By Thomas Gase
Times-Herald
VACAVILLE, Calif. — It’s always difficult to be a firefighter, but this past week the intensity and dangers to the job have risen.
While the nation mourned an ambush in Idaho that left two firefighters dead and one injured, Vallejo and Vacaville have been frustrated after a local incident left a firefighter with concussion-like symptoms after he was hit with a rock while leaving the scene of a service call.
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The Vacaville firefighter, whose name has yet to be released, was hit by a rock from an unsheltered resident identified as Alakemenlee Siaplay. The firefighter, who was the driver responding to a service call at the CVS on Sonoma Boulevard and Redwood Parkway, was not wearing a helmet but instead a radio headset that is not used as safety equipment. The firefighter was able to remain conscious and pulled Engine 72 over to the side of the road. The firefighter was taken to a local fire station at 900 Redwood Parkway and later a local hospital for medical attention.
Siaplay was arrested a few minutes later by Vallejo police as he was walking westbound toward Sacramento Street, according to Local Union 1186 representative Kevin Brown. Vacaville Fire is pressing charges against Siaplay, according to Brown.
Brown said that the Vacaville Fire Department was helping out Vallejo this past week as the Vallejo department held its academy graduation.
“It’s very frustrating because Vacaville was just helping us out as a favor due to the graduation, as we would do for them if the roles were reversed,” Brown said. “The area where the incident occurred didn’t have any past history with fires, and we’re not sure why the man threw the rock, but that area is our busiest district with the unsheltered and we do get a lot of calls there, especially around Sonoma and Serano and the White Slough area.
“We get assaults while on call from time to time and altercations are not uncommon with the mentally unstable, but nothing like this,” Brown continued. “We get pushed and shoved from time to time, but this is the worst I’ve heard of.”
Brown said the department was at first reluctant to share the information of the Friday incident as they want the focus to remain in Idaho, but he did say the department is “collectively upset.”
“This should never happen to any of us,” Brown said.
The incident takes place just a week before the busiest time of year for firefighters — Fourth of July and the days immediately before and after. Last year the Vallejo department took 86 calls in 32-hour period starting midnight on July 4 . Brown reminded everyone that fireworks are illegal by nonprofessionals in Vallejo.
“It’s often hard for us to separate what is a vegetation fire and what is a fire caused by fireworks unless we see remnants of fireworks at the scene,” Brown said. “But in the last 10 years we’ve had three structures in Vallejo burned down due to fireworks.”
Brown said that the public shouldn’t call 9-1-1 if one just sees fireworks, but should absolutely report it if they believe it’s a threat and may cause a fire.
“If we got a call every time someone saw a firework, we’d have a call on every block at every minute of the day,” he said.
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