Jim Doucette comment-32888 2010-07-14T23:30:10Z 2010-07-14T23:30:10Z Thank you Casey and to everyone at SP... You guys are awesome and you will hear more from me and the Firefightes Burn Institute!!! Jim Doucette 2010-07-14T23:30:10Z Jim Doucette comment-31016 2010-06-23T15:02:58Z 2010-06-23T15:02:58Z PW, I was told it exploded soon after our first Fire Engine arrived. I am assuming it was a small BBQ type of tank, which as you are aware are very common. What happens when they are exposed to fire is that the pressure inside the tank increases due to the rising temperature and the tank will eventually fail. In fire terms this is called a "BLEVE" or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion!! Lot of words for an EXPLOSION! Obviously when this happens it can kill people and sometimes it does. I have had a few near misses in my career! The best thing for you to do is obviously prevent fires from happening. But if one occurs, do your best to get the tank to a safe place, but if you cannot do that safely, make sure you get away from the tank and let us know when we arrive what's going on and where the tank is. We usually don't have much of a problem identifying this scenario, due to the fact the these tanks will start "venting" off their contents prior to the tank failing. You will never forget the noise this makes when it happens. It sounds like a jet engine! Thanks for your interest and be safe! Jim Doucette 2010-06-23T15:02:58Z Jim Doucette comment-24027 2010-03-30T23:33:25Z 2010-03-30T23:33:25Z Wackadoodle; thanks for your comments. After the fire was put out, we have to set up a secure perimeter around the fire until the investigation is complete. Until this afternoon, that area was kept secure by one Fire Company, which is 4 Firefighters. Their job is to keep everyone out of the fire area. If there is evidence, it cannot be contaminated. They are also responsible to extinguish any hot spots and flare ups. The fire is now out, and a private security company was brought in to secure the area. As far as the ATF goes, this is a service they provide Nationwide. Due to the size and dollar loss of this fire and because of the enormous job it is going to be to investigate this fire, we requested the assistance of the ATF. This is common. And yes, your tax dollars are paying for this. In my opinion, if this fire was intentionally set, the person or persons responsible are very capable of causing harm and possibly killing someone, and they should be brought to justice. That is why we are doing everything we can to find the cause of this fire, and if someone is responsible, to bring them to justice. Wether or not the building is insured, doesn't change the way we do our job... Jim Doucette 2010-03-30T23:33:25Z Jim Doucette comment-23278 2010-03-13T19:04:46Z 2010-03-13T19:04:46Z Thanks Jessica! And do not forget to install new, fresh batteries in all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors! Doing this could save the lives of you and your familiy!!!! Jim Doucette 2010-03-13T19:04:46Z Jim Doucette comment-21922 2010-02-09T17:40:52Z 2010-02-09T17:40:52Z The fire and explosion that occurred Sunday morning February 7, 2010, at 3944 17th Avenue, at 2:07 A.M. has been determined to be Arson. The case is still open and being actively investigated. No further information is available at this time. If anyone has any information pertaining to this case you are urged to contact the Sacramento Fire Department Arson Tip Line at (916) 808-8732 or Sacramento Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or 1-800-AA-CRIME. Jim Doucette 2010-02-09T17:40:52Z Jim Doucette comment-21380 2010-01-27T18:12:13Z 2010-01-27T18:12:13Z Yes they do cause fires! Jim Doucette 2010-01-27T18:12:13Z Jim Doucette comment-20830 2010-01-19T17:10:15Z 2010-01-19T17:10:15Z It's Tuesday morning. Our USAR Team actually came back home to Sacramento yesterday. This team and other USAR Teams from the US have been staged at strategic locations around the US in a "stand by mode" until needed. Because of the massive traffic jam trying to get into Haiti and with the Government of Haiti priortizing who comes in and what is needed most, it made more sense to send our Team back home and have them wait here instead of waiting at Travis AFB. They are still ready to go and their cache is also packed and ready to go if and when called. Their mission right now is to relieve any of the USAR Teams that are currently in Haiti if needed.... Jim Doucette 2010-01-19T17:10:15Z Jim Doucette