Day 9- March 21, 2009
I didn’t leave the scanner on last night as I rarely hear anything after I fall asleep anymore. I used to wake up whenever someone’s raised the tone of their voice to report a fire. Not any more. I got up this morning at 0530 hours and got on the road around 0630 hours.
After watching the local weather forecast last night, I was worried that I’d be driving through rain all the way up to the San Francisco area today. It was very overcast and 50 degrees when I departed the motel. While I was heading up the 210 Freeway, LA City had a working fire in the 5th battalion near Station 35. It sounded like it involved an underground parking garage and a few automobiles with extension to the 2nd floor of an apartment building. I heard 35’s Task Force, Engine 52, Engine 82 and Rescue Ambulance 835 involved. I never heard much more as it was knocked down in about 10 minutes.
When I got up to the Sylmar area I saw all the devastation from last Novembers fires in that area. I saw the mobile home park that burned 500+ homes there. There was nothing standing but the front steps and sometimes a block foundation where the homes once stood. It was probably the largest loss of homes in LA City in recent history. They had crews in the mobile home park, but 70 mph winds forced the firefighters out.
It started misting as I neared the Pyramid Lakes area, about 4000 feet above sea level. The temperature had dropped to 40 degrees, but at least it wasn’t snowing. When I came down the 6% grade into Grapevine, the sun broke through the clouds and stayed with me all the way up I-5. It eventually worked up to about 64 degrees as I approached the Highway 152 cut off.
As I usually do, I took the 152 cutoff through the San Luis State Park area, which is just gorgeous. The hills are as green as I have ever seen them. They must have had a lot of rain here recently. This 4-lane highway takes you about 30 miles west and then it turns into a windy two lane highway all the way into Gilroy, about 10 miles south of San Jose. I much prefer this route as the 580 and other roads into the area are always jammed and then you have to take slow ride on a toll bride across the bay into San Mateo County or San Francisco.
I got into Gilroy around 1230 hours and headed north on the 101 Freeway. I got off near San Jose Station 24. I ran into some of the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in San Jose. Everybody must have been out driving in San Jose. The lights here are horrendously long. I finally made it to Station 24, after Engine 24 was sent out on a run- just before I got there. I took a shot of the station and headed further east to San Jose’s new Station 31. The engine was out and just as I walked up to the station a medic rig took off. Yes, a medic rig! I’ll explain a little later. I took a photo of new Station 31 and then headed to Station 16. I was greeted at Station 16 by the nicest fire captain. He had just finished lunch and he showed me around and explained everything that’s been going on in the San Jose Fire Department recently. Their stations now number up to 35 (even though their website only shows 31). Station 32 is not open yet. Stations 33, 34 and 35 are already open. A while back, San Jose took three ladder trucks out of service and put USAR units (basically squads) at those three stations. The USAR’s run just like the trucks. They have an Air/Light unit that responds as the second piece. Three firefighters ride on the ladder trucks (or USAR unit) and two firefighters run on the Light/Air unit (as a five-man company). The engines all run with four firefighters (all include the officer).
San Jose now has ladder trucks (or USAR’s) at Stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (USAR), 9, 14, 13, 16 (USAR), 18 and 29. Ladder 2 is currently at new Station 34 while old Station 2 is being torn down and will be being rebuilt on the same site. Engine 16 has one of three new 2007 Spartan Gladiator. Ferrara pumpers. San Jose now has two new TDA’s in the department at, one at Ladder 1 and the other temporarily at Ladder 18 (which is running the rig until Station 3 can be retrofitted to fit the new TDA). New Station 1 was built next door to old Station 1, which is now a fire museum.
AMR is the provider with medic service to the entire Santa Clara County area. In that thy were not providing adequate service into certain areas of San Jose, the SJFD got a grant to fund five medic units that are now operated by the department. Three of the medics are run by ladder truck company manpower. Two will go on the ambulance, three will go on the ladder truck (and they have no air/light unit anymore). Two engine companies (31 and 22) operate the other two medic units with two men being taken off the engine company (not good).
After San Jose medic program started, AMR suddenly found money to staff three new medics units in the City of San Jose. Apparently, they felt threatened. New Station 32 will actually replace Station 24, as the manpower will come from 24’s and Station 24 will close. Another political maneuver so a politician can say “look at this new fire station I had opened” in your area (not to mention that it forced another station in the area to close).
I took photos of Engine 16 and USAR 16 in an off and on light drizzle and headed up to new Station 34, just off King Road at Las Plumas. The station is a two-story modern-looking three-bay complex and it even has a fire pole- but only one! Engine 34 and Water Tender 34 are permanently stationed there, while Ladder 2 is only there until their station is done being rebuilt. I already had a photo of Ladder 2’s rig, so I just asked to have the new WT 34 pulled out for photos. The sun came out briefly and then I could see that it was really getting dark in the west, so I beat feet to the car and headed up the 101 to South San Francisco, where I’m staying for a couple nights.
It started to pour about 10 miles up the 101. Then it let up again as I neared SFO airport. I checked into my motel in a light rain around 1530 hours. After I brought all my luggage up to the room, I headed into San Francisco to see if it was worth trying to get any photos - it wasn’t. It started to rain off and on again and got quite dark. After driving by a few stations, I decided to call it a day and headed back to the motel.
I am not getting the San Francisco FD trunked fire traffic to come in very well in my motel room (although I couldn’t get it to work at all the last time I was at this motel five years ago). The signal strength is anywhere from 90% all the way down to 15%. I’m really not sure if I’m getting anywhere near 20% of the San Francisco FD radio traffic- probably not. There is a huge mountain that separates San Francisco from South San Francisco and that’s what’s probably interfering with the signal getting to me here in South San Francisco. I may move if I can find a better location.
I am able to monitor Oakland (trunked), Berkeley (trunked), Alameda County, Hayward, Fremont (trunked), Milpitas, San Jose, San Mateo County, and some of Santa Clara County from my motel room. The radio has been pretty busy. San Jose has really been busy, but no actual fires as of yet.
It’s supposed to storm here tonight and into tomorrow morning. I’ll try and get out as soon as I can tomorrow to get some photos. It all depends on the weather. If nothing else, maybe I’ll try and locate a motel on higher ground tomorrow. I also need a new earplug for my scanner, as my other one broke off. Maybe I’ll have time to do that if it’s raining tomorrow.
