Post-Incident Debrief of Last Week's Fire

This past Saturday, over 50 Brisbane residents, along with the CEVs, Mayor and councilmembers, City Manager, Brisbane PD, firefighters representing Station 81, North County Fire Authority, and CAL Fire, as well as City Hall staff, gathered at 9:00 am at the Sierra Point Yacht Club (located at the Brisbane Marina) for what would unfold to be a very lively discussion of last Sunday's fire and evacuation.


Over the course of 1 and 1/2 hours, an overview of the fire and the strategy used to successfully attack it was presented by Fire Chief Ron Myers, followed by a question-answer time with community members bringing forth ideas regarding everything from the importance of maintaining a defensible space around one's personal property, to the felt desire for more information in the wake of an emergency. The City is working to strengthen its Emergency Response Plan to account for all the various suggestions which have been brought to the table, and welcome any more you may have. A reminder to sign up to receive instant updates from San Mateo County ALERT if you haven't already done so...it is right now the fastest way for you to receive up-to-the-second emergency information...and not just that which pertains to Brisbane, but any jurisdiction(s) of your choosing.

Thanks to all who made it out to personally express their comments, concerns, and compliments for a job well done...and for Christie's and Jamba Juice for helping to keep 'em coming!

A Look Back to Sunday

In less than a week, the town has gone from being threatened by a 300-acre wildfire ravaging the canyons of San Bruno Mtn. to resembling again the small, quaint community which so many of us love in Brisbane. This would not have been the case without the quick thinking of firefighters from CAL Fire, North County Fire, and of course, our own Station 81 guys. Let's recount the events from Sunday evening, and see just how fortunate we are because of their efforts!

(The pictures below were taken by Brisbane resident Steve Berry who dropped off over 300 of his pictures at City Hall. Here are the ones that particularly stand out):

The backfire which CAL Fire implemented was successful in that it resulted in the fire burning into itself. Cutting the fire's oxygen and fuel supply were both a part of that strategy. If you look closely at the picture below, you'll see a little red dot under the fire - that is the flare which was used to start the backfire.

The big flames seen below are due to the fire burning in tall trees.
The fire started burning in Owl Canyon and then made its way left to Buckeye Canyon.

It is quite scary to consider how close the fire got to the houses at the upper part of Central Brisbane. Residents from the evacuated streets of Kings, Margaret, Trinity, and Paul did a tremendous job that night, along with the Police Dept., CEVs, and Public Works crew who all helped make the evacuation process a success, as well as Parks & Rec., who opened up Mission Blue Center so the evacuees would have a safe and warm place to stay for those hours outside of their homes. But let's not delude ourselves into thinking we can now rest on our laurels, because there is always room for improvement. If you have ideas or suggestions, or comments about what worked well and what didn't, we need you to be there at tomorrow's post-incident debrief (9:00 am at the Marina) to share them with the Fire and Police departments, and City Hall staff. Something as important as this just can't wait.

Getting the Last of It

A CDF chopper has been making back-and-forth water drops for the last hour. Shots below capture the decrease in smoke with each drop that's made. Notice the 2 CAL Fire trucks standing by on the ridgeline:

Re-fueling with water from the Bay:

The burned hillside section of Buckeye Canyon:

Just a few more trips and we should be completely smoke-free!

In Efforts to Stop the Smoke

At approximately 10:00 AM, a CDF helicopter will be dropping water on the remaining hot spots of the fire smoldering in Buckeye Canyon. But first, the fog will have to lift high enough for CAL Fire to have sufficient visibility of the scene. Also, if the chopper is needed in another location, it may be diverted to meet it. When it does make its water drops here, expect to see it returning multiple times so that the area can be completely doused and rid of smoke.

Signing up to Receive SMC Alerts

The link for SMC Alerts in the previous post is for first responders and law enforcement personnel. Community members may sign up at SMCAlert.info. We apologize for the annoyances felt if you had tried to sign up previously but couldn't!

There is, however, good news as a resultant from this mishap. By 3:00 PM today, there will be a special grouping created especially for Community Emergency Volunteers. So, if you are a CEV, you will be able to sign up to receive alerts pertaining specifically for you.

Thank you for your dedicated service to the Brisbane community!!

Winds Causing Smoke to Increase

Afternoon winds have caused an increase in smoke coming out of Buckyeye Canyon, heading over the top of the Mountain as well as over the City. Station 81 has walked the perimeter of the scene and has reported that the fire is still under containment.

For your health and safety, please remain indoors and limit any outdoor activity.

Take this time to sign up with SMC ALERTS to receive real-time notifications through e-mail or any wireless device during a major crisis or emergency.

San Bruno Mtn. Fire Update

With there still being some smoke coming out of Buckeye Canyon, it is advised for residents to remain indoors as much as possible, taking into consideration the health effects of smoke. A few spots are still smoldering on the Mountain, but a CalFire engine (E1765) is still on-site, and will remain until those spots have become completely extinguished.

Preparations made by property owners before a fire can greatly aid in fire suppression efforts. In fact, there have been incidents reported in other areas where a re-burn occured. This was due to winds coming up a couple days after the fire had been extinguished, carrying embers to areas containing dried out vegetation. And with the very dry spring we just had, the need to clear brush and overgrown vegetation from individual properties becomes even more imperative. Please do your part by removing weeds, leaves, and other highly- flammable brush from the perimeter of your home. The Brisbane Fire Dept. and North County Fire recommend you do so for up to 100 ft. around your property. If you have any questions regarding weed abatement issues, please call Elizabeth Solis at the Fire Dept. at 468-7190.