SAN CLEMENTE : Fire Drill Provides Drama on City Pier

Cynics among those who hang out on the Municipal Pier laughed at the idea of having a fire drill there, calling it a waste of money in hard financial times.

But shortly after plans for the emergency exercise were made a few weeks ago, hot coals were dumped into a metal trash can on the pier. The heat burned a hole clear through the wooden deck, exposing the sand below.

“Piers are highly flammable--they burn fast and they burn hot,” said Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman Emmy Day. “That’s why we need to practice specifically on the pier in case of emergency.”

The drill Wednesday morning was long on drama. Smoke machines belched out massive clouds that covered the end of the pier. Huge streams of water arched from fireboats, and a helicopter buzzed down to airlift several people portraying victims.

None of it was real, but after squelching two destructive fires at the Seal Beach Municipal Pier in recent years, firefighters on the scene Wednesday were taking this exercise seriously.

“This pier is like a giant shingle roof,” said County Fire Chief Rich Wiseman. “Believe me, the potential (for a fire) is here.”

Firefighters learned the characteristics of the San Clemente Pier that could affect how a fire is handled. Older, narrower and longer than the Seal Beach Pier, the San Clemente Pier can’t bear the weight of firetrucks, so firefighters were forced to carry 50-pound rolls of hose up to 200 yards.

Unlike Seal Beach Pier, San Clemente’s has no pathways down to the water, so anyone trapped by a fire must be airlifted.

This was the first major fire drill undertaken by county firefighters since the department was taken over last month by a joint powers agency involving the county and 18 cities.