Monday, October 31, 2016

Driver Transported to Trauma Center in La Habra Heights Traffic Accident

On Saturday October 29, 2016 the driver of a vehicle traveling Southbound on Hacienda Rd. near West Rd. lost control of his car and went off the roadway striking a tree with the driver side of the vehicle.

The force of the impact pushed the car back into the roadway, coming to rest in the Northbound lane. The driver suffered serious injuries and was treated and transported to a local trauma center by La Habra Heights Firefighter/Paramedics.





The cause of the accident will be investigated by the L.A. County Sheriffs Department.

Friday, October 28, 2016

La Habra Heights Appoints New City Manager

On October 13, 2016, the La Habra Heights City Council confirmed the appointment of Jarad Hildenbrand as the new City Manager.

Hildenbrand will replace Interim City Manager Thomas Robinson effective December 16, 2016.



READ MORE

Saturday, October 22, 2016

La Habra Heights Fire Department Awarded $870,000 SAFER Grant

La Habra Heights, California

An $870,000 grant has been awarded to the City of La Habra Heights Fire Department by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The funding was provided via the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER)grant program.

“We are very pleased to see the Federal government actively supports the excellent work being done by the La Habra Heights Fire Department,” says Mayor Kyle Miller.  “The residents of La Habra Heights are very proud of the cost-effective work our volunteer Fire Department has done for many years to keep our community safe.”
The SAFER grants program provides funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations throughout the nation to help increase or maintain the number of trained, "front line" firefighters available in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments' abilities to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association.
The La Habra Heights Fire Department provides Firefighters the opportunity to work on a fire engine, as a firefighter, responding to 911 emergencies in a professional setting. This experience helps them transition to a paid, career fire department with greater success. For this reason other fire departments actively recruit from La Habra Heights. 

Of the roughly eighty firefighters working for the Department, over 60% are successful at achieving their goal of becoming a career paid firefighter each year.
The grant duration totals of $870,000 over a four year period to assist the Department with Recruitment and Retention efforts for Firefighters and Paramedics. There are no cost match requirements or long term obligations for the City.
The grant provides funding for one Recruitment and Retention Officer to coordinate both recruitment and retention duties. This Officer will not have emergency response obligations. In addition to covering salary and benefit costs for this officer, the grant also includes funding for recruiting costs and equipment.  

The grant provides funding over the next four years to offset the costs of hiring new recruits; $104,000 for structural personal protective equipment valued at $4,000 per firefighter, $80,000 for medicals exams, $100,000 for training, $18,000 for new uniforms, and $16,000 for website development. 

“We intend to use these Federal funds very prudently as we continue working to provide the highest level of professional fire protection services to the La Habra Heights community,” says Fire Chief Doug Graft.

The grant award comes just days after the La Habra Heights Fire Department was rated in the top two percent of the 48,000 departments across the nation by the Insurance Services Office (ISO).  The organization upgraded the La Habra Heights Fire Department from a Class 5 ranking to a Class 2 effective September 1, 2016.  Areas included in the ISO evaluation included: 911 dispatch capability, Fire Department command staff, apparatus, automatic and mutual aid agreements, staffing levels, training, and fire prevention activities.  In addition, the water supply and fire hydrant system was evaluated.

Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group Preps for Disaster Response



Training As One from LACoFD TSS on Vimeo.


Southern California is the perfect place to live, but it is also a perfect target for terrorism. 

In this video, Harrison Ford describes how the 31 fire and emergency service agencies that serve Los Angeles created the Los Angeles Area Regional Training Group (RTG) to work together to provide a coordinated response in the event of a large scale disaster of terrorist event. 

The La Habra Heights Fire Department is a proud members of the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association. As a member, our Firefighters receive the same training opportunities afforded to other Los Angeles County Fire Departments.

Whittier Police Offer Amateur Radio Operation Class

Are you interested in serving your community during a disaster? 


LEARN TO BE AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR


The program consists of three (3) days of training leading to a Technician Class License.

You must attend all three (3) days AND pass an FCC exam

WHEN:       Friday, November 4, 2016, 6 PM - 9 PM
                     Saturday, November 5, 2016, 8 AM - 4 PM
                     Sunday, November 6, 2016, 8 AM - 4 PM

WHERE:     Whittier Police Department, EOC
                     13200 Penn St. Whittier, CA 90602

COST:          Fee - $10, includes all materials, FCC examination fee and light refreshments.

