Holiday storms keep La Honda Fire Brigade busy

Over the New Year’s Holiday Weekend the La Honda Fire Brigade responded to over a dozen emergency calls. These included vehicle accidents, electric lines down, trees blocking roads and mudslides. The Brigade also opened our Emergency Operations Center Saturday morning. This included staffing our Fire Station and coordinating Emergency Responses in the La Honda area.

As the potential for this last series of storms became known we met with County Fire personnel and reviewed our emergency response plan for the Southcoast. This plan included: emergency communications, how fire resources would be allocated, flood operations in Pescadero and the pre-positioning of Sand Bags in La Honda.

While damage to this area was limited, there are some areas of concern that we want to bring to the attention of the public:

During major storms it is not uncommon for creeks and drainages to breach their banks and flow over roads. Falling into any swift water in this area can easily be fatal. The waters speed, temperature, accessibility, and flow of debris severely hampers rescue efforts and reduces the likelihood of surviving such a fall.

Downed power lines are a danger year around and during storms they are common and can be deceiving. During dark days downed lines can easily blend into the landscape and be difficult to identify. Treat all downed lines as “HIGH VOLTAGE”. Do not attempt to move them no matter what. Dial 911 and report downed lines to PG & E. When you see Fire Dept. yellow marking tape do not cross over it.