comment-20718 2010-01-15T23:26:20Z 2010-01-15T23:26:20Z Thanks for the comments. I have been updated from our Team and unfortunately they are still at Travis AFB. They and 2 other USAR Teams are being staged at their home bases until conditions in Haiti allow them to travel there. The airport and the sea port have been badly damaged so all air and ship travel is horribly delayed. The good news is that there are 4 USAR Teams on the ground in Haiti and many other Rescue teams from other Nations are there. Numerous successful rescues have already been accomplished by these rescuers. Our folks will go soon and we hope that they can make a positive difference for all of the victims. Jim Doucette 2010-01-15T23:26:20Z Jim Doucette comment-20568 2010-01-14T18:26:48Z 2010-01-14T18:26:48Z Sorry about the typo! Been up all night!!! "Deployed to Haiti" Jim Doucette 2010-01-14T18:26:48Z Jim Doucette comment-18255 2009-11-25T03:07:14Z 2009-11-25T03:07:14Z Great article, Linda!!! Jim Doucette 2009-11-25T03:07:14Z Jim Doucette comment-18155 2009-11-23T18:15:43Z 2009-11-23T18:15:43Z Sorry, in my narative it says Station 32, it is supposed to say Station #2. I cannot type either!!! Jim Doucette 2009-11-23T18:15:43Z Jim Doucette comment-18153 2009-11-23T18:00:01Z 2009-11-23T18:00:01Z Sorry about the mess I created, but please read my latest article. Lucky has been located, he was never stolen,, and he is fine!!! Jim Doucette 2009-11-23T18:00:01Z Jim Doucette comment-16165 2009-10-23T18:29:20Z 2009-10-23T18:29:20Z Colleen, The main difference is exactly what you stated, size, and shape. I am not sure how long they have been used, but I assume a very long time because these masks are what the Vets use in Pet Hospitals.... Thanks, Jim Jim Doucette 2009-10-23T18:29:20Z Jim Doucette comment-12551 2009-08-24T21:24:44Z 2009-08-24T21:24:44Z Great article Casey and awesome photo's Ed! As far as Puppy's comments above, Puppy is right, our Firefighters pay for their own food, not the City and not the Fire Department. This is very typical for the entire Fire Service. Just so the public knows!!!! Jim Doucette 2009-08-24T21:24:44Z Jim Doucette comment-11530 2009-08-03T21:58:17Z 2009-08-03T21:58:17Z Before I was assigned as the Fire Department's Information Officer I spent about 5 years at Engine #2 at 13th & I Streets. I had the unique experience of going underground and seeing some of these historic areas. I even fought a fire or two there! I think that most of the public has no clue of what's underground in the Downtown area. It is amazing! Jim Doucette 2009-08-03T21:58:17Z Jim Doucette comment-10963 2009-07-20T02:51:05Z 2009-07-20T02:51:05Z Thanks for posting this Michelle. Just like you say, hydrants in the City limits are painted certain colors because of the water flow they produce. This is important to us when we are pumping at a fire. It gives our Fire Engineers the ability to calcualte water flow and if they have the capacity to supply more fire lines (hose). Also I can honestly tell you that I have been to many fires where cars were blocking our access to hydrants and to Fire Department Connections (Fire Sprinkler Hook Ups) and it really does slow our ability to quickly attack a fire and bring it under control. Just like on the movie BACKDRAFT, if a vehicle is blocking our access to a fire hydrant at a fire, we will make the hook up one way or another! Please do not park in front of fire hydrants.... Thanks! Jim Doucette 2009-07-20T02:51:05Z Jim Doucette comment-10643 2009-07-13T20:45:15Z 2009-07-13T20:45:15Z Sorry about the picture quality, (both of them!!!) Jim Doucette 2009-07-13T20:45:15Z Jim Doucette comment-10557 2009-07-11T21:36:58Z 2009-07-11T21:36:58Z Dale, What you mention does happen a lot and it is a problem. With cell phones, people texting on them, loud radios, etc. etc. etc. drivers now a days really don't pay attention while driving. Our Firefighters are trained well to drive during emergencies and we take all of this into account. However accidents do happen and unfortunately will continue to do so. We do our best! I have never received a call from anyone complaining about this. Thanks! Jim Doucette 2009-07-11T21:36:58Z Jim Doucette comment-9533 2009-06-16T17:46:50Z 2009-06-16T17:46:50Z Casey, We do not rent life jackets, we loan them. The Sacramento Fire Stations above, are the stations within the City that loan life jackets. However if you visit www.dbw.ca.gov you will find a site that has the locations of many Fire Stations throughout California that