YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 20, No. 25
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Meals on Wheels expands
Honored For His Service
Feeling groovy
by Aly Brown
Fire Captain Dan Baio was recently recognized for his 30 years in the fire service. Page 5
Staff Writer
Providing meals and companionship for seniors in far East County is about to get easier for the volunteers who serve as the backbone to the agency. As of July 1, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region will assume the routes of Meals on Wheels East County, and the alliance will connect those who work and volunteer for the latter to greater services and support through the larger agency. “A lot of organizations that we work with bring additional services to the clients … from fall prevention to social workers to visiting,” said Elaine Clark, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region CEO. Once manned by only three part-time employees and volunteers, Meals on Wheels East County didn’t see Meals page 30
A New Twist On Pizza Photo by Tony Kukulich
M
arlaena Tiernan, 5, of Brentwood, enjoys the music of Max Cruise during the kickoff concert for Starry Nights in Brentwood’s downtown City Park on Friday, June 15. Starry Nights runs each Friday night throughout the summer and is free to the public. To view a slideshow, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia/slideshows
Fire district hosting town hall forums by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District’s funding shortage prohibits it from providing adequate service, but organization officials are forging ahead to find solutions. That’s what Fire Chief Brian Helmick told a crowd at Bethel Island’s Scout Hall during the first of four town hall meetings to discuss the state of the organization ahead of a strategic planning session in July. The agency, comprising three stations, is charged with serving over 249 square miles and 114,000 residents in Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Byron, Bethel Island, Knightsen, Marsh Creek and Morgan Territory. That service demand leaves
“ We have too few stations. We have
three resources that are constantly running throughout the system.
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Fire Chief Brian Helmick residents and property at risk, said Helmick, noting that response times are below industry standards of four minutes for urban areas and eight minutes for suburban and rural locations. “Right now the jurisdiction, at 250 square miles, is just too much area to cover,” Helmick said. “We have too few stations. We have three resources that are constantly running throughout the system.” Ninety percent of the time in the month of May, it took engines 17 minutes to respond to calls in www.thepress.net/ marketplace BUSINESS DIRECTORY Find it Local!
June 22, 2018
Discovery Bay, Byron and Bethel Island, 13 minutes in Knightsen and Marsh Creek, 10 minutes in Brentwood and nine minutes in Oakley. Those long wait times loom large considering that fires double in size every two minutes as long as combustible fuels are present; flashover (when a room is consumed by fire, killing anyone inside) occurs in seven to nine minutes; and the mortality rates for trauma patients and stroke victims increase rapidly if they don’t reach an operating ta-
ble within an hour of the incident, Helmick said. “Bottom line is this: Proper response times save lives and property,” Helmick said. The district, however, is trying to stem the tide. In January, the agency hired a legislative advocacy firm to improve communication with local and state officials and assist in identifying alternate revenue and growth options. The district is also creating a strategic plan to define future service levels, along with the cost and time to implement those changes. That plan, which will incorporate public input, should be completed by the time a new fivemember elected board is installed in December. see Fire page 30
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County clerkrecorder’s office to stay open late on Thursday nights.
Chicago Pizza offers a specialty menu featuring authentic Indian spices and toppings. Page 10
BVAL’s Best Of The Best
The Bay Valley Athletic League has announced its lineup of spring superstars. Page 21 Calendar................................31 Classifieds.............................24 Cop Logs................................29 Entertainment.....................10 Food........................................11 Kid Scoop................................9 Milestones............................15 Opinion..................................20 Pets.........................................19 Sports.....................................21
Texting 911
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County Office of the Sheriff is now able to handle texts to 9-1-1.