June 2022

Chief's Message

This month’s comments will be more brief than normal, but still loaded with important information related to keeping our community Fire Safe this month.

Fire Safety Updates

First off, our annual Fire Prevention/Weed Abatement Program kicks off on today, June 1st. Fire District staff will be out in the community inspecting and potentially “Posting Notices” on properties that are deemed to be hazardous because of tall dry grass or accumulated combustible materials. 

It is the property owner’s responsibility to keep their property clear of these hazards and if they fail to do so in a timely manner, the Fire District will hire a contractor to clean the property and the owner will be billed for these services. Please help us keep American Canyon ‘Fire Safe’ again this Summer by cleaning your property before we have to! As I am writing this message as of this morning, Napa Valley is still battling its first significant wildland fire of this year! CalFire and local fire departments from across the County are working a 100+ acre brush fire in the Soda Canyon area of Napa Valley. 

This is an unfortunate reminder that we are still very vulnerable to these dangerous fires and we haven’t even started summer yet. We have been experiencing drought conditions for nearly the past decade and the hills and fuels that surround us are tinder dry! Please be considerate of these dangerous conditions as you move around our community.

This is a great example of why we are teaming up with Napa Firewise. Now is the time to prepare for the next wildfire – before it happens. The Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (Napa Firewise / NCFF) is an excellent resource for your fire preparedness checklist to protect your home and community. Napa Firewise serves over 20 local Fire Safe Councils throughout Napa County. American Canyon Fire Protection District is currently working with Napa Firewise and American Canyon residents to set up Fire Safe Councils. For more information visit: https://napafirewise.org/fire-safe-councils/

We are recruiting within our community for Firefighters

American Canyon Fire District is looking for Firefighter and Firefighter/Paramedic candidates again as we make every effort to keep our staffing levels compatible with maintaining our two 3-person engine companies daily. Landing a job as a firefighter is not an easy task these days and the competition for jobs is very competitive. We’d like to encourage American Canyon residents that are interested or already qualified firefighter candidates to consider a career with the ACFPD. Members of our Department will be available at all of the Meet-Me-In-The-Street events and the Juneteenth event this summer to answer questions and encourage you to apply during this next recruitment process. We are proud of our Fire District and the services it provides to our community ….How about considering a career as a firefighter/paramedic or firefighter with us right here in American Canyon? To be added to our interest list please visit: www.amcanfire.com  

American Canyon CERT Program

I’ve mentioned this before, but I feel that I can’t over-emphasize the important work that our local CERT volunteers continually do throughout our community. This dedicated group of your neighbors has taken the time to acquire extra training and skills designed to prepare them to be better prepared to respond when our Fire and Police personnel are overwhelmed during disasters.  

Yesterday evening (May 31st), ACCERT deployed to assist with the CalFire Soda Canyon incident to assist with command and control with Napa Community Animal Response Team (CART) during mandatory evacuations. This critical role assists in getting evacuated residents' animals safely removed from danger. 

ACCERT is always looking for more volunteers and would love to share the value of its service with you. Look for them and their booth at the upcoming Meet Me in the Street events or reach out to them by contacting them directly at www.americancanyoncert.org or through our ACFPD website.

Follow us on social media…. Check out our Facebook page, Instagram, and the monthly District newsletter. For the latest updates on what’s happening within our Fire District.

Mike Cahill
Fire Chief

Follow us on Social Media: 

Facebook: Facebook.com/AmCanFire 

Instagram: Instagram.com/amcanfire

Click Here for the Monthly Statistical Report for May Statistics

CPR Training  Are you CPR Trained? Would you like to be?  The American Heart Association hosts online CPR/AED classes to provide basic life support training.  Visit: AHA CPR/AED Training to find class near you.

Meet The Team Mondays

Meet The Team Mondays continued featuring the following: 

Assistant Fire Chief Geoff Belyea

EMS Coordinator Todd Pelletier 

Firefighter Andrew O'Shaughnessy 

We will continue to feature a different member of the American Canyon Fire Protection District. We are highlighting why they love serving our community, why they like being a firefighter, and how they like to spend their downtime. They even get to highlight what special duties they have taken on within the District. Stay tuned to learn more about YOUR AmCan Fire District. 