CONTACT:  Participants must pre-register by calling Whittier’s Emergency Management Division
                     at (562) 567-9810.
                   

Seating is limited to 30 seats.

This class is sponsored by the City of Whittier and Rio Hondo Amateur Radio Club.
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Sunday, October 16, 2016

Firefighters Respond to Sheared Fire Hydrant


On October 15, 2016, La Habra Heights Firefighters responded to a reported sheared fire hydrant. On arrival, firefighters found a fire hydrant which had been struck by an automobile, flowing like a geyser. The driver left the scene prior to the arrival of fire personnel.

Firefighters assisted the La Habra Heights Water District to shut down the fire hydrant. Fortunately, there was minimal damage to the surrounding properties.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's office is investigating the incident.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

La Habra Heights Recommends NFPA Escape Planning

Escape planning

Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning.

Create a home escape plan and develop and practice a home fire escape plan using NFPA's home escape plan grid (PDF, 1.1 MB).

Safety Tip: Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds. Read all of NFPA's escape planning tips and download the NFPA free safety tip sheet.

In 2014, there were an estimated 367,500 reported home structure fires and 2,745 associated civilian deaths in the United States. Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the alarm sounds. A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire.

Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound. Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes.

Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Also, mark the location of each smoke alarm. For easy planning, download NFPA's escape planning grid (PDF, 1.1 MB). This is a great way to get children involved in fire safety in a non-threatening way.


Video: Have some fire-safety fun with The Let's Hear It For Fire Safety Kids. They sing and dance about what to do if there's a fire - Get Outside and Stay Outside!




Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Palm Tree Maintenance Prevents Wildfires


Palm Tree Maintenance: According to the California Invasive Plant Council, Mexican fan palms are extremely invasive, and palm trees with untrimmed fronds harbor rats and snakes, and can be a fire hazard if neglected.

There are many other types of palm trees that are lower-maintenance, more fire-wise and environmentally better choices. Mexican fan palms can become exceedingly tall, and what makes it an extraordinary fire hazard is the “petticoat” of dead fronds that stay on the tree from year to year if not removed.

The dead fronds may be easily ignited, and in a fire, the fronds can fly all over, igniting new fires where they land. Very tall palm trees are dangerous to trim, so it is recommended that you hire only the most qualified personnel to perform the work. If you have Mexican fan palms on your property, check to make sure they are being maintained to reduce fuel for a potential fire.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

La Habra Heights Traffic Accident Sends Three to Hospital

On October 1, 2016 at 3 AM, La Habra Heights Firefighters responded to a head on traffic collision on Harbor Blvd near Kashlan Rd. Upon arrival La Habra Heights Firefighters found a two car traffic collision with three patients complaining of injury.



Firefighters used extrication tools to open the drivers door to remove the injured driver.

La Habra Heights Paramedics with AMR Ambulance transported two patients to UCI trauma center in fair condition.

Los Angeles County Fire Department assisted  the La Habra Heights Fire Department by providing patient care and transporting one patient to a local hospital in stable condition.

Harbor Blvd. remained closed for several hours.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Woman Hit By Car Critically Injured

On September 29, 2016, La Habra Heights Firefighters responded to a citizen's report of a pedestrian struck by an automobile on Hacienda Rd. just south of City Hall in front of Osornio Park in the city of La Habra. 

Photos by Rick McClure

Engine 71 and Engine 72 responded and found an adult female in critical condition after being struck by an automobile. Paramedics began rendering Advanced Life Support to the injured woman. 

L. A. County Engine and Squad 191 and La Habra 1 Ambulance arrived on scene and due to the location being in the County area, patient care was transitioned to L.A. County Fire. 



Due to the patients condition, LACo Engine 191 requested an air ambulance to transport the patient to a local trauma center. 


La Habra Heights Engine 71 and 72 set up the helicopter landing zone in the adjacent soccer field to ensure the safety of bystanders. Firefighter Paramedics loaded the patient into the waiting helicopter and the patient was transported to the LAC/USC Medical Center in critical condition.



Patient is loaded into L.A. County Air Squad 11 for transport