BREA : City, Chino Forge Fire Aid Agreement

Firefighters will be able to provide improved response to emergencies in the rugged Carbon Canyon area under a new aid agreement that spans the Orange-San Bernardino county line.

The Brea Fire Department in Orange County and the Chino Valley Independent Fire District in San Bernardino County have agreed to respond simultaneously to fires and serious traffic accidents in the brush-covered, hazard-prone canyon, regardless of where the problem is.

Joint training sessions are scheduled for August, so Brea and Chino can become familiar with the other’s firefighting equipment. By Sept. 1, the computerized automatic aid system is expected to go on line, with calls being routed to the nearest units in either county.

Brea and Chino are currently operating under a mutual aid agreement, in which firefighters from the two counties assist each other if requested. This involves a potentially crucial delay, however, that is eliminated under the automatic aid agreement.

Residents of Olinda Village and the Hollydale Mobile Home Estates in Brea and people living in the rustic Sleepy Hollow area just across the county border are expected to see improvements in service under the arrangement.

Opening the way for this team approach to handling emergencies were recent improvements in the fire service radio system. Repeater stations installed in Olinda Village have eliminated many “dead spots” in the canyon, with the result that “communications have improved 100%” between the two counties, said Brea Fire Chief William R. Simpkins.

“It’s a demonstration that we’re not parochial when it comes to fire service,” Simpkins said of the new agreement. He said the timing is fortunate because heavy rains in recent years have increased the amount of vegetation in the canyon, thus increasing the fire hazard this season.

“We always expect the worst, I’m afraid,” said Simpkins, who pointed out that a 730-acre brush fire occurred just four weeks ago in the canyon.

When this type of fire occurs, Brea and Chino concentrate on protecting structures. The Orange County Fire Department, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service bring in specialized equipment and trained personnel to battle blazes on the hillsides.

Another advantage of the automatic aid agreement is that Brea and Chino firefighters will respond more efficiently to traffic accidents along twisting Carbon Canyon Road.

“That canyon is really infamous for some very spectacular, often fatal, traffic accidents,” said Simpkins. The combination of a high traffic volume and the tendency of motorists to speed along the two-lane road significantly increases the danger of head-on and other types of collisions.

The automatic aid agreement does not apply to paramedic service at this time, because of differing regulations in Orange and San Bernardino counties, but Brea and Chino firefighters are authorized to render basic life support services to accident victims on either side of the county line until the appropriate paramedic unit arrives.

Brea Division Chief David L. Huffman, who helped spearhead the intercounty agreement, said the only expense the city will incur is the cost of a backup radio for the emergency dispatch center. He expects the agreement to significantly help with the “constant challenge” of providing emergency service in the canyon.