News from the Firehouse 2024

News from the Firehouse 2024

Bishop’s Volunteer Fire Department equipped with state-of-the-art fire apparatuses: SCBAs

By Christina Reed
The Hired Pen

Bishop, CA—A major part of Bishop Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Chief, Bret Russell’s, long-range plan is to bring the frontier (census-designated: Inyo, Mono, and Alpine Counties) fire safety concerns, firehouses, and volunteers up to above board fire protection and safety. This includes enhanced 21st century fire science, fire engineering (like fire alarms / systems), volunteer support, and upgrading the firehouses. Ultimately, Chief Russell says, he would like to “get caught up to and surpass the industry standard” at all the firehouses. To get to this goal, Chief Russell talks about the new fire equipment, and what it means for the Bishop Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD).

Setting: The Bishop Volunteer Fire Department, Station #1. November 4, 2024. A year into Chief Russell’s tenure with the BVFD. Chief Russell takes some time to explain the 43 pieces of fire-fighting safety equipment / apparatuses assembled on the fire station’s floor. The new “SCBAs” (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) are a major investment ($500,000+) in the BVFD’s infrastructure moving forward, and after making the older equipment work for many cycles, Chief Russell notes it was time to procure some state-of-the-art apparatuses. And, after many hours of conferences, in-services, training, and fire science research, Chief Russell was ready to make the next steps happen at the BVFD.

“SCBAs” are conceptually like scuba-gear (for underwater diving or swimming), only these SCBAs lack the “U” (Underwater), adds Chief Russell. This individualized fire-fighting equipment is lighter in weight, capable of dispensing oxygen (on average, for 45 minutes), and has simplified / streamlined many of the manual parts of the equipment’s operation, thus helping keep the fire fighter’s attention focused on the tasks at hand. The individual SCBAs can be monitored from behind, to note the fire fighter’s oxygen levels, and there’s a light on the back to keep track of the fire fighter. The other very unique part of the SCBA is the ability to have thermal imaging, allowing for the fire fighter to see through the thickest of smoke, and better rescue individuals in harm’s way, or be rescued themselves by other fire fighters. The volunteers also have an advanced form of the SCBA, explains Russell, with the ability to help / treat a “downed” fire fighter who needs oxygen, beyond his / her SCBA (for up to an hour, depending on the individual’s breathing). Chief Russell emphasizes how important these new apparatuses are to the volunteers, as well as our local Search and Rescue (SAR) teams.

Chiefs look down the road, over the hill, and around the corners, and Chief Russell has a working handbook, “New Firefighter Handbook,” in draft form, which the firehouse teams will be a part of, and the tasks for volunteers are large. Chief Russell comes from a fire family (his father was a fire chief in Arizona), and for the better part of his adult life he’s been working either as a fire fighter / chief / or explorer (at age 15, he worked with the Fire Explorers with the Orange County, CA Authority) or in a fire house. In fact, Chief Russell is very comfortable working in and around firehouses. Most recently, Chief Russell worked as the fire chief in Beckwourth, CA, a very small community about 260 miles north (US Highway 395) of Bishop, CA. Russell understands the nature of small communities, volunteerism, fire science and engineering, and the recent large investment in the volunteers’ safety and health, the firehouses’ infrastructure, and bringing the BVFD into the 21st century, one step at a time, demonstrates this in principle and substance. More News from the Firehouse, with Chief Russell, to come in the New Year, 2025.