes for a few hours in the foothill neighborhood of south Hesperia. In all, however, structural damage was limited to a storage shed and some scorching on the roof of one home. About 150 firefighters responded to the blaze. They received assistance from water-dropping helicopters.View more pictures here.
02.20.07  The following individuals were honored at the February 20th Promotion & Service Pin Ceremony held at Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland. Read the full story and view more pictures here.


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