loan life jackets. Also there are life jacket stations along many of our local water ways that have life jackets you can borrow. These sites are maintained by the County of Sacramento. Some of these locations are at Discovery Park, Howe Avenue Boat Ramp, and a few more along the American River. As Firefighters we love the fact that people do take advantage of these life jackets, but I have to also say that it is important to return them for others to use. We do have a slight problem with persons keeping them and not returning them. Which is kind of OK, because at least people are using them! But these life jackets are donated to us, we do not buy them, so it's important to return them! Thanks! Jim Doucette 2009-06-16T17:46:50Z Jim Doucette comment-9530 2009-06-16T17:30:12Z 2009-06-16T17:30:12Z Ed, Thanks for your work yesterday. These kind of calls are the tough ones, and sometimes working with the Media can be a little hard, with everyone wanting to get the story, photo's etc.. and with the obvious concern we have with the victims family and co-workers, it isn't always easy. I appreciate all of the cooperation I got from the media yesterday. Take care and I'll see you out there! Jim Doucette 2009-06-16T17:30:12Z Jim Doucette comment-7239 2009-05-06T18:40:14Z 2009-05-06T18:40:14Z I forgot to give credit to Ed, of Maverick Photography who took these pictures! Thanks Ed! Jim Doucette 2009-05-06T18:40:14Z Jim Doucette comment-6784 2009-04-27T21:52:57Z 2009-04-27T21:52:57Z Thanks Ben! Jim Doucette 2009-04-27T21:52:57Z Jim Doucette comment-6693 2009-04-25T00:18:42Z 2009-04-25T00:18:42Z I know Matt, but this story hurt us, and I hope that this is put behind us soon. If the story receives more attention because of my article, then so be it! I also hope that some may see the story as it really is, a "sensationalized" very old story that was run for ratings. Hopefully the readers realize how unfair and one sided the story and the promo's have been and maybe, just maybe, the powers to be at CBS may change a little. But if not, then at least I tried and I got the truth out... Thanks, Jim Doucette 2009-04-25T00:18:42Z Jim Doucette comment-6399 2009-04-20T21:53:24Z 2009-04-20T21:53:24Z Ed, Thank you for the nice story. Jim Doucette 2009-04-20T21:53:24Z Jim Doucette comment-5578 2009-04-04T21:59:13Z 2009-04-04T21:59:13Z Dan, Some of our Firefightes choose to work overtime. Rarely is overtime "forced" on anyone.It is less expensive to use overtime than to staff extra's. This way of operating a Fire Department is very typicalin the United States.As far as efficiency, we have never had an incident where there was an accident, or some other type of problem due to working a lot of hours. Howevere it is something the Fire Administration continues to look at. Because of the current budget problem, the only overtime authorized is for staffing. The only real alternative to this is to close fire stations, and we do not want to do this. We are already closing an Engine Company each and every day on a rotational basis. Thanks and I appreciate your comment. Jim Doucette 2009-04-04T21:59:13Z Jim Doucette comment-4895 2009-03-21T23:33:36Z 2009-03-21T23:33:36Z DART is the volunteer team of divers that do search and rescue in our waterways. USAR is our Urban Search and Rescue Team from the Sacramento Region. Our USAR Team has been deployed to the Oklahoma City Bombing, the World Trade Center 9/11, and Hurricances Katrina and Ike. The Fire Reserves assist these teams in may ways, especially with logistics. I apologize for using these terms that mean nothing to most members of the public! I got to stop talking like a Firefighter!!! :) Jim Doucette 2009-03-21T23:33:36Z Jim Doucette comment-3775 2009-02-23T03:18:38Z 2009-02-23T03:18:38Z There was some kind of problem with one of the elevator motors, but fortunately no fire.. Jim Doucette 2009-02-23T03:18:38Z Jim Doucette comment-3436 2009-02-13T02:35:34Z 2009-02-13T02:35:34Z Thank you for all of your comments. I know there are many things that I have left out, but I guess the message I was trying to get out was that we are a very busy fire department. And the idea that some have is that all we do is sit around and play cards and watch TV is wrong! It has been our fault for not getting a better image out of us. I just had one of my Firefighters tell me that a member of the public jumped all over him while he and his crew were shopping at the local grocery store for their tour of duty! The person was mad and said to the Firefighter that