Anaheim Fire Department

To draw people's attention to safety issues, the Fire Department is rolling out a classroom on wheels. The Mobile Fire and Life Safety Education Unit is a 16-foot-long trailer with a folding stage, a public address system, a television and VCR, fire prevention displays, props for simulating emergency situations and a phone system for practicing 911 calls.

A 34-year-old construction worker at the Platinum Triangle urban village was killed Thursday when a backhoe loader tipped over and struck him with its scoop, authorities said. The man, who was not identified, was standing on the ground under the machine in the 1500 block of Katella Avenue when its bucket struck him about 11 a.m., said Maria Sabol, a spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department. He was part of a six-man crew putting stucco on a condominium project. The worker was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Sabol said.

More than 120 firefighters from Mexico will be hosted by the Anaheim Fire Department for training in heavy rescue techniques, disaster preparedness, first aid and new equipment and technology this month. "The effect these five days of skills training will have on these firefighters will not only benefit them professionally but will also substantially increase the level of protection for the citizens of their hometowns," Fire Chief Darrel Hartshorn said. The training sessions, beginning Feb.

The Anaheim City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to appoint Fire Department veteran Roger Smith as the next fire chief. Smith, who has worked for the department 24 years, has been recommended by City Manager David Morgan. The position has been vacant since April, when former Chief Jeff Bowman left to head San Diego's department. Smith has been serving as the acting chief, overseeing a 290-member department. The city conducted a nationwide search and had more than 40 applicants.

Disneyland's nighttime fireworks regularly delight thousands of park visitors, but for Benito (Benny) Ramirez, the show means it's time to go on alert. Ramirez, 54, who will take over as the theme park's fire chief March 1, primarily will be involved with safety and prevention. But with Disney's elaborate fire-breathing shows, such as "Fantasmic," there's always the possibility of trouble.

A small brush fire broke out in Anaheim on Tuesday near the Riverside Freeway and Euclid Street, charring shingles on the roofs of two Fullerton homes in its path, fire officials said. The fire began about 9:15 a.m. and firefighters from Anaheim extinguished it within 30 minutes, according to an Anaheim Fire Department dispatcher.

A blaze in an Anaheim wood shop warehouse Monday night caused $75,000 in damage, fire officials said. A neighbor reported the fire at 11:35 p.m. after spotting flames coming from Ben's Custom Wood Products in the 1400 block of North Central Park, said Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman Carolyn Griebe.

The Anaheim Fire Department will soon get a much-needed 75-foot ladder truck, called a "Quint," which carries water and hose lines. The City Council has approved the purchase of the $549,000 truck from Simon Ladder Towers Inc. of Ephrata, Pa. The new truck will help firefighters in emergency rescues as well as fighting fires, and will reduce the number of vehicles needed to respond to an incident, Anaheim Fire spokeswoman Tabby Cato said.

An Anaheim family escaped injury when a fire, apparently started near a portable heater, destroyed their home. Authorities said the blaze erupted in a back room of Jesse and Teresa Gomez's house on Trenton Avenue just before 10 p.m. Sunday. According to Anaheim Fire Department investigator Mike Doty, the Gomezes' 2-year-old son, David, was coloring on some paper that apparently touched the heater and caught fire. Damage was estimated at $125,000.

Anaheim Fire Department officials are burning up over a rash of phony telephone solicitors trying to pass themselves off as members of a group calling itself the Anaheim Fire Department Burn Assn. Fire officials have received about seven complaints in the last week from angry residents who say they have been harassed by callers trying to solicit donations for the apparently fictitious group. "Whoever these people are, they definitely do not have any affiliation with the Fire Department," Anaheim Fire Chief Jeff Bowman said.

Two people were killed and seven displaced early Wednesday in Anaheim by a four-alarm condominium fire traced to a smoldering cigarette. A 70-year-old man who lived in the two-story home and a 38-year-old woman from Anaheim were found dead in an upstairs bedroom of smoke inhalation and burns, said Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman Maria Sabol. Their identities were not released pending notification of relatives. The fire broke out shortly before 3:30 a.m.

That primitive hose wagon pictured top right, being hustled along Center Street in 1872 Anaheim, was a source of great civic pride. Before its purchase from the Studebaker Wagon Co. of South Bend, Ind., volunteer firefighters had only buckets and ladders. It was all that an agricultural community of 800 people could afford. Or so they thought. In April 1871, a Mr. Davis lost his house to a fire set by his son, who was playing with appropriately named lucifer matches.

In a case closely watched by firefighters and public officials across the state, Anaheim firefighters have won a 15% wage increase through binding arbitration, their first raise since 1996. Made public Friday, the decision angered city officials, who say the award is unjustified and may result in a reduction of other services. The city did win on other issues, including drug testing and personal use of e-mail at work.

A fire early Sunday morning destroyed four businesses in an Anaheim strip mall, causing an estimated $1.5 million in damages, fire authorities said. About 80 firefighters from Anaheim, Fullerton and Orange rushed to the 900 block of North Euclid Street at 2:40 a.m. Witnesses said flames shot up about 200 feet. "The flames were gargantuan. The whole building was pure orange flames," said Tracie Pike, who lives nearby.

The arbitrator in the contract dispute between the city and the Anaheim Firefighters Assn. has determined that he has the authority to rule on a multiyear agreement between the two parties, from the date the last contract ended in 1996 to July 1, 2001. The firefighters have been working without a contract--or a raise--since their last contract expired in July 1996.

In negotiating with the city over its contract during the past four years, the Anaheim Firefighters Assn. has maintained that it only wants what's fair. Thus, when the firefighters felt that negotiations weren't going anywhere last March, they fought for the right to go through binding arbitration, a process whereby a neutral arbitrator would hear their case and that of the city.

A machinery manufacturing plant in Anaheim was destroyed Wednesday night by a fire that started on the roof. Anaheim Fire Department spokesman Bob Young said no one was inside Rawley Machinery Inc. in the 1100 block of North Tustin Avenue when firefighters arrived shortly after 8:30 p.m. It took 40 firefighters, who wore oxygen masks because of heavy smoke, about two hours to control the blaze in the 75-by-100-foot building. The fire caused $800,000 in damage, officials said.

Man Burned in Fire: A man suffered second- and third-degree burns on his hands early Thursday during a fire at his apartment in the 3300 block of West Orange Drive. Antoni Alnaoawi also suffered a sprained ankle, said Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman Darlene Martinez. The cause of the blaze was under investigation, although Martinez said it was believed to have started accidentally. Damage was estimated at $30,000. A smoke detector alerted the occupants at 2:30 a.m.

A monthlong arbitration hearing between the Anaheim Firefighters Assn. and the city over contract conditions ended Thursday with the two sides remaining far apart on wages. The firefighters have asked for what would amount to a 15% wage increase by January. Firefighter representatives said their demands are not excessive because they have not received a wage increase since 1996, when the last contract ended. They said the increase will put wages on par with other county firefighters.