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IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS American Red Cross Joshua Tree Office 6460 Hallee Road (760) 366-5330 County Assessor San Bernardino County 172 West Third Street (909) 387-6730 CDF - Fire San Bernardino Unit Fire Information (909) 881-6975 Sheriff's Department Morongo Basin Station (760) 366-4175 Fire Safe Council Morongo Valley Contact CSD (760) 363-6454 Fire Safety Checklist Develop a fire escape plan Employment Application Burn Permit Rules   MV Fire Fighters Training at the 29 Palms Academy.  Hazmat Training  The following links contain information on fire safety CDF Fire Education California Fire Safe Council Fire Safety Education Resource Directory USDA Forest Service library Phone Numbers: DIAL 911 FOR POLICE, FIRE AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES For non-emergency questions or information, please call the Fire Department at: (760) 363-6211 For information about the Apprentice Firefighter program, please call: (760) 363-6454 To send a fax to the Morongo Valley Fire Department: (760) 363-6774 |
DIAL 911 FOR POLICE, FIRE AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES Defensible Space Inspections Start in May. Morongo Valley Fire Department will begin conducting “LE 100 (brush clearance) inspections on May 1st. The inspections ensure each home has the required State mandated defensible space. Creating defensible space consists of clearing vegetation to maintain a 30’ clearance around all structures. From 30’ to 100’ (or the to property line, whichever is nearer) should be maintained as a fuel reduction or fuel modification zone. The goal of the inspection is to protect not only ourselves, but also our neighbors from potential fire dangers. Passing inspections are also useful in challenging insurance companies when they cancel policies, an increasing issue. For more information and to obtain details on fuel modification zones, visit Cal Fire’s website “fire.ca.gov” or call Morongo Valley Fire Department 363-6211. 1 outside investigation; 27 medical aids; 2 public service; 1 smoke check; 5 traffic collisions; 3 vehicle fires; 1 fire menace standby; 1 gas hazard. The total for 2009 is 79. More Call Stats The Department ordered a 12 lead Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) at press time. The 12 lead AED offers greater capabilities than the 3 lead AED. Engineer Eric Griffiths, who is currently enrolled in Paramedic school and completing an internship with a local ambulance service provider, shared his recent experience with the upgraded AED. He responded to medical aid call where the patient's complaint was extreme fatigue. The patient had no difficulty breathing, no pain or other complaints other than feeling extraordinarily tired. The 3 lead AED failed to detect any abnormal cardiac rhythms. Eric's many years of experience as an EMT came into play and he decided to hook the patient to the 12 lead AED during transport to the hospital. The enhanced capabilities of the equipment revealed a myocardial infarction - a silent heart attack, in layman's terms. The patient displayed none of the "normal" cardiac arrest symptoms: chest pain; arm pain; shortness of breathe or nausea. The 12 lead AED provided a definitive diagnosis so the medics could begin providing life saving measures, while still enroute to the hospital. The Morongo Valley's new equipment, which is a requirement to maintain our status as a medic unit, cost over $22,000 and was funded by a Homeland Security Grant and fire department budget funds. We look forward to serving our residents with better equipment. Sawtooth Complex Fire And, be sure to have the whole family look at the interactive Checklist for a fun, visual review of fire safety Inside and Out. Homeowner's Checklist (English) (235K PDF) Homeowner's Checklist (Espanol) (600K PDF) CDF Incident Fact Sheet (Paradise Fire) The mission of the Morongo Valley Fire Department is to save lives and protect property, provide an adequate level of service at a reasonable cost to the residents, workers and visitors of the Morongo Valley. This is accomplished through a sincere commitment to the community by a firefighting force that is dedicated to a continual training program and personal commitment to providing quality services to their community.   The Morongo Valley Fire Department covers an area of approximately 30 square miles and an un-official population estimated at around 5000. It is governed by a locally elected 5 person Community Service District Board. The staffing of the Department is provided by a Fire Chief and Fire Captains who supervise a staff of non-paid Apprentice Firefighters. The threat of wildfire in Morongo Valley is very real. On the State's scale for fire risk, Morongo Valley is rated "Highest". Additionally , it is adjacent to Federal, State and County Wildlands (BLM, San Bernardino National Forest, Joshua Tree National Monument), creating an "Urban Interface Risk". This means that a fire in the Wildlands could spread into the residential areas and visa versa. Fire season is determined by the State Fire Agency C.D.F. It is based upon weather patterns and fuel conditions. The season generally begins around the middle of May and is generally closed at the end of October. Morongo Valley has an unusually high underground water table. This allows for much more vegetation to grow than is typical in a desert environment. The result is an almost year round High Fire Danger in the Morongo Valley area caused by the thick and dense levels of vegetation. The declared Fire Season is a state of heightened readiness. The Morongo Valley Fire Department staffs the Firefighter positions by using Apprentice Firefighters. These Firefighters have paid their own way through an accredited Community College Fire Academy and EMT school. They volunteer a minimum of one 24-hour shift per week in exchange for the hands on experience and opportunity to work as a front-line Firefighter. While some Southern California Fire Departments have Volunteer & Reserve programs, most do not. Those that do quite often have limitations on what the Volunteer & Reserve personnel can do. In Morongo Valley the Apprentice Firefighter is the line level Firefighter responsible for all the duties of a traditional full-time Firefighter. That is why most Apprentice Firefighters drive 2-3 hours each way from throughout Southern California to complete their 24-hour shift in Morongo Valley . The Apprentice Firefighter is also eligible for college level work experience credit for the hours they volunteer in Morongo Valley . This valuable experience leads to higher levels of professional certification and an increased marketability for the Firefighter seeking full-time employment. Obtaining full-time employment in the Fire Service is a very competitive challenge. It is not unusual at all for several thousand applicants to compete for 2-3 vacant positions in a Fire Department. Many Morongo Valley Apprentice Firefighters have gone on to full-time employment in the Fire Service throughout California and other parts of the country. These graduates of the Apprentice program work for all types of Fire Departments from municipal departments like L.A. CITY , to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection and the United States Forest Service. Most say the experience and certifications they received in Morongo Valley is what gave them the extra edge to get the job. The utilization of Apprentice Firefighters allows the Morongo Valley Fire Department to staff the Department 24-hours a day, 365 days a year on a consistent basis at a much lower expense than a similar sized Department with fully paid staff. If you are interested in applying for the Apprentice Firefighter Program, please click here. Contact |
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