“Facta non Verba”
11 news
DIVISION
– deeds, not words
By Jarrod Dowden
“Usque ad finem”
– to the end
As fire season began in earnest this summer,
the Old Cajon crew has found itself in the
middle of much of it, including dozens of
vegetation fire responses, assisting with
the prescribed burn on Little Mountain,
maintaining the fuels reduction program
and participating in charitable fundraisers.
Crew 6 conducts a safety briefing before heading
out on the line during the Valley Fire.
An annual tradition at Station 23 in Grand Terrace
is the annual pancake breakfast fundraiser, with Old
Cajon hand crew hosting. Thanks to all the community
members that supported this years event.
OUR EDITORS
The crew has responded throughout the county on emergency
calls, including extended work at fires in Victorville, San
Bernardino, Upland, Fontana, Bloomington, Devore and
the Valley Fire near Forest Falls. In addition, the crew has
provided mutual aid to CalFire and the U.S. Forest Service
on other fires. The crew has become a major asset not only
to County Fire but to our cooperators: with the ability to split
modules, fell hazard trees and perform safe and effective
firing operations, Old Cajon has become a go-to for our own
as well as other agencies.
In June, the prescribed burn on Little Mountain in San Bernardino consisted of four separate
burn units in the area of Shandin Hills. Nearly 200 acres was effectively burned, providing fuel
breaks, fire hazard reduction and defensible space for the residents of the area. This was a great
showcase for the specialized training and capabilities Old Cajon has worked to attain.
Old Cajon continues to complete fire hazard abatement work under the Land Use Services
department, providing fuels reduction and property inspections, including assistance to the
Forest Service on the Cajon I-15 Fuels Reduction Project and providing roadside brush clearance
along the I-15 corridor in the Cajon Pass.
Old Cajon and the crews of Station 23 in Grand Terrace also recently hosted their annual pancake
breakfast fundraiser. The crew also assisted with a Fill-the-Boot in the city of Victorville in July,
raising funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
The crew is currently in the peer review phase of their effort to become an interagency Hot Shot
crew. In the meantime, Old Cajon will remain in a state of readiness as the main part of fire
season approaches.
Crew member Jarrod Dowden is a frequent FIREWIRE contributor.
RYAN BECKERS
Ryan has served as the lead assistant editor since FIREWIRE’s
start in 2014. Currently assigned as an engineer/paramedic to
at Station 226 in San Bernardino, Ryan started with County Fire
as a limited term firefighter before being hired full-time in 2005,
serving in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 along the way before settling in
the valley. A resident of Upland, Ryan has a B.A. in English from
Carleton College.
BRENTON BAUM
Brenton is an engineer/paramedic currently assigned
as a crew foreman at Glen Helen Camp 15. Brenton
serves as a writer and editor for FIREWIRE and also
facilitates article authors. He has a Bachelor of Arts in
organizational leadership from Brandman University.
KALINA COX
Kalina has served as a senior administrative secretary
for the Office of Emergency Services for over eight
years. She holds a degree in geographic information
systems (GIS) and is currently working toward an
emergency management specialist certification from
Cal OES. Kalina edits and formats the OES Quarterly
Report, which can be found on sbcfire.org. At home
she enjoys any activity that gets her outdoors and
on road trips. She owns a Belgian Shepherd named
Boogieman, who has learned from her many tricks,
including counting to three!
KYLE HAUDUCOEUR
With over 15 years at County Fire, associate editor
and captain Kyle Hauducoeur is currently assigned to
Station 73 in Fontana. A Hazmat technician, he was
instrumental in getting that new station online. He
describes his service to FIREWIRE as a privilege and
enjoys getting to help bring our contributor’s ideas to
the page. He lives in Upland.
DAN NELSON
Captain Dan Nelson, currently assigned to Station 32
in Needles, started his fire service career as a PCF for
Victorville Fire in 1995 before being hired on full-time
in 1998. Dan holds an M.B.A. from Cal-State San
Bernardino and a B.A. in criminal justice from Chapman
University in Orange. Nelson lives in Gilbert, Ariz.
JARED NEWCOMER
Jared is a Captain/Paramedic currently assigned
to station 94 in Lake Arrowhead. Jared started with
County Fire as an explorer at station 10 in Phelan,
rising through the ranks in the organization promoting
to Captain in 2015. He has an MBA in organizational
leadership with an emphasis in finance from the
University of La Verne and is a member of the
Retirement Board for SBCERA, the County Pension. He
lives in Apple Valley with his wife, Kelly, and their two
daughters, Aubrey and Emma.
DAVID PINGREE
David Pingree is a firefighter/paramedic currently
assigned to Station 73 in Fontana. David’s career in
the fire service began right here at San Bernardino
County Fire in 2009 as a PCF at Station 2. David
was hired on full-time in 2014 as a Tower 5 member.
He and his wife have been married 15 years and
they have two daughters, Ellie and Emma. David and
his family currently live in Temecula. After spending
over a decade working as an editor for a motorcycle
publication, Pingree likes combining his experience
in journalism with his new career in the fire service.
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FIREWIRE • Summer 2018
Summer 2018 • FIREWIRE
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