On Tuesday, July 12, the Escondido Police and Fire Communication Center received a report of a structure fire at the out of service gas station at E. Valley Pkwy. and N. Midway Dr., 2004 E. Valley Parkway. The first arriving officers located one occupant in the structure and safely removed them. Smoke and flames were found just inside an entry door on the east side of the structure with smoke extending into the convenience store. The fire was contained in approximately 13 minutes although significant overhaul to the building was required to confirm that the fire did not extend into the attic. No firefighters were injured as a result of this incident but the occupant was transported with minor injuries. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Also, on July 12, the Escondido Police and Fire Communication Center received a report of a structure fire in the area of N. Escondido Blvd. and W. Lincoln Ave. The first arriving officers found a tree next to the church at 995 N. Escondido Blvd. on fire, with heat and flames extending to the roof line of the Templo Betesda church. The fire was quickly extinguished on the tree with no extension to the inside of the church, however, there was notable heat and smoke damage to the exterior wall, windows and roofline. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians as a result of this incident and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
On July 13, Escondido employees from the Water Treatment and Sewer Treatment plant disassembled and removed the main drive pump at Fire Station #1 for the fire training facility. The pump was installed almost 10 years ago and had never been overhauled. The pump operates a closed fire hydrant system for fire personnel to practice fighting fire. All of the water used for the training facility is stored underground in a 25,000 gallon recycling system. This is another project that demonstrates the collaborative efforts between city departments resulting in significant savings to the city over using outside vendors.
On July 14, Fire Inspector Alex Vasquez met up with San Diego County Sheriff’s Bombsquad representative Jeff Holder and relinquished fireworks that had been turned in to the Escondido Fire Department.
On July 15, the Escondido Fire Department along with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responded to a reported residential structure fire at 2464 Royal Oak Dr. Due to the dense, wildland-urban area, as well as difficult access to the home, a working structure fire upgrade was requested shortly after dispatch. The guest house on the property was found to have smoke coming from it. After further investigation, crews found a small smoldering fire in the kitchen that had slowly spread to some cabinetry and appliances in the immediate area. The fire was overhauled to ensure complete extinguishment. The incident is currently under investigation.
The Escondido Fire Department recently received new Bariatric Ambulance Gurneys. This is a state of the art fully electric gurney to augment the fleet of gurneys used by firefighters on a daily basis to transport patients to the hospital. This gurney will allow firefighters to easily pick up and move our most vulnerable patients. The full electric gurney can easily maneuver over curbs, sidewalks and stairs and requires virtually zero effort on the part of firefighters which will help to reduce work related injuries from lifting heavy objects.
