Fire Chief gets media attention for helping to put out fire with garden hose

Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge hasn’t bought anyone ice cream yet, but “I probably should,” he said. “We got a thing here, if you get on the front page of the paper, you have to buy your shift ice cream, or something like that.” And that’s exactly where he was Friday morning – on the cover and above the fold of the Juneau Empire.

CCFR wrote on its Facebook page last Thursday about responding to a structure fire on Channel Drive: “The Fire Chief was just happening to be driving by and in the process of investigating black smoke that was coming out of a 2 story complex when the fire department was paged out. He was the first officer on scene and found a fire on the second floor apartment. The sole occupant was in the room when the fire started but was able to escape unharmed. The Fire Chief used a garden hose that was on scene and was able to knock down most of the fire. Crews arrived to do a complete extinguishment and overhaul of the room.”

Chief Etheridge says someone had already drug the garden hose over and was shooting it in the front door. “I got the hose from him and went just a little ways inside the door and knocked the bulk of the fire down. Then I used the nozzle and, from the outside, tapped out a small hole in the window at the seat of the where the fire was at, and kept spraying water on it to keep it down until the fire crews could get in there with the fire hose.”

The Chief doesn’t think what he did is a big deal. “I’m not sure why the story caught traction and people paid attention to it. I think it was a slow news day,” he jokes.

Other news outlets picked up the story. Firefighters around the state have been contacting him and the station “just teasing us about being heroes and our 15 minutes of fame, that kind of stuff,” Etheridge says.

What is noteworthy about the incident was the use a garden hose. Typically, a firefighter would use a fire extinguisher to get the fire under control. For this kind of fire, there’s even grenade-style extinguishers. “You can throw these in the front door and close the door instead of standing there with a garden hose,” Etheridge says. “I had one in the truck but it would’ve taken too long to go back down to the truck to get it.”

And then there’s the Chief’s timing. The Empire quoted CCFR Assistant Chief Ed Quinto, “If it wasn’t for putting the fire out quickly, it could have been worse. The building is made out of wood. It could have spread quickly. We’re fortunate he was here quickly and put the fire out pretty fast.”

Etheridge says, “Typically I don’t have that kind of timing but, hey, it worked out that way this time.”

June 18th, 2019|

Thane Ore House Live Fire Training Thane Road Nov. 24 & 25 2018

Capital City Fire/Rescue will be conducting live fire training at the building commonly known as the Thane Ore House. Following a fire in February of 2011, the business closed and the building fell into disrepair. The Department of Environmental Conservation determined the structure does not contain any of the prohibited items for burning listed within 18 AAC 50.065(h).

On November 13, 2018, The State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued the necessary permits for Capital City Fire/Rescue to conduct live fire training at the site on November 24 and November 25. Assistant Chief Tod Chambers will be the contact person for Capital City Fire/Rescue. He can be reached at 907-586-0918.

 

November 19th, 2018|

Be prepared for possible flooding along Mendenhall River corridor

Water from Suicide Basin, located in the Mendenhall River drainage, started pouring over the top of the Mendenhall Glacier Monday afternoon, and is making its way to Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River. Though it’s unknown what will happen in the next few days, the City and Borough of Juneau wants community members to be aware of what’s going on and to be prepared for possible flooding.

“The water is going over the left side of the Mendenhall Glacier for a couple hundred yards and then goes underneath the glacier. We’re not seeing significant runoff on the lake gauges yet, but as this water goes over the top of this ice dam, it’s going to cut the ice dam down lower and lower, increasing the runoff,” CBJ Emergency Program Manager Tom Mattice said. “We don’t know if this will trigger a normal jökulhlaup, but we assume there’s going to be more and more water coming down out of Suicide Basin. The basin has more water in it right now than it did in 2016, so if a normal jökulhlaup happens today, we could have record flooding. That being said, this event could happen much slower than a normal jökulhlaup; nobody really knows. We’re waiting and seeing.”

The United States Geological Survey is the lead agency on the issue, and the National Weather Service measures the Mendenhall Lake water level and shows predictions: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=pajk&gage=mnda2

Here are tips on how to prepare and stay safe:

  • Juneau residents living along the Mendenhall River corridor should have Go Bags ready and an evacuation plan in place. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Plan for alternate accommodations in the event of flooding.
  • Be extra careful on or around Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall Glacier. In the event of flooding, stay away from the river bank, flooded areas, and bridges going over Mendenhall River.
  • Stay informed by regularly checking the Mendenhall Lake level and listen for flood alerts on the Emergency Alert System. Capital City Fire/Rescue is monitoring the situation and providing updates as needed on its Facebook page.

For more information, contact Emergency Program Manager Tom Mattice at 586-0419 or [email protected].

July 17th, 2018|

CBJ looking to improve emergency services with additional ambulance crew

The City and Borough of Juneau is constantly looking at and evaluating its abilities to provide an appropriate level of service to the community, and sometimes that means adjusting. Due to a spike in demand for emergency services, Capital City Fire/Rescue recently underwent an operational review with an outside consultant to determine how CCFR can best meet public safety needs. While many of the consultant’s recommendations are still being evaluated, CBJ is moving forward with implementing one – hire additional crew for an extra ambulance.

The demand for CCFR services has increased close to 50 percent over the past eight years. In 2010, CCFR answered nearly 3,500 unique calls for service; in 2017, that number was more than 5,000. While the surge in emergency calls is happening nationwide, CCFR contends with challenges unique to Juneau – isolation, lack of mutual aid from other fire departments and dynamic geography.

Consultants with Missouri-based Fitch & Associates came to Juneau earlier this year and conducted a thorough evaluation of CCFR by looking at data, GIS response information, interviewing firefighters and administration, among other things. Its report and list of recommendations were presented to the Assembly during its July 11 Committee of the Whole Work Session. The overarching take away is that with some growth in the ranks – both career and volunteer – CBJ can make a difference in getting emergency services to citizens faster.

Working toward that goal, CCFR plans to add more employees to staff an existing additional ambulance. Aside from this immediate change, CCFR and CBJ staff will identify the most appropriate recommendations from the report in the coming weeks and determine what time frame and resources are applicable to implementation. Any recommendations involving facilities or funding will go to the Assembly for consideration. In order for changes concerning department structure operations to be successful, career and volunteer members will need time to be part of the process on how best to move forward.

As always, the community can be part of the solution as well. Please do not abuse the 911 system. Dial 911 only for an emergency. Examples of an emergency include any serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding), any type of fire (business, car, building), or any life-threatening situation (fights, person with weapons, etc.). Examples of non-emergent situations include getting shampoo in your eye, a spider bite, feeling sick for a week and wanting to go to the hospital. While most people understand these are not emergencies, these are examples of actual 911 calls. At least 20 percent of the calls CCFR receives are for non-emergent situations. For non-emergencies, community members should look to other resources for a transport, like Capital Transit, Care-A-Van, or a taxicab.

Also, CCFR is currently looking for dedicated, hardworking individuals with all types of skills, abilities and backgrounds to be volunteer staff. Volunteers can be firefighters or EMS personnel, or both, and all training and equipment is provided. The Douglas, Auke Bay and Lynn Canal fire stations are volunteer stations that CCFR struggles to keep properly staffed. Volunteers must be a minimum age of 18 years old and possess a valid Alaska Driver’s License. CCFR also offers a Cadet Program for those under 18. If you’re interested in volunteering or have any questions, contact Assistant Chief Tod Chambers at 586-0918 or [email protected].

July 17th, 2018|
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