CALIFORNIA DOZER OPERATORS GROUP HOLDS 41ST ANNUAL MEETING IN MURRIETA
President, Scott Price, addressing the group.
Tim Steponavich from Cal Fire Air Attack discussing air operations.
The California Dozer Operator’s Group (DOG) was created to provide Agency Fire Dozer Operators and Contract Dozer Operators with a venue to communicate and continue to develop best safety and training practices and procedures for use on wildland fire incidents. The Southern Chapter of the DOG is made up of heavy equipment operators from local Southern California fire departments. The group includes members from the California Department of Forestry, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, Ventura County, United States Forest Service, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Santa Barbara County, Kern County Bureau of Land Management, Sacramento Metro Fire, and Vandenberg Air Force Base. DOG holds an annual meeting each year in both northern and southern California. This year’s Southern event was held March 30 at Monteleone Meadows, a private event venue located in Murrieta. The meeting was hosted by Cal Fire Riverside and featured a variety of guest speakers. Presentations were made by folks like Mike Breeze, a Cal Fire dozer operator from San Bernardino County, who spoke about new information impacting DOG members and their work with
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George Davis, Sales Manager, Heavy Equipment Sales, LLC speaking to the group.
local contractors. There was also a speaker from Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base, who talked about fire safety and air operations, and other guests who presented information on topics like GPS tracking systems. Scott Price is a fire equipment operator and President of the California Dozer Operators Group (DOG). “We had another great meeting this year at the beautiful Monteleone Meadows facility in Murrieta,” says Price. “We had around 110 guests in attendance, and I feel like we accomplished a lot, while also taking the time to socialize, eat some great Mexican cuisine and talk to the vendors who were good enough to attend and support our event.” The vendors in attendance at the meeting included Heavy Equipment Rentals & Sales, LLC (HERS, LLC), headquartered in Corona. HERS, LLC brought several machines to the meeting for attendees to check out, including a Hyundai HX260L crawler excavator, a Hyundai 60CR9A rubber track excavator and an ASV VT-70 compact track loader. Other vendors were in attendance, including static displays of current firefighting dozers and semi-truck transportation rigs. A raffle, full of great prizes was also held, along with the sale of hats, shirts, decals,
2017 Underground construction ISSUE CALCONTRACTOR
Doug Dolezal from Sacramento Metro FIre discussing new tracking device.
jackets and other specialty items to raise money for an annual barbecue to support the Grossman Burn Center Foundation. Firefighting dozer operators primarily use bulldozers equipped with reinforced environmental cabs and cages, as well as fire curtains, fire radios, and other heavy-duty protective options. “Every agency has their unique way of equipping their dozers,” says Price. “For instance, Ventura and L.A. have two-man crews with two seats, one for the operator and one for the swamper to ride along. Most of the dozers are single cab, and we also use other heavy machinery like excavators, wheel loaders, motor graders and track loaders when fighting fires. Our equipment helps save lives, and we work closely with local construction equipment distributors to make sure that we have the best equipment possible out there on the front lines.” For more information on the California Dozer Operators Group, visit their website at www.californiadozeroperatorsgroup. org. For information on Cal Fire, visit www.fire.ca.gov. Cc
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