web powered by 
Home 
News Local News Klamath fire district adds volunteers
Klamath fire district adds volunteers
|
More firefighters now than before walk-out The Klamath Fire Protection District now has more volunteer firefighters than it did in May when a number of people quit and left behind their gear to protest the termination of their chief. While this bodes well for the small southern Del Norte County community, the district’s new fire chief, Labecca Nessier, said the new firefighters still need additional training. “We still are missing some of the knowledge base that was here before,” Nessier said. “We’re holding some steady training and we’re getting people up on board again.” The Klamath Fire Protection District now has 16 firefighters, which means there are about four more volunteers than there were before the walk-out. It’s still unknown why the fire district board fired its former chief, Lonnie Levi, and members have refused to comment on the issue.
Nessier said the new volunteers are “aggressively training” a couple
times a week and taking advantage of the presence of several Cal Fire
firefighters who are stationed in Klamath for the summer fire season.
These full-time firefighters, she said, give the volunteers the back-up
they need, while also providing the expertise and training they now
lack.
Most recently, Nessier said the Cal Fire crews worked with the volunteers on night training and responding to an emergency in which rescue efforts are needed to bring someone from over an embankment. According to Crescent City Fire Chief Steve Wakefield — who in May called the shortage of firefighters in Klamath a “serious emergency” — training a volunteer to become a basic firefighter and first responder in his department can take anywhere from a year to 18 months. It takes even longer, he said, to gain enough real world experience to be considered proficient. “Depending on the number of calls that they go on, it’s two years to three years depending on the activity level,” Wakefield said. “Most of the training comes on the calls because that’s your trade.” The Klamath Fire Protection District has only received about 20 calls for service over the past month. Nessier said almost all of those were medical, and the other two were because of a false smoke alarm and a small electrical fire caused by a heater. “They were pretty minor things,” she said. Volunteer response to calls, so far, has been good for the Klamath Fire Protection District. For the two non-medical issues, Nessier said her fire department was first on the scene, and an average of six to eight volunteers have been showing up on emergency calls. There has also been good attendance at the bi-weekly training sessions. “I feel like we’re moving forward,” Nessier said. “Everything was kind of a shock to the system and everybody really stepped up in the community here. Now it’s just a matter of getting them all trained up.”
|
