PROPOSED: COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE and SUPPORT TEAM MEETING

A small group met at the Mi Wuk / Sugar Pine fire station tonight to consider the formation of a Community Assistance and Support Team, C.A.S.T. for short.

This Team will consist of citizens who are interested in providing assistance and support to the Fire District as directed by the District Fire Chief.  This is a great opportunity to come together and support your community in ways that fit your skills.

Responsibilities could include (with proper training and certification as necessary)

• operating department non-emergency vehicles and equipment---this would include retrieving departmental personnel from out of District locations--such as a firefighter who has accompanied someone down to Sonora to the hospital and now needs a ride back up the hill.  A C.A.S.T. volunteer could pick the firefighter up rather than sending another firefighter and fire truck to bring him/her back.
• retrieve District hoses and equipment from fire and other emergency response sites
• move tables and chairs to event locations
• Other assistance and support could include administrative and clerical duties
• find and write grants
• assist the District Secretary in filing, copying etc
• answer phones when all station personnel are out on a call during time of emergency
• Miscellaneous duties could include
• Fire Station maintenance, construction (new bathroom/tiling), and housekeeping
• be a greeter during a time when the station is being utilized as a warming shelter/center
• prepare coffee, etc. when station is being utilized as a warming shelter/center
• Grounds keeping
• equipment maintenance etc.

During and after emergency situations, CAST could provide Team support through

• establishing communication links by ham radio and telephone
• provide onsite information of road conditions
• checking on stranded residents
• assistance at evacuation and warming centers
• provide coffee, nourishment, water, etc. for fire personnel at or near scene of an emergency

These are tasks that community members can provide in times of need or emergency.  Remember last winter???  This is what we're talking about.  

The next C.A.S.T. formation meeting will be held at the Mi Wuk/Sugar Pine Fire Station on Thursday, October 13th, at 7 p.m.  Just show up.  Please.  We need YOU!

In the meantime, you can pick up an informational packet at the fire station (Secretary's office).  If you choose to you can also fill out an interest form, stating your name, email, skills, interest areas etc.  This will be the beginning of a contact list for when C.A.S.T. gets off the ground and is called in to service.

Questions?  Just send me an email, blythek@mac.com , and I'll forward it to Kirk Wallace who is pulling this Team together.  This is an effort whose time has come.

(yes, today is the first day of Fall)

THE "YELLOW" IS BACK IN MI WUK VILLAGE

Once again we can give visitors road directions within Mi Wuk Village like

• follow the broken yellow line to the 4-way stop; then turn right onto the double solid line and ..............
• stay on the broken yellow line until 'xyz' Court/Road/Lane
• follow the solid yellow line to Chief Fuller Road, turn left or right and you'll be at Hwy 108.

Yes, the 'powers that be' came into the village yesterday or Wednesday and finally restriped the naked 'major' roads in Mi Wuk.  I don't know about you, but directions I give to visitors incorporate those yellow road lines.

 

This photo was taken around 6 p.m., Thursday, September 8th, with my iPhone (not hands free!!) through a dirty windshield as I returned from 2 days of babysitting in the Bay Area.  I was so excited to see these fresh yellow lines once again and just had to capture a quick picture to share with you all.

Now hopefully the snow doesn't wipe them out and we have to live another 6-7 months without adequate road lines.  This is cool and I'm a happy camper.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR MI WUK / SUGAR PINE FIRE STATION FUND RAISER

Community participation for our Spaghetti Dinner, put on by the Mi Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Protection District Auxiliary, yesterday afternoon so warmed my heart!  It was fabulous.  Tables were FULL, chatter was constant, workers were busy, diners left full........and as always, the committee who pulled it together learned a few things.  If all goes well we'll be presenting another SPAGHETTI DINNER next September, on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

I was chairman of the event and I must thank my awesome committee members:  Margie Bowen, Linda Clark and Alice Smith.  Together we are a real t-e-a-m.  But then we couldn't have made it happen without the super support of Auxiliary Members, women and men.   There were over 25 Auxiliary members helping with set up, cooking, serving and clean up----all those things that just "miraculously happen".  THANK YOU TO ALL for supporting our fire department and our community.

Thanks also goes to the gals who donated items for and then created our great raffle baskets.  They were a hit and they brought in nearly $500 which will be used to purchase necessary safety equipment for our department upon their request.

It takes a VILLAGE to make it all happen!

Below:  The Committee, who put in many hours behind the scenes, ahead of the event:  

Blythe, Linda, Margie, Alice

And finally (woohoo!) thank you to Dave and Cindy Zbin and Monica, faithful blog readers, for finding me and introducing yourselves.  That meant so much and it was just great to meet local part-timers with whom I've exchanged a bunch of emails.  You guys made my day.  And Loretta, you're included in that group as well.

Making it all happen:

Russ Klipple and Denny Bowen (and Blythe) were at the station at 6 a.m. getting the sauce going:  50 diced onions sautéd first:

Above:  the garlic is added.  Below:  diced tomatoes and puree were added, followed by the herbs.

Below:  Firefighter Neil Gamez (new daddy) took care of all of the bread after Jessie, Marti and Karin buttered it.

Below:  Three of my grandchildren plus my son put the ice cream into the cooler.  Thanks Zion, Austin and Nora.  And adult supervisor, Jason.

Thanks again for coming out on this lovely warm September evening.