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Fire Department

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1. What is CERT and how do I join?

Following a major disaster, emergency services will be overwhelmed by the volume of calls for assistance to the community. A multitude of contributing factors will prevent people from accessing the emergency services they have come to expect. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training provides the tools necessary for community group leaders and fellow citizens to provide assistance to themselves, families, and neighbors in the event of a disaster. CERT will operate within their neighborhoods, under direction of the Fire Department, to provide that assistance until trained professionals can arrive.

The South San Francisco Fire Department is conducting ongoing CERT training for its citizens with classes being offered twice during the year. The Course will consist of five 3-4 hour sessions and two eight-hour sessions, one session per week. The six week course will cover the following topics:

• Disaster preparedness
• Fire safety and suppression
• Disaster medical operations
• Light search and rescue operations
• Disaster psychology and team organization
• CPR and First Aid certification
• Course review and disaster simulation

If you are interested in joining the South San Francisco CERT or if you would just like us to answer some questions, you may contact the CERT information line at (650) 829-4336.

2. How do I schedule a Station Tour?

Contact the Fire Administration office at (650) 829-3950 during normal business hours for scheduling criteria and information.

3. How do I schedule a SSF school visit?

School visits are scheduled generally during the month of October during Fire Prevention Month. Contact the Fire Prevention Division at (650) 829-6645 during normal business hours for scheduling criteria and information.

4. How do I sign up for a CPR class?

Class schedule and contact information is on the Fire Department web page under Public Education. Registration is required at the Fire Adminstration office located at 480 N. Canal Street during normal business hours.

5. When I call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, why does an engine arrive in addition to an ambulance?

The fire department serves as the first responders for all medical emergencies. Our five fire stations are strategically located throughout South San Francisco so our response times have a positive effect on medical emergencies. In addition to our paramedics, the rest of our fire personnel are certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) EMT-D (defibrillation certified to help those who have cardiac related emergencies that need to be defibrillated as soon as possible). We also have Advanced Life Support (ALS) engines that arrive on scene with a paramedic aboard. It is also important to remember that with many medical emergency extra hands and bodies are necessary to assist with the care and moving of a patient onto a gurney.

6. How long does it take a fire engine to get to a fire or medical emergency after 9-1-1 has been called?

It takes between 3-5 minutes for an engine or ambulance to arrive on scene after a 9-1-1 call has been received.

7. What is weed abatement?

Every spring and summer, the Fire Department conducts an extensive Vegetation Management program in the City of South San Francisco. This program is designed to reduce or prevent the spread of wildfire from one property to another. The Fire Department sends a mailing to several hundred properties prior to the start of the program to make sure that property owners understand the standards and purpose of the program.

If a property owner does not comply within the time frame outlined on their letter, the South San Francisco Fire Department will send a notice of violation to the property owner. In this case the cost of the work and administrative fees are placed as liens against the property.

Effective May 1, 2006

Properties in violation will be identified due to the presence of “Dead, decayed, diseased or hazardous tress, weeds or other vegetation constituting unsightly appearance, dangerous to public safety and welfare or detrimental to neighboring property or property values.”

Uniform Fire Code, Section 1103.2.4, Municipal Code 8.54.070 (b) (1), Public Resources Code (PRC) 4291, Government Code (GC) 51182.

Creating and maintaining defensible space on your property will significantly increase the chances of your home surviving a vegetation fire. This requires cutting the native brush and native vegetation and removing the dried, cut grass a distance of at least 30-feet or to property line from any structure. For areas of increased vegetation, slope, or aspect, your requirement of defensible space may increase.

If you have any questions or comments please call the South San Francisco Fire Prevention Weed Abatement Hotline at (650) 829-7222 x1111, Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm or by email.

8. What is Opticom?

Opticom is a traffic signal priority system that allows emergency response vehicles to control an intersection through a strobe unit on the apparatus. This system gives an emergency vehicle the ability to change a red light to a green light, allowing for the safest situation for the responding units and the public and also allows for the best possible response time. The signal can be activated from as far away as 2,500 feet and gives motorists ample time to stop, allowing for the intersection to be cleared by the time the emergency vehicle arrives. The strobe can only be activated when the air brakes release, the master switch on the apparatus light bar is activated, and the unit itself is turned on. All three steps must occur simultaneously for the system to work, and this would only be the case during a Code 3 response. Opticom has been in existence for over twenty years and is currently used in many large metropolitan cities.

Currently, we have units installed and operating at: Hickey and Hilton, Hickey and Camaritas, El Camino and Costco, El Camino at Westborough, Chestnut at Antoinette, East Grand at Littlefield, South Spruce at North Canal, South Spruce at South Canal, East Grand at Littlefield and South Spruce at Mayfair. Additional units are being installed and nearing completion at El Camino at BART, El Camino at McLellan Drive, McLellan at Mission, and McLellan at Hillside. We are also looking to install units in the Gateway Development response area and the El Camino corridor.

Retired Fire Engineer Jim Hale had been the lead person on the project for the Fire Department and received a Lion’s Club nomination for his efforts on this project in 2000.