CCFR – Page 7 – City and Borough of Juneau

CBJ cancels Air Emergency

The City & Borough of Juneau’s Lands Division and Capital City Fire/Rescue have canceled the Air Emergency issued earlier this week for the entire borough. Levels of airborne particulates caused by regional forest fires have decreased and are no longer in the unhealthy range. All open burn permits and open burning may resume.

CBJ will continue to monitor the particulate levels and issue future announcements or air emergencies if concentrations return to unhealthy levels. For more information, please contact the Lands Office at 586-5252. For questions regarding open burning, please contact CCFR at 586-0600.

July 12th, 2019|

CBJ issues an Air Emergency for the entire borough; open burning prohibited

The City & Borough of Juneau’s Lands Division and Capital City Fire/Rescue have issued an Air Emergency for the entire borough. Due to unhealthy levels of airborne particulates caused by regional forest fires, CBJ has canceled all open burn permits and is prohibiting open burning. The use of wood stoves and fireplaces is also prohibited.

The particulate levels are expected to remain unhealthy for the next few days. People with medical conditions or sensitivity to poor air quality should limit exposure and time outdoors. In general, people should limit outdoor aerobic activities until air quality improves.

CBJ will continue to monitor the particulate levels and cancel the Air Emergency once the particulate levels return to healthy levels.

For more information, please contact the Lands Office at 586-5252. To report an open burn, please contact CCFR at 586-0600.

July 8th, 2019|

Gastineau Channel fireworks show will go on, but personal use fireworks banned in Juneau

The annual Gastineau Channel July 4th fireworks show will go on as scheduled, according to Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge. The use of personal fireworks, however, are banned in Juneau to comply with the Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office’s immediate suspension on the sale and use of fireworks across much of Alaska due to heightened fire danger.

“We ask that people in Juneau adhere to the ban on personal use fireworks. In Juneau, we’re not used to thinking about outdoor fire safety. Although we live in a rainforest, the threat of wildland fire is a very real danger. We are in the middle of a drought and that changes the dynamics of our rainforest,” Etheridge said.

The July 4th fireworks show, which takes place the night of July 3rd, is run by volunteer group Juneau Festival Association. Etheridge says the show is permitted by the City and Borough of Juneau, has gone through a separate permitting process by the state, and has several safeguards, including a pyrotechnician’s license, insurance policies, and approved detailed plans regarding fireworks height and fallout. Both the State Fire Marshal’s Office and state Division of Forestry are aware of the permitted show.

In contrast, use of personal fireworks in Juneau won’t be permitted during the July 4th holiday and into the foreseeable future. On June 27, the Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office implemented an immediate suspension on the sale and use of fireworks across much of Alaska, including Juneau, citing high to very high fire danger and a shortage of firefighting resources in the state. “… the safety of Alaskans and visitors is paramount. The suspension of the sale and use of fireworks will assist in protecting life and property,” said State Fire Marshal Richard Boothby. The State Fire Marshal requires CBJ to comply with this ban on personal use fireworks.

For more information, contact Capital City Fire/Rescue at 586-5322.

July 1st, 2019|

Red Flag Warning for the Juneau area

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Juneau area until 10 p.m. Thursday. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Open burning is prohibited while a Red Flag Warning is in effect. Use extreme caution and avoid activities that could easily cause fires in these conditions, such as activities that include any open flame use.

Capital City Fire/Rescue urges residents to be extremely cautious, especially during periods of high fire danger. A simple spark could create a fire that may spread rapidly and become difficult to extinguish. The type of weather patterns that can cause a Red Flag Warning include low relative humidity, strong winds, dry fuels or any combination of the above.

Current fire watch and warning information can be found at the National Weather Service Alaska Fire Weather Watch webpage at https://www.weather.gov/arh/fire .

June 27th, 2019|

CCFR to take over management of sleep off program July 1

Capital City Fire/Rescue is set to take over management of Juneau’s sleep off program on July 1. The service, which provides field evaluation and transportation of inebriated individuals to a safe space where they can sober up, is currently housed at Bartlett Regional Hospital. With the change of management comes a new model and a new name — CCFR CARES, or Community Assistance Response and Emergency Services.

“The new identity is to better reflect our vision of how the program will serve the community. Managing the sleep off center will be one facet. The core purpose of CARES is to connect people with needed services, start whittling away at their challenges and barriers, and hopefully reduce their reliance on emergency services,” Fire Chief Rich Etheridge said.

The supervised sleep off center will operate 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul on Teal Street in the space formerly occupied by the thrift shop. CARES will be collocated with St. Vincent de Paul’s Community Navigator program. Patrons will have immediate access to the navigators as well as access to bathing, laundry, and clothing resources.

“Relocating sleep off services from BRH to CCFR allows BRH to better focus on their core medical-related services and offer expanded substance abuse treatment programs to those in need. At the same time, sleep off services is a natural expansion of CCFR’s current line of work. In the long run, we expect to see reductions in non-emergent emergency medical calls, increased number of firefighting staff to improve our community readiness for major incidents, and a better safety net for vulnerable individuals,” Deputy City Manager Mila Cosgrove said.

No new funding is being allocated for the program; the existing budget from BRH is being transferred to CCFR. Over the next several months, CCFR will evaluate how the program can best meet any further needs without duplicating existing community services.

For more information, contact the City Manager’s Office at 586-5240, or Fire Chief Rich Etheridge at 586-0251 or [email protected].

June 26th, 2019|