firefighter

The Perry Fire burning between Reno and Pyramid Lake has now burned 25,600 acres and is now 15 percent contained. It started Friday evening and the cause is unknown at this time.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - "This is a really special group," Brad Deeds, Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC), told those attending Saturday's graduation of the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy (LTBFA) class of 2018.

For the past ten months, the 18 graduating men and women have been put through the tough physical, emotional, operational and educational requirements of becoming a firefighter.

Each speaker echoed Deeds' sentiments.

The public is invited to attend a Memorial Day ceremony at the Happy Homestead Cemetery, 1261 Johnson Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe, on Monday, May 28, 2018, at 11:00 a.m.

The annual remembrance event is hosted by the American Legion Post 795 of South Lake Tahoe and their Ladies Auxiliary. After the ceremony, locals and visitors are invited for cake and refreshments at the American Legion Hall on Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Captain Leslie Asbury of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) was honored during Tuesday's City Council meeting after graduating from the United States Fire Administration National Fire Academy Managing Officer Program. It was a two-year commitment for Asbury.

"We are very fortunate to have a committed and dedicated fire officer within our organization," said SLTFR Chief Jeff Meston. "We are honored to work with her."

A comprehensive one-week long course, Wildland Fire Safety and Hand Crew Operations, Basic Wildland Firefighter, will be held March 19-24, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. daily at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC).

Instructor Keegan Schafer will instruct students on the safety aspects of fighting wildland fires and the methods, procedures and responsibilities of firefighters. The course includes instruction in specialized equipment, physical fitness, fire behavior and suppression, human factors and general fireline construction.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Leading up to SnowGlobe, days have been filled with meetings and emergency drills, staffing instructions and planning, all to create a safe atmosphere for the thousands of people in South Lake Tahoe for the three-day music festival.

As the show got underway Friday, December 26, there was a heavy presence of law enforcement and safety personnel, though many of them could not be detected as they moved about the venue in plain clothes. A drone was also in the air, surveying the crowd below.

With the new year just around the corner, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is reminding the public of several new laws or changes to existing law that, unless otherwise noted, take effect January 1, 2018.

Chief Jeff Meston of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is the recipient of the Ed Bent Training Excellence Award in recognition of being the Outstanding Fire Instructor of the Year at the California Training Officers Symposium held this week in Fresno, California.

The award was created many years ago on behalf of Ed Bent for his contribution as a founding father of statewide training and curriculum for the California Fire Service.

Taxpayer Watchdogs For Dan Dellinger Recorder-Clerk will be hosting a “Campaign Launch” fundraising reception at Crystal Basin Winery in Camino on Wednesday Evening November 15 from 5:30 p.m to 9:00 p.m. Donation is $60 couples and $35 for singles with the proceeds going to help pay for important campaign material such as signs and voter education brochures to help elect Dellinger. All people interested in helping Dellinger improve County government and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, are encouraged to attend and support Dellinger’s election.

The Michael “Mikey” Hallenbeck Memorial Highway was dedicated Saturday during a ceremony on Echo Summit near South Lake Tahoe.

Hallenbeck was a 21-year-old firefighter when he died on August 8, 2015 after a tree fell on him as he was fighting the Sierra Fire.

The stretch of Highway 50 from Mt. Ralston Road to Echo Summit now has signage at each end commemorating the fallen fire fighter who worked winters at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

On Sunday, August 27, a Lake Valley Fire Protection District crew responded to a traffic collision on Highway 50 near Twin Bridges, west of Lake Tahoe.

At 3:15 p.m., as the crew headed eastbound back to their station in Meyers, a firefighter was ejected from the vehicle. According to the report, a Blue Sheet, the vehicle was going around "a sweeping left-hand curve" near the Rock Crusher area when the incident occurred.

8/14/17 update noon: The South Fork Fire at the southern end of Yosemite has now burned 900 acres. The wildfire, which was spotted at 2:00 a.m. Sunday is burning in steep terrain and air resources are being used on the fire. No evacuations are in place at this time.

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The "South Fork Fire" which started early Sunday morning has now burned 400 acres. It is burning in the South Fork of the Merced River, one mile upstream from Swinging Bridge.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As the end of the old Knight's Inn draws near, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue personnel are getting valuable skill practice in at the two-story building.

Developers will soon be demolishing the old motel in preparation for the Bijou Marketplace so SLTFR has been getting hands on training including ventilation, forcible entry, breaching walls and moving hose lines.

"We hope to train to the very end of standing buildings, squeezing every ounce of training out of the buildings," said SLTFR Chief Jeff Meston.

The new public safety memorial wall was dedicated during a public ceremony on Friday. Fire trucks and patrol cars lined the street as law enforcement, US Forest Service and fire personnel gathered at the Happy Homestead Cemetery in South Lake Tahoe.

