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New tool helps Tempe firefighters extinguish electric car fires in a fraction of the time

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By Steven Sarabia

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — There’s a new tool in the Tempe Fire Department’s arsenal that they hope will make the challenge of fighting electric vehicle fires a thing of the past. “It’s very easy to use and it way less kick back then any of our firehoses,” said Tempe Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Chris Snow.

It’s called the Coldcut Cobra, and like the reptile it references, it helps firefighters strike at the heart of a fire. “The biggest problem that we have when we fight these EV fires is getting penetration into the battery pack that’s underneath. Generally, it’s underneath the floorboards of the vehicles,” said Snow.

The souped-up power washer has two modes; the first mode uses water to cut a tiny hole in objects; the next then douses whatever is on the other side of the hole, like a burning car battery, with water.

They can use this device to cut right through an electric vehicle’s frame and get right to the battery. “Before these fires take hours and hours to put out with thousands of gallons of water… With this tool we should be able to put these fires out in 5 to 10 minutes.”

 

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Calaveras County Volunteer Firefighters

Calaveras County consists of 10 volunteer fire departments:

  • Altavile/Melones
  • Angles Camp
  • Central Fire
  • Copperopolis
  • Ebbetts Pass
  • Calaveras Consolidated Fire
  • Mokelumne Hill
  • Murphys Fire
  • San Andreas
  • West Point Fire

The CCFCA fire agencies are located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 188 miles east of San Francisco and 135 miles west of Lake Tahoe in California. Found midway on State Highway 49, between Sacramento and Yosemite, Calaveras County links the two towns of the California Gold Country. With an average of 6,000 fire and emergency service calls a year, our 11 fire districts serve a rural area of 45,578 people. We provide fire protection and rescue service to 1,020 square miles of rural area. Our 11 volunteer agencies respond to structure fires, wild land fires, medical emergencies, water rescue, technical rope rescue, hazardous materials spills, public service assistance calls and other emergencies. The Calaveras County Fire Agencies protects an area that is 66% rural wild land, 21% residential, and 3% commercial, including Calaveras Big Trees State Park, a preserve of Giant Sequoia trees, located in the county several miles east of the town of Arnold.

Calaveras County Volunteer Firefighter Selection Criteria

Below is a list of the selection criteria each department requires in order to consider an application for volunteer firefighter. Read the criteria and make sure that you qualify, then click the Apply button to complete your application online.

Fire Department

Must Live in District

Required Certifications

Comments

Altavile/Melones

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

Angels Camp

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record. Physical exam and agility test. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

Central Fire

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

Copperopolis

No

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Under 18 Cadet Program available. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

Ebbetts Pass

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

Calaveres Consolidated Fire

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

Mokelumne Hill

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean background check. Physical exam and pass a drug and alcohol test. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided. Must receive Class B license within the 1 year probation period.
 

Murphys Fire

No

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

San Andreas

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

West Point Fire

Yes

None

 Must be over 18 with a clean record & in good health. Valid DL. Participate in an interview. Training provided.

 

Napa County Volunteer Firefighters

  • The NCFA helps protect over 125,000 citizens and has 9 all-volunteer fire stations. We protect thousands of tourists each year who travel to the northern California wine country. With an average of 3,049 fire and emergency service calls a year, our 9 volunteer fire companies serve mostly wild land areas and rural residential.
  • Our volunteers receive state of the art training through the fire academy right in the heart of Napa County. No experience needed!

 

Napa County Volunteer Firefighter Selection Criteria

Although local governments and departments establish different selection criteria, many departments require that volunteers:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Have a valid driver’s license
  • Be healthy and in good physical condition
  • Complete basic fire & EMS training
  • Live in close proximity to the fire district
  • Have a clean criminal record
  • Meet the minimum ongoing training requirements
  • Respond to a certain percentage of calls

Time requirements vary by department. Time commitment will depend on several factors, such as the number of calls the department receives, training requirements, shift versus on-call structure, and community activities in which the department requires volunteers to participate.

Volunteer departments prefer that volunteers have the ability to respond to calls 24 hours a day, although most departments still accept volunteers who are unable to leave work or other obligations to respond to a call.

Typically, departments pay for training and firefighting equipment. Volunteer firefighting is an unpaid position; however, some departments may provide stipends or reimburse volunteers for certain expenses.

Napa County Firefighters Association

The Napa County Firefighters Association carries the responsibility of manning 9 all-volunteer fire stations out of the 13 NCFD stations. NCFD provides over 300 hours of in-house training to meet California's required Firefighter 1 and 2, plus EMS First Responder standards. All new recruits receive an entry level physical and all required immunizations and our department encourages a daily physical fitness routine.

If you want to make a difference in your community, become a Volunteer Firefighter!