As many of you may know, volunteer firefighters from seven departments and Cal Fire personnel represent the majority of the fire suppression and emergency medical services in Amador County, the latter in conjunction with American Legion Ambulance. What you may not know is the degree of commitment by volunteer firefighters involved in helping to provide these services. Hence, this is the first installment of a series of guest commentaries to help keep residents updated as to the activities of one such entity, Battalion 10 of the Amador Fire Protection District.

Battalion 10 firefighters respond to calls from four stations in their response area, stretching from the outskirts of Jackson and Sutter Creek to Silver Lake/Kirkwood, along the Highway 88 corridor. They also respond to mutual aid calls in surrounding districts and participate in strike teams sent to fight wildland fires elsewhere in California.

In September 2009, Battalion 10 personnel responded to 112 calls of which 46 percent were medical, 28 percent vehicle accidents, and 7 percent fires, with the remaining 19 percent being public assists, smoke checks, down power lines and the like. By the way, it is very common with most fire departments that the overwhelming percentages of calls are medical-related. Hence, all 28 firefighters of Battalion 10 are either emergency medical technicians or first responders in terms of medical training.

In addition to responding to the calls noted above, other activities keep firefighters busy including weekly training and maintaining equipment (five engines, four squads, water tender and a chief's vehicle) and four stations. For example, in August, each Battalion 10 firefighter spent an average of 8.5 hours training, the total time on scene for the 112 calls was 73.9 hours, and each call lasted an average of 40 minutes. Not included in these times are the hours they spend putting the equipment back into service after each call and keeping the equipment and stations clean, among other chores, in order to fulfill their responsibilities to the residents of Amador County.

Subsequent Battalion 10 updates will highlight specific incidents, events, and/or personnel in an attempt to keep our fellow residents informed. In addition, we will gladly address applicable questions if you send them to george.staby@volcano.net.