A HOT ITEM

A Hot Item

Fire Captain Terry Acrey

runs the Devore Fire Station located in Southern Cali at the I-15 / I-215 split, in Northern San Bernardino along with his crew.

They battle fires of all sizes small, and major, all year long. Here is a quick interview with Captain Acrey.

What is a typical day without calls like at the firehouse?

Our day goes something like this:

*0630 - 0800 Showers, breakfast, shift change if anyone is going off work or coming on

*0800 - 1000 Morning cleanup, some type of training, and equipment check out

*1000 - 1015 Break

1015 - 1200 Physical fitness training, station projects (one Firefighter breaks away early to prepare lunch)

*1200 - 1300 Lunch

*1300 - 1500 Firefighting training, station projects

*1500 - 1515 Break

*1515 - 1700 Station projects, cleanup project areas (one firefighter breaks away early to prepare dinner)

*1700 - 1730 Dinner, end of work day, chillax

Those are typical days without any calls.

How many fires would you guesstimate you and your crew works on a year?

We average 80- 100 fires a year. That includes Wild land fires, vehicle fires, and structures.

What percentage would you say is caused by nature, what percentage by man?

About 90% of the wildland fires are caused by man. About 70% of the other fires are caused by man.

What advice you would give people to stay safe and immediate actions to take should they find themselves facing a fire?

The best way to stay safe is to use common sense (don't store flammables by a heat source, etc.). Best thing to do when confronted with fire is to STAY CALM! DO NOT FAN A FIRE to try to put it out. That will only make is spread. If it's a house fire, shut the door to the involved room first and then the remaining doors to the other rooms to confine and slow down the fire until the Fire Department gets there. Always plan a way out! For grease fires on the stove, try to put a lid over the container that has the burning material in it or throw baking soda (not baking powder) on it. Have fire extinguishers available. If you wake up to a smoke filled house, stay low and CRAWL out to the nearest opening.

These Firefighters put their own lives on the line everyday to protect us. Its nice to know they do it with love and dedication! And a smile in their hearts!

Thank you very much for your time and your service Captain Terry. And thanks to your crew and all the other Fire Crews out there keeping the heat off of us!

Steph Jordan

Life is good. People like this make it better!