RHFD

On Sunday, September 11, 2005, the Hercules Rotary Club honored eight members of the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Department. The award was given to District’s firefighters who have received their paramedic license. Firefighters Jonathan Bischoff, Jack Clapp, Bill Clark, Chuck Coleman, Orlando Conti, Joe Guadarrama, Skye Johnson and Brian Solidum were this year’s recipients.

On September 2, 2005, four firefighters from the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District were dispatched to the New Orleans area helping with emergency relief operations under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Chief Gary Boyles and Captain Steve Trotter left on Friday and Engineer Nick Ronchetto and Firefighter/Paramedic Skye Johnson followed on Saturday. After briefing in Atlanta the pairs of two will be deployed to the disaster zone. The four firefighters answered a FEMA request for full-time career firefghters to volunteer for a minimum 30-day commitment. The District also is preparing a list of volunteers who have completed the District’s Community Emergency Response Training program. These volunteers will be deployed in the future to assist FEMA for a 2 week minimum commitment.

On September 2, 2005, the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program announced a $517,500 grant award to the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District for the purchase of a ‘Quint’ ladder truck. The ladder truck will be used throughout the Battalion 7 response area which includes Rodeo, Hercules, Crockett, Pinole and San Pablo. The total purchase price of the apparatus is $545,000, with the District’s portion being $27,500. Per grant requirements, the apparatus is expected to be delivered within 12 months.