Salute to local heroes 2016

Salute October 2016

to our

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Auburn

Joe Almeida

APD Officer Joe Almeida awarded Public Safety honor Almeida focused on drunk driving enforcement Staff report

Officer Joe Almeida of Auburn Police Department was honored by the Elks in 2015 for his efforts to crack down on drunken driving and for pulling someone out of a car before it caught fire, saving their life.

Almeida was also honored for receiving awards from Mothers Against Drunken Driving, in the Elks Lodge Public Safety dinner that brought 200 Elks members, honorees and friends.

Almeida grew up in the Auburn area, graduating from Placer High School in 2003. He graduated from the Yuba College Police Academy in 2006. Shortly after graduation, was hired by the Calaveras County Sheriff ’s Department.

“Joe saw the light and came to the Auburn Police Department in October of 2008,” Ruffcorn told the Elks crowd. “Joe has been recognized on a local, regional, and state level for his efforts in regards to drunken driving enforcement.”

Almeidaworked Patrol Operations for the last few years and has been utilized as a field training officer. He has two life-saving awards – one pulling the man from a vehicle on his way home. He also has three Mothers Against Drunk Driving Awards, one officer of the month award, and one Marksman ribbon, Ruffcorn said.

A Cal Fire crew trains at the Bowman regional headquarters for helicopter first-strike duties. The copter is a recent addition to local firefighting capabilities. Photo by Gus Thomson

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Auburn firefighter Aaron Rea recognized for fire service Placer High grad valued strike team member Staff report

Auburn firefighter Aaron was honored by the Elks for his service with the department’s river rescue and wildland strike force teams and for his forward-thinking approach to fire service.

Rea was honored by the Auburn Elks Lodge with the 2015 Public Safety Award, given to Auburn-area public safety workers for their diligences, innovation and heroics.

Rea grew up in the Auburn area and graduated from Placer High School in 2002. He has been a member of the Auburn Fire Department in both a relief and grant-funded capacity, according to Auburn’s Public Safety Department. He also worked for the Placer Hills Fire District as a part-time firefighter.

Aaron was a member of Auburn Hook and Ladder since 2009 and holds certificates in numerous firefighter disciplines, including low angle rope rescue, driver operator, river and floodwater rescue, swift water awareness training, confined space rescue, “and the list goes on,” said Public Safety Director John Ruffcorn.

“Aaron was also a valuable member of our strike force deployments to wildland fires all over Northern California,” Ruffcorn told the Elks and other honorees.

Auburn Journal 1030 High Street, Auburn, CA 95603 specialsections.goldcountrymedia.com General Information: (530) 885-5656 Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher shall not be responsible for any liabilities arising from the publication of copy provided by any advertiser for Foothill Magazine. Further, it shall not be liable for any act of omission on the part of the advertiser pertaining to their published advertisement in Foothill Magazine.

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Aaron Rea, center, recognized for fire service. COURTESY

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THANKS, FIREFIGHTERS

Placer County Sheriff

We appreciate the

RO E P TE

CT

FIR

valuable service our local firefighters provide to keep our community safe.

Our sincere thanks for putting their lives on the line to save people and property.

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Approximately 120 children participate each year. photo by Tricia Caspers

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Salute to Local Heroes

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Calfire

Doug Mackey, Fire Captain, awarded Governor’s Medal of Valor

CalFire specialist served vital role in shooting Staff report

Fire Captain Specialist Douglas Mackey was awarded the governor’s Medal of Valor this April for heroic intervention. COURTESY

Fire Captain Doug Mackey was on a routine patrol in North Auburn when he heard the call: Gun shots in a residential neighborhood.

A heavily-armed suspect was firing over 100 rounds at law enforcement officers and other homes in the Kemper Oaks Court neighborhood just north of Best Buy. Placer County Sheriff ’s Office requested backup around 11 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2014 and Mackey responded.

Mackey is one of CalFire’s 179 sworn officers, who attend law enforcement academies and conduct full law enforcement operations statewide, including traffic stops, criminal investigations, arson investigations and patrols.

At the scene, Mackey was one of several officers arriving in a multi-agency response. He was awarded his medal for rescuing a member of Placer County Sheriff ’s Special Enforcement Team (SET).

Under automatic gunfire, the SET member climbed on a garage and deployed tear gas into the

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suspect’s roof vents, CalFire said. Minutes later, the suspect set the garage on fire, trapping the deputy.

The rest of the house became fully engulfed.

In the line of fire, Mackey and an Auburn police officer ran into the open carrying a ladder and rescued the deputy. There were no major injuries, CalFire said.

After the rescue, Mackey and the police officer checked neighboring homes and assisted and elderly couple in fleeing their house while providing cover.

“With no regard for his own safety during a very dangerous active shooter situation, Captain Mackey’s heroic act ultimately saved the lives of three people,” CalFire said.

The shooter was killed after Sheriff ’s negotiators tried getting the suspect to surrender peacefully.

