The Alpine Fire Station held an open house on the very weekend that San Diego Gas and Electric shut off power throughout parts of East County out of concern that a fire might break out in the warm, windy weather. Dozens of families that were intermittently left without power at home from Friday through Sunday passed through the station, where information was given to the public by Alpine Fire department, the Sheriff’s Department, other first responders, The Burn Institute, and even SDG&E.
“Events like this allow us to educate constituents on defensible space, structure hardening and what the purpose of the fire district is intended to do, to provide the highest level of outreach as well as medical aid, structural defense. We are thoroughly thrilled each time we have an event like this because we get to meet the people we serve,” said Fire Marshal Jason McBroom.
Shiny, red fire engines stood with their doors thrown open so children could climb up inside and explore the dozens of levers and switches lining the cab of the truck, then finagle their way to the rear to check out the water hoses and equipment stored in various crevices and cubbies.
Lorenzo Perez, 6, said he wasn’t sure if he would grow up to work with the fire department because he might like NASA more but said after a thoughtful pause he has time to decide.
One table inside the fire station held a model of a city street, complete with telephone and electrical wires. Senior Line School Instructor Bruce Phillips stood in his SDGE gear, including hard hat and thick gloves, explaining what happens when birds or other items come in contact with exposed electrical lines. Using a roughly two-foot long metal prod, Phillips delicately touched the prod to the model wire system, allowing sparks to fly, illustrating on a very small scale how easy it is for electrical lines to start or exacerbate a fire. He then explained that the possibility of those sparks is impetus enough for SDGE to shut down power on hot, windy days.