To see the previous post click here.

The Newest Member of the AmCanFire Family

It is with great excitement that we announce the expansion of the #AmCanFire family......

The third week of May, Firefighter/Paramedic Cano and his wife, welcomed their first baby, a little girl to the world!

Everyone is happy and healthy...
We decided to give her a bit before she picks up her first tour. 

Recruitment Starts Soon

Month of May In Review 

Juneteenth Celebration

DARE Graduations

AmCanFire was invited to celebrate the 5th grade DARE graduates by Napa County Sheriffs Office and joined AmCan PD at Napa Junction Elementary School, Calvary Baptist School, Canyon Oaks Elementary, and Donaldson Way Elementary. It was a treat to visit with these accomplished 5th graders as they took the pledge to make decision based on a life without bullying, drugs or alcohol. Great job 5th grade!

Napa Firewise Partnership As Chief Cahill previously mentioned, AmCanFire has partnered with Napa Firewise to create a more fire prepared American Canyon community.  Here are some resources from Napa Firewise:  Landscaping tips for your garden: defensible-space/landscaping Neighborhood Fire Safe Councils and how YOU can get involved: Fire Safe Councils Are you a wine lover or a runner? Maybe both? The Wine Shine Half Marathon benefiting Napa Firewise is taking place June 16th click here for more information.

What is CERT? 

Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) is a nationally recognized emergency training course that teaches essential emergency response skills. By taking and completing the CERT course you will gain the skills and confidence necessary to help yourself, your family, and your community during a disaster.

ACCERT May Highlights 

• May 19^th - Golden Eagle Exercise.  ACCERT participated in the state-wide Golden eagle exercise with the Napa County Office of Emergency Services to provide emergency communications to county officials.  ACCERT deployed teams with mobile radios and radio antenna towers to St. Helena Fire Department, Calistoga Fire Department, and the Napa County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Napa County Sherriff’s office.  Those teams were able to contact our command post here in American Canyon and establish contact with neighboring county Emergency Operations Centers in Solano County, Marin County, Contra Costa County, Lake County, and more. 

• “ACCERT exceeded expectations and local officials were impressed both with ACCERT’s ability to quickly deploy radio teams and establish lines of communication with local cities & neighboring counties.” - Leah Greenbaum, Napa County PIO

• May 21^st - ACCERT was asked by Sergeant McWilliams from the Napa Sheriff's office to assist with traffic control and pedestrian safety for the Yountville Art, Sip & Stroll event.  Our three newest members, Kristin Kline, P.J. Massey and Carrie Massey did very well!  We helped keep traffic flowing through Yountville's busy intersection and kept it from backing up on the highway.  Both bus drivers and pedestrians expressed appreciation for our efforts.  We’re always happy to help the community, and it’s a good training opportunity for us!
• May 31st -  ACCERT deployed to assist with the CalFire Soda Canyon incident to assist with command and control with Napa Community Animal Response Team (CART) during mandatory evacuations. This critical role assists in getting evacuated residents' animals safely removed from danger.
• June 21^st - Emergency Preparedness Open House.  ACCERT will join Napa City CERT at the Emergency Preparedness Open House taking place on Tuesday, June 21 from 4:00 – 7:00pm at the Napa County Administration Building Parking Lot – 1195 Third Street, Napa.
• June 25^th and 26^th - Field day.  Field Day is a picnic, campout, practice for emergencies, and an informal contest held annually throughout North America.  ACCERT will be joining the North Bay Amateur Radio Association (NBARA) to run the event from Silver Oak Park.  All are welcome! 

• CERT Basic Classes

  • The 101^st CERT Basic training class completed on May 22^nd.  Congratulations to those who completed the class! Here’s an article that covered that class
  • The next CERT training class is scheduled for September 10th in the Lake Berryessa Area, Capell Valley Fire Station. 
  • Pending community feedback, additional classes may be scheduled locally here in American Canyon or at Napa Valley College.  Email NapaCERT@aol.com to express interest in taking a class.
• To learn more about ACCERT visit our web site at http://www.americancanyoncert.org/ or Follow us on Facebook here.

Upcoming Fire District Board Meeting

The next Fire District Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 21st at 6:30 PM. The agenda will be posted on our web site.