Speakers included Undersheriff Randy Peshon, South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Meston.

Without a boat since 2015, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) will ask City Council for $75,000 on Tuesday for the purchase of a used SAFE boat.

The former fire rescue boat, Marine 17, was taken off the lake (decommissioned) in 2015 after 15 years of service. Needed repairs amounted to more than the value of the boat. Since the SLTFR has borrowed Marine 2 which belongs to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

The following 59 businesses took out business licenses with the City of South Lake Tahoe during the month of March:

3/1
ELAINE NOELTNER RIDESHARE
FOR MODERN MAKERS
MH CONSTRUCTION
MOTIVE PERFORMANCE STUDIO

3/2
1074 CHONOKIS RENTALS
811 MODESTO APARTMENTS
RALPH BRIGANTINO RENTALS

3/3
1039 WILLIAM APARTMENTS
EXCLUSIVE WIRELESS INC
TBWB STRATEGIES

3/4
DEEDEES DUPLEX

3/6
EMMA'S APARTMENT RENTAL
L&H AIRCO LLC

3/7
LAKE TAHOE ACUPUNCTURE & WELLNESS
LINA LIU MASSAGE THERAPIST
NEW HEIGHTS LLC
SPEC PRODUCTIONS LLC

3/9
DELORES QUAN RENTAL

3/10

Ralph Jones, a 17-year veteran of the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, has been promoted from captain to battalion chief.

Jones has been in fire service for over 30 years and was previously with the East Fork Fire Protection District. He started with TDFPD in 1999 as a firefighter/paramedic.

"He is an accomplished and respected peer," said Eric Guevin, Fire Marshal.

Chief Jones has been married to his wife Julia for 37 years, and they have three daughters, three sons and five grandchildren. He resides in Minden where his service started as a volunteer firefighter in 1984.

It was a task most wouldn't think of attempting, climbing 69 flights of stairs in the fastest time possible. If that weren't enough of a vigorous endeavor, attempt the climb in full firefighting gear and breathing apparatus.

That's 1,356 steps and 788 vertical feet in the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. All accomplished by carrying an 50-60 pounds of extra weight, and all in the name of charity.

The west shore of Lake Tahoe now has access to advanced medical services with the announcement that the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District's Station 61 is now designated as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Station.

As of January 16 2017, the station is now staffed with a minimum of one captain and one paramedic. Primary response from the station will continue to be E-61, with additional response from the closest medic unit. The ALS units at Meeks Bay Fire Protection District work as part of comprehensive plan to provide the advanced services to the west and north shore of Lake Tahoe.

After drivers were stuck on both sides of Echo Summit starting at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Caltrans has closed the highway as of 7:05 p.m. Eastbound traffic is being stopped at the Sly Park, and westbound in Meyers. Unsafe driving conditions due to heavy snow and the threat of avalanches have been a concern all day.

As of 7:00 p.m., cars hadn't moved much. For a short time at 4:00 p.m. Caltrans was attempting escorted travel from Meyers heading west before closing down the highway.

Noel Farmer, a South Lake Tahoe resident, has been a vocal opponent to Vacation Home Rentals (VHRs) in his Heavenly Valley neighborhood. Farmer is present at City Council and Planning Commission meetings, as well as Zoning Administrator meetings when the topic is VHRs.

During this Tuesday's meeting at the airport, the City Council members will discuss Farmer's petition to ban street parking on the dead-end street where he lives, Regina Road, in the 3600 and 3700 blocks.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has promoted Kim George and Al Martinez to the rank of Captain, and Mike Taormina to the rank of Engineer. All three received their official pins and badges during a ceremony at the Lake Tahoe Airport on Friday.

"When people call us, they're having a bad day," said South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Meston as he started Friday's ceremony.

Sometimes there are good endings, sometimes not so good and its the captain's job to help get the team back to the station and help them regroup when the outcome of a call isn't a happy one.

10:00PM update - The Emerald Fire is now 90 percent contained after burning 176 acres in the Spring Creek area between Fallen Leaf and Cascade lakes and Lake Tahoe on Friday, October 14.

Heavy rains have helped put out the fire as firefighters complete the containment line above Cascade Lake.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Power remains off in the area as a precaution, and homeowners are still evacuated until conditions improved as flash flooding in the burn area may occur.

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I was invited to take part in training with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue in the demonstration fire trailer on Tuesday, an experience I won't soon forget, even though the temperatures I experienced were far below that of a real fire.

As I put on my fire pants, jacket, boots and head gear, my respect for firefighters instantly grew (even though it was already high on the scale). The heavy clothing protected my skin and clothing as I was exposed to 500 degrees, something most of us will never feel.