he didn't hink it was right that the City bought our food! Another crazy perception! The City does not pay for our food, never has. In fact until recently, your Firefighters have paid for everything in our fire houses, with the exception of beds and some chairs and cleaning supplies. We paid for everything else. The City now gives us a small allowance per Firefighter to be used for certain items in the fire house, like some furnishings, additional cleaning supplies, cooking utensils and some other items. What is not allowed is for the City to purchase TV's, radios, vcr's etc... Please do not get me wrong, I am and never will complain (too much!!!) about my job. I love working for Sacramento, as do the vast majority of your Firefighters. It is that there is sometimes this negative perception of us, and I will do my best to point out things that are not true! Please feel free to comment or get ahold of me at work, and I'll be gald to give you all of the factual information I can about your Fire Department. I also strongly encourage any of you to feel free to stop by your local fire station (dinner time is bad!!) and just say "hello". Thanks.. Jim Doucette 2009-02-13T02:35:34Z Jim Doucette comment-2765 2009-01-27T17:56:17Z 2009-01-27T17:56:17Z Bill, The email addresses are not correct. Here is thier correct addresses: Deputy Chief Lloyd Ogan logan@sfd.cityofsacramento.org Battalion Chief Niko King nking@sfd.cityofsacramento.org And I can be reached at jdoucette@sfd.cityofsacramento.org Councilman Cohns address is correct... Thanks!!! Jim Doucette 2009-01-27T17:56:17Z Jim Doucette comment-2753 2009-01-26T21:55:43Z 2009-01-26T21:55:43Z Here is the updated information I promised. Last year the Sacramento Fire Department responded to about 71,000 calls. About 70% of these were medical aid calls. The rest are a little bit of everything including fires of all types, hazardous materials response, false alarms, and what we call, "service calls" which can be anything from helping an elderly person who has fallen get up and back to bed, or it can be the age old, "cat in a tree" call! Although fires still make up fewer than 10% of our calls, they do require a lot of resources. On a typical “bedroom” fire we have to send at least 20 Firefighters to the scene. And unfortunately we see about a half dozen fire deaths each year in our City. This is about double what it should be for a similar sized California City. Why our death rate is higher that it should be is a good question. But the one inexpensive tool that really does work and saves lives every day is the simple smoke detector. You would not believe the people that still do not have one in their home! In my 28 plus years as a Firefighter I have never seen one fire death where the victim had a working smoke detector in their home. We also strive to get to every emergency in about 4 minutes. Although for a variety of reasons we do not always make the 4 minute goal, we still give it our best shot. Recently we changed our dispatch procedure to get us out of the Fire House quicker. It used to be that the dispatchers would get more information than they currently do before dispatching the closest and most appropriate Fire Company. Now they get the very basic information first, and then dispatch us, and then the dispatchers get additional information from the caller and relay it to us while we are responding. This is actually helping us get to the emergency scene about one minute quicker. More Fire Departments in the U.S. are starting to dispatch this way. I also have a request in to our web site person to update the “Company Closure (Brown Out) Page”. I hope to have this updated A.S.A.P. Jim Doucette 2009-01-26T21:55:43Z Jim Doucette comment-2679 2009-01-25T00:31:12Z 2009-01-25T00:31:12Z Geoff, I can't give you exact figures right now, (I'll have to do a little research Monday and then I'll post them!), but roughly we run about 70% Medical, the rest fires and "other" types of calls. There are a variety of reasons, but in Sacramento we do have a large amount of fires. Structure, car, trash, vegetation, etc... We also have a pretty high death rate from structure fires, and I'll get that info Monday as well. Thanks for all of your comments, and as always, I'll do my best to get your answers to you anytime! Jim Doucette 2009-01-25T00:31:12Z Jim Doucette comment-2247 2009-01-14T18:03:39Z 2009-01-14T18:03:39Z It is hard to say what caused this woman’s symptoms. Some call it psychosomatic, it could have been a pre-existing