The Idyllwild Fire Protection District is going to explore a loan for the purchase it made of two ambulances in late February. The acquisition was about $90,000 and more costs are needed to prepare the vehicles for medical use. However, IFPD Finance Committee Chair Nancy Layton, also a fire commissioner, said Fire Chief Patrick Reitz…
Fire season and protection of the Hill also were discussed at last week’s County Service Area 38 Advisory Committee meeting and among fire officials in the state. At the local meeting, the topic came up when Committee member Marge Muir asked Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins, “We’ve talked about getting the mountain abated. What…
The U.S. Forest Service arrested a man near the site of the Cranston Fire on the day of the fire, Tuesday, April 7. U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer John Miller confirmed the arrest. Miller said the suspect was arrested for charges unrelated to the fire. Miller said it is U.S. Department of Agriculture policy…
At about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Cabazon Station responded to the San Jacinto Mountains after receiving a call of a lost hiker. Jeff Daubenmire, a resident of Washington, began his Pacific Crest Trail hike on April 2 in Mexico. On April 12, he became lost when he hiked off…
Idyllwild Garage employee Dan Crabtree was the first “unofficial” responder on-scene as the Tuesday, April 7, Cranston Fire was just beginning to grow. The 10-year Pine Cove resident said he noticed smoke from the small brush fire while he was driving. He pulled over, concerned that the fire had the potential to grow into something…
The U.S. Forest Service, Idyllwild Fire and Cal Fire rescued a fallen rock climber in the wilderness Tuesday afternoon. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire reported that the rescue involved a rock climber who fell and was seriously injured near the Forest Haven Trail. The patient, an adult male was rescued by Cal Fire Helicopter 301, transferred to…
San Bernardino National Forest dispatch is warning of strong Santa Ana winds this week in the San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties mountains. The strong winds in the San Jacinto Mountains are expected to occur Thursday morning with gusts of up to 50 mph and humidity in the single digits. A Red Flag…
Idyllwild’s Dr. Richard Goldberg (front center) was recognized at the third-annual Public Health Community Champion Awards last week. Goldberg represented the 3rd Supervisorial District. The other awardees were (front row, from left) Robert Roy, Gabriel Maldonado, Aurora Wilson and Melanie Nieman. Also shown in the back row (from left) are Susan Harrington, director of the Department of Public Health; 5th District Supervisor Marion Ashley; 1st District Supervisor Kevin Jeffries; Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county Public Health officer; 4th District Supervisor John Benoit; and 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington.
The Idyllwild Fire Protection District Finance Committee is exploring options to place a parcel-fee increase on the ballot this fall. Committee Chair and Commissioner Nancy Layton appointed an ad hoc committee of herself and committee member Sue Weisbart to review the options for generating more income, including a parcel-fee increase to go before voters in…
Selling its ladder truck is one of the options Idyllwild Fire Commissioner and Finance Committee Chair Nancy Layton last week said will be considered to raise revenue or cut costs in the future. Layton cited several reasons for the truck’s sale to benefit the IFPD. “It’s our high-priced flag pole,” she said at the Finance…
