BCFD

This is an article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel

Jennifer Squires - Sentinel Staff Writer

A few tentative flames lick some roadside brush in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's 2 p.m. on a hot, dry summer day and the humidity is low. This, firefighters say, is a bad day. Conditions are right for a wildland fire to burn out-of-control. As soon as the 911 calls begin rolling in, firefighters start rolling out. Seven Cal Fire engines, two hand crews, a dozer, an air tanker, a helicopter and an air attack plane -- to coordinate the firefighting from above -- are sent to the fire, regardless of size. In the first few minutes, fire officials assess the blaze and decide if more resources are needed or if some can be called off. This is the standard response during summer's high fire season, according to Fire Chief John Ferreira, head of Cal Fire Santa Cruz-San Mateo County. Battling wildfires is part science, part experience, and it's all based on the behavior of the fire. Ferreira, who has 36 years experience fighting fire, said it "becomes second nature because you've been doing it so long."

Fueling a fire On a windless day, a fire that ignites in a flat grassy field will burn in a circle.

That's not the type of wildfire that crews in Santa Cruz County and across the state have been dealing with this summer.

Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Communications Center (9-1-1) has launched a new Emergency Notification system which can be used by center staff to send important messages to residents and businesses within Santa Cruz County. The system has the capability of sending thousands of messages in a very short time based on geographic location of the incident.
Examples of uses may be:
•    Request for community assistance in locating missing children
•    Evacuation notices due to emergency situations
•    Be-on-the-lookout notices for dangerous criminals in your area
Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Communications Center (9-1-1) contracts with Avtex Solutions, utilizing their CityWatch Emergency Notification platform. Landline phone numbers have been uploaded into the system but cell phone numbers require individual registration.
Go to sccecc.org to sign up and have your cell phone included!  

The following video was taken by John Bridges, a firefighter with Boulder Creek fire. It was taken on 22 May, 2008 at the Summit fire in Santa Cruz County, on Summit Road near Maymens Flat Road at about 10 pm. The fire had just blown up again and was spotting in all directions.

This is the smoke plume from the summit fire as of 07:10 on 5/22/08. This picture was taken from Fossil Lane above Riverside Grove in Boulder Creek.  Engine 2136 was dispatched on a strike team to this fire. Strike team pages continue. Watch the Cal Fire Incidents link for up-to-date fire status as they become published.

This was a fire in October of 2007. There was one fatality. Units from Boulder Creek Fire, Ben Lomond Fire, and Felton Fire responded.