health problem, to be honest, no one knows for sure. What usually happens is someone opens a letter or a package, they notice some dust or other particles, and then they feel ill. It recently happened at another downtown office building a few months ago. After the 9/11 attacks and the following anthrax scare, we in the Fire Service and Law Enforcement have responded to more of these types of calls. The public is now much more aware of these incidents. Even though, the majority of these calls turn out to be nothing serious, we still respond to them as if they are. Unfortunately the times we live in, it’s not if, it’s when, this kind of call will turn out to be the real thing. We constantly train and are becoming better prepared for these kinds of attacks. Our advice to you is that if you notice something or someone that doesn’t look quite right, please let us know. If you feel that you have, or have contacted something that may be hazardous, do not move it and do not let anyone near it. Isolate it and call us. Both Fire and Law Enforcement have the tools and the ability to check this stuff out. Using some good common sense will help everyone get through the emergency. Jim Doucette 2009-01-14T18:03:39Z Jim Doucette comment-1834 2009-01-04T00:53:54Z 2009-01-04T00:53:54Z If anyone is wondering about the cause of this fire, I have spoken to our Fire Investigators, and the official ruling will be "undetermined, unable to rule out electrical". What this means is that they cannot say 100% for sure it was electrical. The good news is that it doesn't appear to be arson. In Sacramento we do have our fair share of intentionally set fires, but it appears this one was not. This was a very old building and the electrical wiring was still probably original, and unfortunstely, these old wires do cause fires. STay fire safe, and do not forget to regulary check your smoke detectors! Jim Doucette 2009-01-04T00:53:54Z Jim Doucette comment-1307 2008-12-11T00:11:45Z 2008-12-11T00:11:45Z Joe, To be honest, I am not sure. Some victims of CO poisoning have to be treated in a hyperbaric chamber. I do not know this families current condition or the treatment they had to have. Hopefully they have a full recovery. Jim Doucette 2008-12-11T00:11:45Z Jim Doucette comment-800 2008-11-08T03:35:29Z 2008-11-08T03:35:29Z I cannot officially recommend one brand over the other, but if you visit any of the local hardware stores, you will find a few different brands. It is my opinion that any of the CO Detectors you can purchase will do a good job. I haven't heard of any problems with any of the major brands. Jim Doucette 2008-11-08T03:35:29Z Jim Doucette comment-789 2008-11-07T03:33:31Z 2008-11-07T03:33:31Z Colleen, Thanks for the comment. I am no expert on building codes and possible future codes, but it does make sense and I can predict that there will probably be some kind of code or perhaps local ordinance that requires CO detectors in the future, specifically for new construction. Part of the problem though is that we tend to see these CO problems in older homes where the heating equipment and fireplaces etc. are old and in bad shape. It is very difficult to enact a code that makes everyone retrofit their existing home or business. So for now I am going to keep on getting this important message out. Thanks again! Jim Doucette 2008-11-07T03:33:31Z Jim Doucette comment-639 2008-11-01T16:37:22Z 2008-11-01T16:37:22Z Geoff, Occasionally we do have “open houses” at our fire stations. Just last week we had the 75th anniversary of our oldest fire house, Station 4 in East Sacramento, and over 400 people attended! But your suggestion is a little different. We should set aside one day where the public is encouraged to stop by their local fire station. I like it, and your suggestion will definitely be considered. Thanks for the input. Jim Doucette 2008-11-01T16:37:22Z Jim Doucette comment-647 2008-10-31T17:40:17Z 2008-10-31T17:40:17Z Thanks for including me and so far from what I have seen on your site, this is going to be great! I do have one suggextion. I write all of the press releases for the Sacramento Fire Department and you have a "crime" tag. Could you change it to a "public safety" tag, or add another tag where public safety can have their press releases posted? I know that all of my fellow Public Safety PIO's write frequent press releases, and I think your readers would appreciate a page that they could go to , to see all of our press releases. Thanks! Jim Doucette 2008-10-31T17:40:17Z