Northern California Fires

Life is changing rapidly here in Sonoma county. Every day I go to work I pray fires don't shift and head into Petaluma. The Hospital I work at is absorbing all three of Santa Rosa's Hospitals that are now evacuated, (Santa Rosa Memorial Hosp., Kaiser Santa Rosa and Sutter Santa Rosa). News about threats to surrounding area is nerve wracking. I am part of a Ham radio ems for Petaluma so I am privy to more news than most. There is virtually no containment for any of the major fires in our area, and many coworkwers are now burnt out of house and home. I was advised to have bug out bag ready which I'm carrying in my car each day and have a neighbor who can take my dog if needed while I'm at the hospital. Very scary times here, it seems the unpredictable winds change circumstances in minutes!
For those who pray, please keep us in your prayers.
Sunday night we were short staffed in the Neonatal ICU where I work so I stayed over until about 2 a.m. Coming home on HWY 101 winds up 45 miles and hour with ash and bits of burned paper and debrie fly into windshield 30 miles south of the nearest fire in Marin County. Turned on Ham radio, got call to activate the emergency network, went into the command center at our local Salvation Army office, by 10 a.m. moved all of their emergency cots to two local emergency centers, came home at 2:30p.m.
took my dog out for a quick walk, bought some food, took nap for hour, then back to work until midnight.
Been running since monday with tuesday off, only to find my truck not idling and throwing #2 cylinder misfire code, so 4 hours later new plugs and wites into the 98 tacoma v6 3..4 litre engine, runs well again(very important as this is the bug out vehicle!
Every day at work more coworkers displaced, more patients displace and in need of medical care. Amazing how fast these kind of crisis develop.
I'm not complaining and feel blessed to have what I have, just a quick update in case I disappear for a while which would mean either power down or relocation in place. Thanks friends here on this site!

Prayin' for you and the folks of northern California. Fires are just plain terrifying.

You just take care of you and come back to us safe! Will keep good thoughts and prayers for all our countrymen affected by this terror.

Mate, the news and pictures of the devastation really puts my minor issues into perspective so, yeah, have and will continue praying for you and everybody caught up in this natural disaster. I really feel for those that have to leave behind pets knowing that they need to get out before they are victims too. Stay safe Steve and may the good Lord watch over you all.

The world sure gets smaller on these forums.

The fires got within five miles of Aunt Pam's house. I called and made sure she was ok.

I gotta ask,(and she agrees), Cali has had this problem EVERY EFFING YEAR for at least the last decade... Why?

Too focused on liberal issues maybe, not enough focus on fire prevention.

Stricter fire codes .. All metal, no trees within 500' of house. Metal roofs, metal siding, metal fence.

Too bad Cali is too liberal to fix their own problems.

You're a good man Steve.
We're thinking of you downunder.
Kia kaha mate; be strong.

Scary stuff fire. Hope you guys in the hospital can manage........those new babies and the rest need you more now than ever.

Thanks everyone.
Still no evac plans for our town. Heavy smoke in the air here
Good news is containment is starting, up to 26% from 3% yesterday.
Wine country is getting the worst of it as is the Town of Santa Rosa there are smaller towns I believe that have been wiped out. I get tomorrow off from work so I'll be trimming my side yard back from my neighbors overhanging trees, and other winter prep of gutter cleaning
and leaves(combustables will get raked up and put into the greenwaste canisters.) The most frustrating is getting news of the smaller fire that threatens our city, as the scale of the other fires are massive and the center of focus for now. My Ham radio network is still manning various communication centers around this area. so so far good news, but they also feel in the dark about what is going on nearby. So many people Homeless now.
Bob- The smoke 30 miles south coming into the hospital is a real problem for our babies, we are now running air scrubbers throughout our hospitals. So sad to have folks delivering babies and starting their new families homeless. One patient came in and asked for a gown so she could keep her only set of clothes left clean.
My worries are minor compared to people who have true lost everything.

Cal Fire has been running non stop since this started, with out breaks for crews for up to 4 days until their relief arrived. 4 years of continuous drought followed by a very wet winter, and now 150 days without rain, has lead to massive fuel for fires.

Firebird77clone- -the issue with fire control is complexed. In the past we had multiple resources in remote sites (think bull dosers, back hoes, etc.) that the forest service used to manage logging and state, blm, federal multiuse areas. Over the last few decades they no longer have active logging or off road trail maintenance like they used too. So when a fire flares up, getting heavy machinery on site can take days for some of these remote locations, as a result we aren't able to rapidly suppress fires and contain them. Add to that an over taxed area, people struggling to even pay rent, and school systems that are getting worse due to lack of funding, and it only makes it worse. Politicians wanting money for whatever is forfront in the media, have to cut budgets, cal fire took big hits as well as the federal hits to the forest service. Now factor in freak low moisture windstorms in the middle of the night and this is how we end up with fires. We also have huge open space areas that are very remote that are haard to maintain.
I know and agree that the liberal rhetoric here is frustrating, but for now I think you need to be aware that very conservative stated like Idaho and Montana have similar fires years due to the nature of the large open spaces and dry areas. In times like this is is incredible to see people from all over uniting to help and volunteer, reguardless of their political beliefs. Natural disasters seem to be plaguing the whole country right now Weather problem related disasters seem to be intensifying. The last major fire in this area I believe was 1964, under very similar weather conditions
In all thank you all for your concerns, we have several members on this site that have been evacuated from their citys Fauxrarri in Fairfield may have been evac'd yesterday, Volksrod I believe live s in Santa Rosa, and many others that I will send my thoughts and prayers out too.
Stay safe folks the US could use a break from disaster right about now!

