Fire

Heroes Honor Heroes At Los Alamos Public Safety Association’s Dinner and Awards Banquet

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2013 Public Safety First Responder of the Year award recipients Dena Edwards, left, and Debbi Miller. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
DOE’s John Mitsunaga, second from left, Los Alamos Public Schools teacher Jodi Hughes, center, with her husband Los Alamos Fire Chief Troy Hughes who recently had his hair shaved for charity, sitting with Mike and Lisa Wismer of LANL and UNM-LA respectively. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post

Saturday was a special night as local public safety and security officials who spend their careers

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Spring is Here: Remember to ‘Create Defensible Space’

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COUNTY News:

In concert with the upcoming “Brush & Bulk Item Collection” being sponsored by the Los Alamos County Eco-Station, and with warm weather spring clean-up efforts in full swing during April, the Los Alamos Fire Department would like to remind residents of the urgent need to keep “defensible space” concepts in mind when working outside to clean up property around homes and structures.

Creating defensible space can give firefighters their best possible chance of protecting property if another wildfire ever occurs in the County.

The County’s defensible space guidelines were Read More

Dirt and Dust From Monday’s Wind Causing Hazy Air Quality Around Los Alamos Today

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Emergency Management Coordinator Phil Taylor

COMMUNITY News:

Los Alamos County Emergency Management Coordinator Phil Taylor reports that the “smoky” conditions around Los Alamos and elswhere in the state are caused by dirt and dust from yesterday’s wind event.

Los Alamos Deputy Fire Chief Justin Grider also explained that the wind is carrying smoke from a couple of prescribed burns underway south of Los Alamos.

Deputy Fire Chief Justin Grider

He said it may include smoke from a small fire that broke out at 11:30 a.m. today in Valencia County.

 

 

 

Air Quality

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Officials Address WIPP Fire Investigation Report

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Courtesy/DOE Report

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich issued the following statement today on the release of the U.S. Department of Energy’s accident investigation report for the underground mine fire involving a salt haul truck at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad.

“The findings of the accident investigation board on the Feb. 5 fire at WIPP are deeply concerning. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The community of Carlsbad and the nation expect WIPP to operate with the highest level of safety. The board has Read More

New Ladder Truck ‘Pushed In’ At Fire Station No. 1

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Los Alamos National Laboratory and Los Alamos County officials ‘pushed in’ a new ladder truck during a ceremony Monday at Fire Station No. 1 on West Jemez Road across from the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center and Otowi Building at LANL’s Technical Area 3. Los Alamos County Fire Department provides fire protection services to the Laboratory. Driver engineer Joseph Romero of the Los Alamos County Fire Department actually backed the ladder truck into the fire bay. The 2013 custom built Smeal ladder truck can pump up to 2,250 gallons Read More

New LAFD Ladder Truck Heads to Active Service Monday

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 Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com

COUNTY News:

The Los Alamos Fire Department will host a brief ceremony Monday, March 10 celebrating the “push in” of its new ladder truck into active service for the first time. 

The public is invited to the 1 p.m. ceremony at Fire Station #1 on West Jemez Road. Officials from Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the DOE/Los Alamos Field Office have been invited to participate in the ceremony. Read More

Wildfire Funding Reform in President’s Budget

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich applaud the news that President Obama incorporated into his Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal a plan based on a bill they cosponsored to reform federal wildfire policy.

 

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

The change, which still must be approved by Congress, would fund major wildfires the same as other natural disasters and free up funding to prevent future fires. 

“Wildfires are as devastating in New Mexico and the rest of the West as hurricanes are on the East and Gulf coasts, and our Read More

Family Home Lost to Fire: Donations Needed

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Donations are coming in for Tony Romero. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

Donations for Los Alamos High School Custodian Tony Romero are being collected through the month of February at Chamisa Elementary and Los Alamos High School.

Romero and son Jesse were startled from their sleep earlier last month when their home caught fire. Romero had hoped to retire after 35 years with the district, but now plans to transition from hotel to home later this month.

Donations can also be sent to the Prevention Office at 1300 Diamond Dr. in Los Alamos.
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Breaking News Update: Los Alamos Firefighters Rescue Man From Canyon Ledge

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A Care Flight helicopter lifted off at 7 p.m. today from Overlook Park in White Rock to a trauma center carrying an injured man, about 24 years old, who fell while rock climbing. ‘He was an experienced rock climber from Albuquerque who fell 25-30 feet and landed on his back on a ledge,’ Los Alamos Deputy Fire Chief Justin Grider said, adding that the extent of the man’s injuries are unknown but he was concious. LAFD high angle experts rapelled down at about 4 p.m. to successfully rescue the man who had been rock climbing with friends in the canyon behind Meadow Lane when he Read More

Breaking News: Rescue Underway for Injured Hiker in White Rock

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LAFD high angle experts are rapelling into the canyon behind Meadow Lane in White Rock to rescue an injured hiker. Deputy Fire Chief Justin Grider told the Los Alamos Daily Post that early indications are that the injuries are not life threatening. Check back at ladailypost.com for more on this developing story. Courtesy/LAFD

Deputy Fire Chief Justin Cassel at one of the staging areas for emergency vehicles responding to the scene near where a hiker has fallen into the canyon behind a home on Meadow Lane. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

LAFD vehicles on Meadow Lane in White Rock behind Read More