Tag Archives: investigation

Schiff to Host, Moderate Station Fire Update

This advisory announcement was sent out today regarding the follow-up meeting about the Congressional investigation into events surrounding the Station Fire. The full text is below for your convenience. If you want to download a copy of the original PDF,  click here.

Special thanks to Duncan Baird for forwarding this info.

~B~

***ADVISORY***

Pasadena, CA -Since the Station Fire hit Southern California in August 2009, devastating 250 square miles, killing two firefighters and leaving many people homeless, Rep. Adam Schiff (DCA) has worked with local fire agencies, the US Forest Service and many others to learn from what went wrong in the effort to extinguish the fire and implement changes to make sure those mistakes are not repeated. There has been some progress, although much more needs to be done, and Rep. Schiff is hosting a meeting with representatives of the Forest Service and the Government Accountability Office at the Altadena Library to inform residents about these efforts.

Moderator: Congressman Schiff

Speakers: Tom Harbour, Director of Fire and Aviation, U.S. Forest Service
Stephen Gaty, Assistant Director, Government Accountability Office, Natural Resources and Environment Team

When: Thursday, April 28
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Where: Altadena Library
600 East Mariposa St.
Altadena, CA 91001

Update: Station Fire & Congress

This latest update about the Station Fire and the Congressional investigation comes from Duncan Baird. If you plan to attend, please make sure you RSVP as instructed below. Let’s be sure to have a strong presence lest they forget about us.

~B~

From: “Saltman, Alex”
Date: April 18, 2011 2:22:43 PM PDT
Subject: Station Fire update

On April 28, Congressman Schiff will be hosting a meeting to update area residents on how Congress and the Forest Service are pursuing policy changes in the wake of the Station Fire. Representatives from the Forest Service and GAO will speak and take questions. You were all valuable participants in the Station Fire panel, and are in touch with some of the people most affected by the fire, so I hope you can pass along this message to people who might be interested to let them know of this opportunity to learn more about what Congressman Schiff, the Forest Service and the GAO are doing.

When: 10:30am, April 28
Where: Altadena Library, 600 E. Mariposa Ave., Altadena

If you can, please ask people to RSVP to Ann Peifer, our District Director, … so we can estimate the expected attendance.

Thanks,
Alex

Alex Saltman
Legislative Director
Office of Congressman Adam Schiff
2411 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4176

 

Congressional Hearing Documents & Links

Last Tuesday’s Congressional Hearing featured two separate panels which presented information about the Station Fire to five members of Congress.  The representatives from Congress present at the hearing were:

The two panels addressed slightly different, but related, issues. The first panel addressed the Station Fire specifically, while the second panel focused more on ways to improve fire response policies and procedures within the Forest Service. Copies of the written statements presented to Congressional panel are available for download and review.  (Thanks, Bert and Ben!) You can also download all ten eleven documents as a single ZIP file.

Unfortunately, not all the testimony presented at the hearing is represented here. FWIW, I have made a formal request for a copy of the hearing transcript. As soon as I have it I will post it here.

~B~

Hearing Related Documents:

Panel 1 Documents:

Panel 2 Documents:

ZIP file containing all available documents and statements.

Updated: Oct 16, 2010 @ 17:45

Station Fire Hearing Info

I got a couple of weeks ago from another Station Fire survivor who had some concerns about the upcoming hearing on October 12. Specifically, she was worried that folks might not know how to find the courthouse, parking, etc. The Richard H. Chambers Courthouse is located at 125 South Grand Avenue in Pasadena. For some people the problem may be that the courthouse is in that part of Pasadena between the 134 and 110 freeways. It’s a wonderful area for architecture and history, but the neighborhood can pose problems for the directionally challenged courtesy of streets that dead-end, change their names or don’t line up in a clean grid pattern.

The neighborhood surrounding the courthouse is mostly residential, and the courthouse itself was originally constructed as a Spanish Colonial Revival style resort known as the Vista del Arroyo Hotel and Bungalows. As another resident commented, the courthouse is the only 8-story building in the area. In spite of the fact that it’s not clearly marked, there is nothing else that big on the street. It’s pretty hard to miss.

There is a parking lot across the street, but it is for courthouse employees only. For courthouse visitors, parking is available on the street, but much of it is for two hours only.

Recommendation: Arrive early and read all signage when you park!

More specifics are below. See you there!

~B~

The Richard H. Chambers Courthouse
125 South Grand Avenue,
Pasadena, Ca 91105

The hearing is scheduled to start at 9AM. ARRIVE EARLY!!!


View Larger Map

Congressional Hearing in the News

With the Congressional hearing about the Station Fire coming up next week, we’re seeing additional news in the local press. Thanks to Duncan for these links!

~B~

KTTV 11 – FOX 11
Feds to Examine Station Fire Response Next Week
Pasadena – A congressional panel investigating the early response to the Station Fire that scorched thousands of acres in and around the Angeles National Forest and killed two firefighters will convene in Pasadena next week.
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/feds-to-examine-station-fire-response-20101005

Pasadena Star-News
Congressional Station Fire panel set to reconvene in Pasadena
A congressional panel investigating the Station Fire will reconvene on Tuesday, Oct. 12, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals Building in Pasadena, officials said Monday. The panel, which includes several local members of Congress, plans to examine the first day of the Station Fire, which killed two firefighters, destroyed dozens of structures and blackened large swaths of the Angeles National Forest. The panel will be headed by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_16248925