Nice commentary Steve for us down under and in totally agreement on how mankind forget all their own personal believes and hangups to help others in need. I was amazed at the vast number of so called " rednecks in pickup trucks " that arrived in Texas to help with the flooding yet the media didn't give them much press time at all over here yet they are the sung hero's of the behind the scenes help that people just don't see. I would think it is the same in California, those that step up to the plate not for fame and glory but to help in any way possible. Am our Heavenly Father be with each and every one .

sad that so many people seem to be totally unprepared for this. we have bugout bags and things ready to go in a minutes notice. lock box with all important papers , food and water , clothing and such . it's heartbreaking to hear of folks loosing their lives after getting traped . hopefully these fires will get under control soon with no more lose of life.

Stovens

I honestly feel guilty as having put a political slant on this subject, but given that I have family in the state, it is extremely frustrating to see. It is interesting that you mentioned the lack of heavy equipment resultant of anti logging policy.

There are solutions, but so long as the liberal majority continue to focus on social minutea, we will just see more of the same.

But please understand one thing: you aren't in a drought. Your state is a desert, which has enjoyed a 100 year wet cycle, and is returning to a NORMAL weather pattern. Cali needs to build reservoirs NOW.

Anyway, my heart goes out to all of you, good job on the cleanup. Prevention is the key. I hope you don't find use for your bug out kit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by firebird77clone

Stovens

I honestly feel guilty as having put a political slant on this subject, but given that I have family in the state, it is extremely frustrating to see. It is interesting that you mentioned the lack of heavy equipment resultant of anti logging policy.

There are solutions, but so long as the liberal majority continue to focus on social minutea, we will just see more of the same.

But please understand one thing: you aren't in a drought. Your state is a desert, which has enjoyed a 100 year wet cycle, and is returning to a NORMAL weather pattern. Cali needs to build reservoirs NOW.

Anyway, my heart goes out to all of you, good job on the cleanup. Prevention is the key. I hope you don't find use for your bug out kit.

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I hear yah and took nothing personnal. In order to survive the Politicians need to understand this. On a good note it looks like safety is in site for us, rain next wednesday hopefully. You guys keep me going, Thanks

Glad to hear you a still alright. I hope it the situation gets better for you and all the others that have been affected. Prayers are on the way. It sounds like you are personally prepared, but stay vigilant. The situations can change quickly.

We get low hanging smoke here from farmers burning fields and it can get pretty bad when the weather is just right. I can't imagine what it must be like with that much fire.

Have one friend who lost his car collection, neighbor banged on the front door telling him to get out at 1-2am, they left with minutes to spare, lost the pets and the cars, but the rest of the family got out in one piece. The way he explained it to me caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. Scary stuff up your way. Stay safe and you are all in our prayers.


Bill S.

Thanks Bill. As of yesterday I think any immediate threats are contained, unfortunately for our Santa Rosa friends this is not the case. Crazy how fast this all started and the amount of destruction in such a short period of time. Rain suppose to come Thursday. Fingers crossed that that will help get everything extinguished. I heard yesterday something like 6000 homes and other structures lost to date.
I definately have made changes to my emergency prep!
We have had random stories of all kinds of acts of kindness, and have seen the community really pull together to help those not so fortunate. There have been negative things too, but not the focus of this thread!
One friend told me of lock boxes that will take combo codes that can be bolted somewhere hidden for a hide a key(important if I'm 30 miles away at work- to get my dog out). Another is an app. for your phone that can open your garage door for someone trying to access your house.
Also had epiphany when trying to figure what documents I'd need, that I just need to disconnect my backup hard drive and throw it into the bug out bag. This contains all digital photos and memories as well as house and tax items. Just thoughts to anyone for the future that may need some added ideas for emergency prep.

we have a complete backup to our computer in the lock box. just update it ! :) my bride has us ready to go in 5 min in case of fire. we do have them here . high wind and a bad wheel on the train and we have problems . i'm working on a better fire break around out place . thinning trees and trimming them up tractor high . last one was a little scary so it got my attention . hopefully you will get some good rain to help those fire fighters.

Yup Shine! In my case I cut back my neighbors over hanging trees and cleaned out my gutter. She also told me she was having her tree trimmer do a severe pruning to the fig tree that grows extremely fast near the fence line. I think it's an old wasp polinated varietal, that were mass planted in the Central valley in the early 1900's. Now days nowbody knows how to polinate these, so they drop fruit that can't rippen without the wasp( think wierd very small wasps, not the kind that plague use wipe bites!
Most of that land is now developments, including my housing development which was an old walnut orchard. When they built the homes here in 1960, they left a lot of walnuts for shade trees and a few other old orchard trees, like a Gravenstein apple, my neighbors fig, and a few random wind blocks including redwoods!

I'm glad to hear you're alright but it is such a sad situation. I donated to the cause. It's the least I can do. I laugh when I hear people not from the west that want to claim they aren't in a drought. Check into how much beef is raised there now. By the west I mean from the Rockies west. I know several ranchers in many different states that have all left their ranches and moved to the Midwest to finish their careers/heards so they didn't go bankrupt staying out west. Lack of water is a real issue out there. Shoot, it even happened in Utah, Oregon, this year. Canada last year, it's not just CA!

redistribution of resources . fails every time .