Calif. fire chief creating task force to assist in Sandy aftermath

The task force, including paramedics, firefighters, and search dogs, is working with FEMA to coordinate the effort

November 01, 2012 06:03 AM

By Brian Rokos
The Press Enterprise

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A Riverside Fire Department division chief and captain are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Herndon, Va., to assist with rescues in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Division Chief Dave Lesh and Capt. Jeff Loveland are part of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Response System.

Lesh leads one of three incident support teams that provide logistical and command support for the agencies on the scene. Loveland, a member of one of the incident support teams, makes sure that radios are programmed with the same frequencies so rescuers from different agencies can talk with each other.

Also, a California task force has been placed on alert by FEMA for possible deployment, Riverside fire Division Chief Bob Bock wrote in a news release. The task force includes firefighters, paramedics, emergency room physicians, structural engineers, search dogs and hazardous-material specialists.

The Riverside Fire Department is the sponsoring agency for the task force, which includes firefighters from Cal Fire/Riverside County, Corona, Hemet, Murrieta and Pechanga fire departments.

Lesh and Loveland have previously responded to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and hurricanes Irene and Katrina, among other disasters, Bock said.

A convoy of trucks and equipment from Southern California Edison’s Menifee Service Center is set to leave Wednesday morning to help Consolidated Edison Company of New York to help repair damage.

Meanwhile, the hurricane continues to affect airline travel on the West Coast. Sandy forced the cancellation of 182 flights at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Oct. 30. LAX spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado said that the figure, updated as of 11 a.m., included outbound and inbound flights.

John Wayne Airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said Tuesday that two flights each to and from Newark, N.J., had been canceled at the Orange County facility.

Ontario International Airport, which does not have nonstop flights to the East Coast, remained directly unaffected Tuesday. There could be some flights whose connecting flights were canceled.

Close to 15,000 flights have been canceled nationwide because of Sandy, the Associated Press reported. It could be several days before airport operations are back to normal. People who have air travel scheduled are being advised to contact their airlines before heading to the airport.