Vacaville Fire Dept

OES 357 with 4 Vacaville Firefighters on board has just been deployed to the Silverado Fire in Orange County.

Due to the expected high winds and low humidity, we are staffing an extra wildland firefighting engine, with four firefighters, along with an additional battalion chief. The extra staffing will be in place from Sunday, October 25 at 3 pm until Monday, October 26 at 10 pm. Any small spark can start a large, fast moving fire with the winds and low humidity we are expecting. Please help us prevent fires: 1. No outside fires during the high fire danger period ... 2. Dispose of your smoking materials properly 3. If you are towing a trailer, make sure the tow chain is properly secured and will not drag. PG&E is expecting to have a Public Safety Power Shutdown (PSPS). So far, none are anticipated within City of Vacaville limits. Monitor their website for the latest information. Lastly, we hope evacuations won’t be necessary but if they are, now is a good time to get ready. Prepare your family and home ahead of time for the possibility of having to evacuate. Ensure you have a plan of what to take and where to go don’t forget prescription medications and important documents.

Our community never ceases to amaze us. Citadel Roofing came by Station 71 to present their $43,800 donation to the Vacaville City Firefighters Charity Fund - 100% of the proceeds will be used to help those affected by the LNU Lightning Complex Fire.

This past Wednesday, we had the honor of joining Keegan Pierce in the Pledge of Allegiance for Cooper School. Thank you, Keegan! Keep up the great work!

As part of our adverse fire weather staffing we had the opportunity to connect with Dominic from fairfield and let his little girl see a Vacaville fire unit up close. Then of course she didn’t want to leave our fire engine so we figured that would be an excellent opportunity to lay out some career and education goals for her so to join us one day. You never know 20 years from now you may see her driving one of our fire engines. Thanks for bringing her over to meet us Dominic. Most firefighters careers start with that first picture of them as a kid sitting in a fire engine.

In the event you noticed our task force of fire engines moving around town today, we were evaluating and patrolling high threat areas for vegetation fires. Multiple agencies including the City of Vacaville contributed to a fast attack task force of fire engines that are up-staffed for the Red Flag fire weather conditions for the next couple of days.

6:40 pm Update: The fire has been declared, contained. All residents, with the exception of Vineyard Hills Court, can return to their homes. As soon as we can get the fire apparatus out of Vineyard Hills Court, those residents can return as well. Crews will be on scene for a couple hours mopping up the fire. Thank you to Vacaville Police Department for a well-coordinated evacuation effort. 6:20 pm Update: Forward progress of the fire has been stopped. We are working on ret...urning those that have been evacuated to their homes. A huge thank you to our allied agencies that helped with the fighting the fire: Fairfield, Dixon, Vaca Fire Protection District, and Cal Fire. In addition Rio Vista and Suisun City Fire Departments are providing coverage for the City of Vacaville while our crews are on scene. ******** We are on scene of a brush fire between Vine Street and Markham Avenue. Fire was reported at 5:24 pm. It is about 5 acres and threatening homes. There are evacuations in place along Vine and Markham. Crews are making good progress on the fire. *********

The cause of yesterday’s Midway Fire was determined to be discarded cigarettes. The fire that jumped I80, threatened homes, burned 90 acres, and resulted in an injury to a firefighter (thankfully minor), was totally PREVENTABLE! One careless act by one person that affected so many and wreaked havoc to many Friday evening commutes, didn’t have to be. Please be careful out there. Consider the consequences before doing something so careless as throwing your cigarette butt out your window.

Earlier this evening, Truck 74 and Battalion 78 had the privilege of making a visit to a special boy. Victor, age 11, is fighting cancer and is scheduled for surgery on Monday. We heard he really likes fire trucks, so we stopped by to let him see one up close. We’re hoping for the best on your surgery, Victor! Stay strong! You got this!

Here are some pictures from the fire at Midway and I-80 from earlier today. The fire started on the west bound side then jumped I-80 and burned approximately 90 acres on the east bound side. Thanks to a pre-positioned strike team from Cal Fire, as well as a number of other agencies from Solano County, the fire was quickly extinguished.

Three members of our apparatus committee are conducting the final inspection on the new ambulance. We can’t wait to have the new ambulance in service in our community soon!

Our crews responded to a small vegetation fire at Southwood Park. The fire was contained to approximately a 50x100 foot area behind the playground. The fire was quickly extinguished and there were no homes threatened and no injuries. The cause is under investigation.

Yesterday we started off with a light hearted post about maintenance on our ladder truck, and while we were posting that, a fellow firefighter, husband, father, son and neighbor in San Francisco was killed in the course of his duties. It’s a very sad and a somber reminder of how precious and fragile life is, and not just amongst the public safety community but how fragile life is. Please be careful today, be patient and kind to others, none of us know what could happen next. Hug your friends and loved ones today and don’t sweat the small stuff. Our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters with San Francisco fire and their families.