Most of us are aware of the misfortune the Fillmore Unified School District has had with regard to the termite damaged school buildings on the Second Street (Old Junior High). Over the next 5 to 6 months starting November 27, the Fillmore Fire Department, under the guidance of Fire Chief Pat Askren, will be managing various training exercises on the site located at the corner of Second and Shiells Street, also bordered by the Little League Field and the Junior Varsity Baseball Field. Numerous agencies from across the county have been invited to participate in this unique opportunity. The Fillmore Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department, Ventura City Fire Department, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Federal Fire, Ventura County Sheriffs Department, K-9, California K-9 Search Dog Foundation, Bomb Squad, Urban Search and Rescue are just some of the many, fire, law enforcement, and EMS agencies who will be participating in the exercise.
The Fillmore Fire Department along with the Fillmore Unified School District will be working closely with the local community, especially those families that live on Shiells Street and Third Street, to insure these exercises have as little intrusion as possible on life in the community. Over the next few months several days have been scheduled for various types of training. We believe that most of the training will have very little effect on the community. There will be 6 to 10 days over that 5 to 6 month period where families around the facility might be affected. These are the days slated for burning the entire buildings to the ground. Most of the fires that will be set in the building will be low level and controlled for training purposes. The large burns will happen toward the end of the training day. Each building will be burned individually and of different days. Prior to burning, one of the buildings will be compromised so that our Urban Search and Rescue Teams can train under controlled live conditions.
This training is especially important knowing the potential hazards that go along with earthquake situations. There will be days when the stadium Way and Second Street will be closed to traffic. There will also be days where you might hear some noise coming from the facility. We are also working with local community, high school and youth organizations to prevent as many conflicts in scheduling as possible. There will be days that only fire and police vehicles and personnel will be allowed in the area.
This training and eventual demolition of the building is made possible because of the combined efforts of the Fillmore Unified School District, the Fillmore Fire Department, and the Ventura County Fire Department. With the final burning of each of the buildings, not only will there be a tremendous savings to the school district and tax payers, there is also a tremendous monetary value in hands-on training that each of the various agencies will receive.
If you have any questions you can contact the Public Information Officer Bill Herrera at (805) 524-0586 or Fillmore Unified School District Superintendent Mario Contini at (805)524-6000
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