CPF

A 60-day Special Election to fill the post of CPF Secretary-Treasurer has ended with the election of Burbank Fire Fighters Local 778 President Lew Stone. Stone, who has served as CPF 2nd District Vice President since 2001, was sworn in this week at a meeting of the CPF Executive Board. 

 As weather on the front lines continues to assist the firefighting effort, the sobering toll of the 2008 Firestorm is, in one area, without precedent. According to CAL FIRE, the month-long siege of fires has swallowed up nearly 850,000 acres, surpassing the 2003 Southern California Firestorm, which officially consumed about 650,000 acres. All but 80 of the more than 2,000 fires have been contained.

During the hot summer, the risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke increase. A new CalOSHA warning about heat stress is especially important for firefighters as fire season kicks into high gear in Northern California.

In its July issue, National Geographic examines the escalating fire risk throughout the Western United States, citing development in the WUI as well as climatic changes as the cause of fires that are ever-more dangerous.

As the battle continues to rage against a rash of devastating wildland fires, a 63-year-old volunteer firefighter for the Anderson Valley Fire Department has died on the lines. Robert Roland, a retired aerospace executive, collapsed while helping to lay hose line at a fire complex near Philo. He died later at an area hospital. Roland is the second California firefighter to have died after battling the blazes -- Newport Beach FF Kevin Pryor died of a brain hemorrhage less than a day after returning from the Humboldt Fire.

An ever-growing wave of  lightning-sparked wildland fires continues to consume structures and acreage from Kern County to the Oregon Border. As of June 30 (AM), nearly 1,500 separate lightning fires were burning in Northern California, consuming upwards of 400,000 acres and leaving much of the North State in a smoky haze. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, and nearly 20,000 firefighters are on the front lines battling the blazes.

Wind, weather and tough terrain have hampered containment efforts in the massive Indians Fire in the Los Padres National Forest. The 51,000 acre blaze is 51% contained as of Saturday afternoon. Two more fires have started in the Big Sur area, forcing more firefighters to join the 2,500 firefighters already on scene, and has prompted voluntary evacuation notices for portions of southern Monterey County.

Newport Beach Firefighters Local #3734 is saddened to announce the loss of one of their brother firefighters, in the line of duty. Firefighter Kevin Patrick Pryor , 31, suffered a fatal brain aneurysm shortly after returning home from a strike team at the Humboldt Fire June 15.. Memorial services are set for Tuesday, June 24th at 12:00 noon at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village. CLICK HERE for more info.

A blast of warm air has kicked the Northern California fire season into high gear, as fires continue to spring up in several Central Valley communities. The largest blaze in Humboldt County has charred more than 23,000 acres. More than 1/3 of the region's 27,000 residents have been forced to evacuate. Elsewhere, four firefighters have been burned in blazes stretching from Lincoln to Stockton.  CLICK HERE to view the latest incident rundown from CAL FIRE.