ESCONDIDO ----  6/19/2011 A fire damaged the garage of a single-family home in the 1500 block of Sheridan Place on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Escondido firefighters were called to the house about 4:40 p.m. and put out the blaze before it spread beyond the garage. No injuries were reported, according to a statement from the Escondido Fire Department.

The blaze caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the garage's structure and contents. The cause was under investigation.

Escondido firefighters do contribute to pensions 

Escondido firefighters pay 9 percent of their salaries as a pension contribution, but they didn’t get any credit for it in last week’s Sunday Watchdog. The report incorrectly listed the firefighters as one of nine government employee groups out of 101 surveyed that received the best pensions in the county and pay nothing for it while on the payroll. The Watchdog received the incorrect information at the start of the survey in February from the City Clerk’s Office, which handles requests under the California Public Records Act. The survey asked cities to list contribution rates and benefit formulas for all employee groups for new hires in 2009 and 2011. Escondido responded by saying “safety” employees contributed nothing toward their pensions from their salaries. As part of a lengthy fact-checking process for the 83 agencies involved in the survey, The Watchdog emailed a spreadsheet with the data to the city on April 18. It listed “Escondido fire and police” as having the safety benefits. The city did not respond electronically, but confirmed the information by telephone on May 3. During a follow-up conversation in which top-tier police and fire benefits were mentioned repeatedly, the city did not differentiate between police and fire. In fact, only Escondido police officers get the top-tier benefits with no payroll deduction. City spokeswoman Joyce Masterson, an assistant to the city manager, said in an email after the story that the city was unsure about where the misinformation came from. “We are checking further into this, as our goal is always to provide the media with accurate information and to be as transparent as possible to the public,” the email said. Mike Diaz, the president of the Escondido Firefighters Association, said his fellow firefighters were concerned about receiving public backlash despite employees paying 9 percent into their retirement. “We understand the public’s concern over pensions and we want them to know we’ve taken a responsible approach in handling those concerns through negotiations,” he said. Diaz said Escondido firefighters began paying their share of pension costs in 2010. Because this change was not mentioned in response to the Watchdog survey, the firefighters were also left out of a June 4 story that highlighted employee groups that have begun paying more into their pensions, reducing their payouts, or both since 2009.

San Francisco Fire Department CA - Lt. Vincent A. Perez died at the hospital as a result of his injuries sustained during a house fire in the Diamond Heights district shortly before 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 2. Lt. Perez was a 21 year veteran of the San Francisco Fire Department. Prior to joining the San Francisco Fire Department, Vince served in the United States Marine Corps and as a Deputy Sheriff with Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. Vince was born and raised in San Francisco, attending Archbishop Riordan High School and City College of San Francisco.

According to the San Francisco Sentinal: "This is the first time in eight years that San Francisco has lost a firefighter in the line of duty. In January 2003, 40-year-old firefighter Melinda Ohler died after falling from a fire engine as it responded to a call. What caused today's fire remains under investigation, fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. Talmadge said some firefighters reported seeing a "flashover," or heat explosion, inside the home, and around that time, an emergency alarm was activated from one of the firefighters inside the home. Dispatch received the alert and notified the incident commander, who tried, but was unable, to reach the firefighter by radio, Talmadge said. Additional crew members were sent in, and they found two firefighters down and "pretty badly burned."

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on the death of one San Francisco firefighter and two injured firefighters who responded to the two-alarm fire on Berkeley Way in the Diamond Heights neighborhood: “I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of a SFFD firefighter who died today in the line of duty. This is a devastating day for our City, and I join all of San Francisco in expressing our deepest gratitude and profound sorrow for the loss one of our own. Our hearts are heavy as we are reminded of the sacrifices firefighters and their families make each day to keep our City safe. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the two injured firefighters and their families for a safe and speedy recovery.”

ESCONDIDO ---- Firefighters will spark a fire in the city this weekend to train rescuers in a realistic environment, authorities announced Tuesday.

The Escondido Fire Department will begin the training exercise at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at 1050 W. Washington Ave., Battalion Chief John Tenger said. He said more than 25 firefighters would take part in the training.

He said smoke from the exercise may be visible throughout Escondido.

05/10/11

ESCONDIDO ---- A fire in the front window of a home Monday afternoon caused about $100,000 worth of damage, according to the Escondido Fire Department.

The fire was first reported at 1:38 p.m. on the 700 block of Linwood Street, said Battalion Chief Herb Griffin. No one was at home at the time of the fire but a neighbor spotted flames and reported the incident, Griffin said.

The fire caused an estimated $75,000 worth of damage to the structure and an additional $25,000 worth of damage to the contents.

A firefighter suffered a minor injury, Griffin said.

Firefighters contained the fire shortly before 2 p.m., Griffin said. The incident was under investigation.

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ESCONDIDO ---- A fire at an Escondido home displaced one resident late Thursday night, according to the fire department.

Firefighters arrived at the home on the 2300 block of Lake Forrest Street shortly before 11 p.m., said Capt. Rodney Ferris. The back and roof of the home was heavily damaged from the flames, Ferris said.

The resident, who was out of the home when fire fighters arrived, was taken to Palomar Medical Center with minor injuries, Ferris said.

No other injuries were reported. The fire caused an estimated $255,000 worth of damage, Ferris said.

The fire is under investigation.

ESCONDIDO ---- An early-morning fire Wednesday at an Escondido apartment complex left eight families homeless.

The fire was reported at 4:08 a.m. at 250 West 15th Ave. and arriving firefighters found smoke in a third-floor hallway and a fire sprinkler system operating, according to an Escondido Fire Department report.

Although the sprinklers had extinguished the main fire, it was still smoldering between the building's roof and a drop ceiling, the report said.

Fire Battalion Chief Randy Brooks said firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly because "the sprinklers did their job," but a lot of cleanup work needed to be done afterward.

And although the fire did not reach any apartments, he said several suffered water damage.

Red Cross volunteers helped the residents who were forced out to find temporary housing.

The fire, which caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage, remains under investigation, Brooks said.