Update to Cab Driver Rescue Story
The Alameda Sun received additional information on last week’s story regarding an AFD water rescue team’s efforts to rescue a local cab driver who had driven off the road.
On Sunday, Jan. 8, members of the Alameda Fire Department (AFD) and the Oakland Fire Department (OFD) responded to the report of an occupied vehicle in the water off Doolittle Drive at Langley Street near Oakland International Airport.
Rescue swimmers from AFD entered the water and were able to locate and remove Jarnail Singh, 57, from his submerged vehicle.
A small vegetation fire on the former Belt Line Railroad property brought 15 firefighters to the scene at 9:26 p.m. Monday night. According to Alameda Fire Department Captain Jim Colburn, the fire affected an area of 4-foot-tall grass measuring 60 by 60 to 100 by 100 feet. Firefighters accessed the flames via Atlantic Avenue as shown above. No one was injured and no source was found for the fire. Plans are currently underway to redevelop the long-disused railroad property into the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park.
At 12:13 am, Wednesday, July 20, Alameda Fire (AFD) responded to a report of a fire at Allsafe Self-Storage at 1 Singleton Ave. Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and fire coming from inside a single-story row of 32 connected storage units. They pulled several hose lines and attacked the fire and used saws and tools to force entry and ventilate the building.
An early morning fire last Friday displaced a resident and injured an Alameda Fire Department (AFD) firefighter. The first alarm sounded at 12:25 a.m. The size of the fire prompted crewmembers to quickly sound a second alarm, bringing all on-duty firefighters to the two-story home on the 1500 block of Fountain Street. The home’s occupant had been safely evacuated.
Station No. 3 will be rebuilt at Grand, Buena Vista
City Council members have signed off on an $8 million contract to build a replacement for a new mid-Island fire station and a new emergency operations center.
The approval, on a 4-1 vote, followed a wide-ranging discussion about what the city should be doing to better prepare for a disaster. Vice Mayor Frank Matarrese cast the lone dissenting vote. Richmond-based Alten Construction was the winning bidder.
Three major events this weekend drew people from around the region and nation to the Island City. Dr. Buzz Aldrin, of second-man-on-the-moon fame, arrived Saturday to celebrate the 45th anniversary of his return to earth when the Apollo 11 spacecraft splashed down into the Pacific Ocean and was rescued by the Hornet itself. Aldrin brought some celebrity to the Island, and a very significant audience.
He talked about his childhood, his experience as a fighter pilot prior to becoming an astronaut, and about the voyage to the moon and back.
Alameda Fire Department’s Senior Safety and Accessibility program provides much-needed services to low-to-moderate income residents older than 62 and to the disabled of any age. The program provides and installs the newly required 10-year-maintenance-free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
The program can also provide and install grab bars, handrails and raised toilets. Safety items including nightlights, flashlights and grab sticks are also available. AFD recently expanded the program to include small ramps.
The Alameda Fire Department (AFD) is seeking financial help from the Alameda community to create a memorial for the department’s fallen firefighters.
The Alameda Fallen Firefighters Memorial will honor firefighters who have given their life in the line of duty serving the community. The memorial will pay homage to the City of Alameda and AFD.
Two Alameda Fire Department (AFD) firefighters remain at the Ferguson Fire with Water Tender Two (WT-2). They are assisting in fighting the blaze burning in Mariposa County in the Merced River Canyon near Yosemite National Park. AFD Capt. Jim Colburn said that WT-2 is supplying water to many of the engines — 194 at the latest count — currently fighting the blaze. “Engines typically hold between 300 and 500 gallons of water,” Colburn said. WT-2 holds 3,000 gallons.
The Alameda Fire Department (AFD) sent a water tender to Mariposa County Monday, July 16 to fight the Ferguson Fire that has already engulfed more than 12,000 acres.
Alameda Water Tender 2 left Alameda to assist with the fire in Mariposa County near Yosemite National Park. It is not known how many AFD personnel traveled to combat the blaze. This is Water Tender 2’s first-ever, out-of-county trip, according to the AFD Facebook page.
