Sandbag Availability

When there is rain in the forecast, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has a limited number of sandbags available for city residents in flood-prone areas. You can find sandbags at the following locations:

• Fire Station 15 – 4711 Voltaire Street in Ocean Beach
• Fire Station 21 – 750 Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach
• Fire Station 28 – 3880 Kearny Villa Road in the Kearny Mesa/Montgomery Field area
• Fire Station 29 – 198 West San Ysidro Blvd in San Ysidro
• Fire Station 33 – 16966 Bernardo Center Drive in Rancho Bernardo
• Fire Station 37 – 11640 Spring Canyon Road in Scripps Ranch
• Lifeguard Stations in Ocean Beach, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach

There is a limit of10 sandbags per household or business for San Diego city residents.

While we are able to provide the sandbags, the fire stations will not have sand available. People with access to the beach areas will be allowed to use beach sand.

Bay Terraces Canyon Fire - Homes Threatened

(San Diego - October 17, 2008) 2:30 pm A brush fire moving through a canyon near Bullock Drive and Alisha Drive in the North Bay Terraces area of San Diego is threatening structures. The fire is approximately 20 acres. San Diego and Chula Vista fire units are on scene with approximately 100 firefighters on the ground. Copters 1 and 2 are dropping water, and a "superscooper" airplane has just arrived at the scene.

Homes on the east side of the canyon are in the greatest danger at this time, though no homes or fences have caught fire.

3:45 pm The fire is contained. Air resources will remain in the area. Several ground units will be on scene for several hours.

Chief Jarman Named Fire Chief of the Year

(San Diego - September 30, 2008) Tracy Jarman, Chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has been honored by the California State Fire Chiefs Association as "Fire Chief of the Year."

Chief Jarman was the unanimous choice from among twelve chiefs nominated for the award. In placing her name in nomination, San Diego Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Public Safety/Homeland Security Jill Olen cited the Chief's handling of the October 2007 wildfires. "She fearlessly led the senior staff and in turn the entire department in combating what became the second worst wildfires in California history", Olen wrote. "More than 200,000 residents in the City of San Diego were successfully evacuated, and no lives were lost or major injuries to either her firefighters or citizens.

"Her stalwart leadership, unwavering commitment to excellence, knowledge of required incident management systems, and ability to cohesively meld numerous organizations in order to focus on a common goal make her the most outstanding Fire Chief in the State of California and the Fire Chief most worthy of this honor."

Chief Jarman received the award at the State Chiefs Annual Conference in Riverside

San Diego Fire-Rescue, CALFire agree on Night Flying

(San Diego - September 22, 2008) San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman signed an agreement with CALFire, the state firefighting agency, to allow San Diego's two firefighting helicopters to fly firefighting missions at night over land where CALFire has jurisdiction.

San Diego Fire has been flying night missions within the City of San Diego and other cities in the county for several years. With this new agreement, the helicopters will be allowed over state land and unincorporated parts of the county.

"What this monumental agreement does is increase firefighting resources in the northern and eastern portions of the county," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said at the news conference announcing the agreement. It will provide "the opportunity to reduce the severity of wildfires in the region – and also greatly reduce the likelihood that wildfires that start in the backcountry will reach homes and businesses in the city of San Diego," Sanders said.

"As we know, all fires start small," Jarman said. "The key is to keep them that way. Aerial resources play a vital part in responding quickly to keep wildfires in check, providing firefighters on the ground with an additional tool to protect citizens. This is true whether it’s day or night."

To read the night flying agreement, click here.

Brush Fire - Highway 52 and Santo Road

(San Diego - September 10, 2008) 2:20 p.m. A brush fire north of State Highway 52 at Santo Road has grown to 75 acres. The Sycamore Canyon Landfill area is being evacuated. Four helicopters are on the fire, and two air tankers have been dispatched. Approximately 100 firefighters are working the fire on the ground. The wind is moving from the west to the east.

2:42 p.m. 60 percent containment reported at 2:40 p.m. Bulldozers are enroute to contain the remaining 40 percent. Crews will remain on scene into the night to mop up.

Final assessment and aerial mapping put the acreage at between 300 and 385 acres. Cause is believed to be tailpipe emissions from a passing vehicle, consistent with a malfunctioning catalytic converter.

National Preparedness Safety Fair

(San Diego - September 10, 2008) San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman implored all San Diegans to get involved in preparedness today at a City-sponsored informational fair as part of National Preparedness Month.

"Disasters don’t discriminate and they can happen anywhere at any time," Chief Jarman said. "That’s why preparedness can’t take place just once a year for a month and only in one way. It’s an ongoing effort that can begin with a simple step, but it’s up to you to take it. And I hope that you’ll make today the day you take that step.

"Where should preparedness take place? The simple answer is everywhere! Your place of work, your child’s school, and especially your home," Jarman said. "If you have a plan and you can provide food, shelter, and basic medical care for your family if our first responders are overwhelmed with a large scale incident, then you are helping us as well as yourselves."

Organized by CERT San Diego, the Preparedness Safety Fair featured information from San Diego Fire-Rescue, Police, Lifeguards and SDMSE as well as the San Diego County office of Emergency Services and several other organizations.

Copter 2 Joins Fire-Rescue "Fleet"

(San Diego - September 3, 2008) The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department welcomed a second firefighting helicopter in an arrival ceremony and news conference today.

"The second helicopter is truly a major milestone in our efforts to ensure that residents have immediate and continuous aerial fire firefighting protection, as well as rescue and medical response services," Fire Chief Tracy Jarman told the audience of invited guests. "It is a way for us to better prepare ourselves for the future; a future that unfortunately includes the threat of major wildfires happening more often than we are used to."

Mayor Jerry Sanders made a commitment to a second firefighting helicopter after the October 2007 wildfires that destroyed 9,250 acres and 365 homes in the City of San Diego. "One of the primary reasons we are able to go forward with the purchase at this time," the Mayor said today, "is because of the overwhelming generosity of a number of large and small corporate and private donors who have contributed to the Fire-Rescue Department’s helicopter fund."

The purchase of Copter 2 is through a 15-year lease-purchase agreement. The sales tax and lease purchase payments in fiscal years 2009 through 2011 would be paid from currently existing funds in the Fire-Rescue Department’s helicopter special revenue account and from scheduled deposits that will be made to that fund from established corporate sponsorships and allocations from the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE). Notwithstanding additional donations to the helicopter special revenue account, payments from the General Fund for the lease-purchase would not begin until Fiscal Year 2012.

The total cost of the helicopter is put at $10,972,821.

Copter 2 carries 375 gallons of water, and has a snorkel that can refill the water tank in 17 seconds as the helicopter hovers over a reservoir or other water source. It now joins Copter 1 as the only firefighting helicopters equipped and staffed for night flying in the region. One of the helicopters will be based at Montgomery Field in Kearny Mesa, the other at Brown Field in Otay Mesa.

"A single fire-rescue helicopter and its 3 person crew is considered a force multiplier", Chief Jarman said. "In other words it’s equivalent to five engines and 20 personnel, or one strike team. So, with Copters 1 and 2, you are seeing the equivalent of 10 engines and 40 personnel."