The State of California Governor’s Medal of Valor is the highest honor California bestows on its public servants and was awarded to seven CalFire firefighters out of fifteen state employees this April.

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Placer County Sheriff’s office dive team

At left, tethered from a line onshore, Placer County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team member Brad Gravely, foreground, works with emergency personnel at a car crash into the river off Iowa Hill Road. Above, The dive team patrols county lakes and rivers, and responds to incidents in ponds and pools.

OUR LOCAL HEROES.... We Thank You For Your STRENGTH, SERVICE & SACRIFICE!

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Firefighters Auburn-area fire districts’ firefighters of the year Keith Drone

Staff report

THANK YOU

Firefighters save more than homes. Like other first responders, they preserve lives and families, putting their lives up as collateral for members of our community.

Chief Ian Gow, a 35-year resident of Weimar, oversees Foresthill Fire, Placer Hills Fire and Newcastle Fire. He noted the following firefighters were firefighters of the year for their dedication and skill in serving their communities.

serving Foresthill Fire Captain Keith Drone has lived in Foresthill all his life and has degrees in Paramedic and Fire Science. He is a 49-year resident and has served the department for 32 of those years.

“He was given this honor by his peers for hard work, being highly dependable and is as nice a man as you could meet,” Gow said.

Drone is a Captain, Paramedic and is the department’s Emergency Medical Coordinator. He lives in town with his wife and son.

All Emergency Responders • Firefighters • Police • Red Cross • EMT’s • Volunteers

Thank You! to all our local heroes who put their lives on the line daily to save and protect people and property!

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Firefighters

Michael Long

Bobby Hicks

Placer Hills Fire Protection District – Serving Applegate, Clipper Gap, Eden Valley, Meadow Vista & Weimar

Serving Newcastle

Michael Long is an Engineer/Paramedic serving the Placer Hills Fire Department. He was voted Firefighter of the Year in 2015 after joining the department that year.

He started out with an Emergency Medical Technician course in 2009 and began working as an EMT for a private ambulance company.

He graduated from the California Regional Fire Academy in 2011 and later, paramedic school.

While he joined the Placer Hills Fire Department in October, 2015, he rose to Part-Time Employee and this March, became Apprentice.

Thank You

Bobby Hicks has been with the Newcastle Fire Protection District for eight years and is a full-time engineer.

Fire engineers perform all the duties of a firefighter and are responsible for the safe and efficient operation of vehicles and equipment.

Hicks joined the fire service after speaking with a friend and firefighter with the Lincoln Fire Department, who helped him take his first steps.

He joined the Newcastle Fire Department in 2009 as a volunteer over the summer. Soon after, he took classes in a Joint Powers Authority academy held at an Auburn fire station, where he learned much of the information he needed in his career.

After a few years of volunteering, Hicks became a part-time employee and then a full-time engineer.

He is recently married and was born and raised in Northern California.

THANK YOU

EMERGENCY RESPONDERS!

To All Our Local Heroes who provide such wonderful first response care.

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Placer County Supervisor

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Salvation Army

When the need arises our Auburn EDS Team is ready to serve.

The Salvation Army is an international organization that has a presence in over 130 countries. When a disaster happens, The Army is one of the first on the scenes and one of the last to depart.

The Army was on ground zero of the 9/11 crises in New York. It worked at the ground floor of the twin towers with in hours of the disaster and marched out with clean-up teams after months of work.

The Auburn Salvation Army Emerging Disaster Support Team (EDS) is dedicated to serving Northern California neighbors in times of disaster. When called upon, they provide services at any disaster were there are evacuees and first responders who are in need of food, hydration, and/or moral and spiritual support. The Army’s EDS team is committed to serving in whatever capacity it can help.

Recently, the team has worked at the Trail Head fire near Georgetown and just returned from Lake County, spending days there.

The Team was called out to the Clear Lake Community to help the evacuees at the Twin Pines Casino in Middle Town during the Clayton Fire. Over 300 homes and outbuilding were lost. Food and shelter was drastically needed. The general rule of thumb is The Salvation Army feeds and the Red Cross houses — making a good team. However, in many cases, help is provided even if The Red Cross services are not needed.

At Clear Lake, The Army had over eight Corps involved during the Clayton Fire, and at least six canteens were serving in those affected areas. Duty called, the Auburn Team met the challenge and served the needs of the people.

The Auburn EDS team is mostly made up of many committed volunteers. The

Thank You

The Auburn EDS Team is always ready to serve whenever the need arises. COURTESY Corp has enough teams, usually four members to a team and more if needed.

For more than two weeks, the Teams have provided help at the Valley Fire in Lake County. During this fire, 1,500 homes were lost. Various Northern California Salvation Army EDS teams were called out and served at the Clear Lake Senior Center for over two weeks, along with back up help from the Sacramento Salvation Army Service Center. The Army was able to serve the needs of those people affected during that terrible fire.

The Auburn EDS Team is always ready to serve whenever the need arises.

We Thank Our Local First Responders....

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FIRST RESPONDERS

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