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– Weekend Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 10 | $1.00
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2025
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Trip to Green gets the green light ■ Construction phase short on green Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer
Photo courtesy of Mark Ali
Firefighters watch the way flames move after the fire takes off during a training exercise.
FIREFIGHTERS FUEL THE FLAMES for training exercises
Noel Stack Editor
T
he call came in Jan. 23 for a structure fire in El Dorado Hills with victims possibly trapped in a burning home. El Dorado Hills and Folsom firefighters jumped into action, ready to save the day ... after setting the scenario themselves. The event was part of a three-day exercise at the El Dorado Hills Fire Department Training Center where first responders honed their skills in a controlled environment so they will be ready
when a real emergency is broadcast over the radio. “This allows us to practice in a real, live fire environment,” EDH Fire Training Capt. Mark Ali explained. “We put all that training together so we can become better. “(The training) heightens our awareness so we understand what it’s like with the smoke, the fire,” he continued. “We understand how to use our equipment like ■ See TRAINING, page A8
The Trip to Green project, ongoing since 2021, has been fully green-lit with an agreement for engineering services with Wood Rogers Inc. beginning with an environmental study and documentation. The Placerville City Council voted to approve the project at the Jan. 14 regular meeting. This agreement encumbers the city with an immediate cost of $970,399.49 to begin the required California Environmental Quality Act documentation. This phase of the project was budgeted for in the 2024-25 city budget and is fully financed by a mix of state and local funding. However the city will be on the hook, in coming years, for upward of $2.6 million to complete the project. Melissa McConnell, city engineer, reported to the council on the scope of the project, which includes five phases: • Project approval and environmental documentation — $970,399.49 ■ See TRIP, page A5
Mountain Democrat photos by Noel Stack
Smoke billows from the EDH Fire Traning Center building, above, as firefighter Ty Dennis calls out plans over the radio during last week’s exercise. EDH Fire Capt. Brenton Warren, below, performs CPR on a “victim” pulled from the burning building during last week’s training exercise.
Several EID projects get the go-ahead Jack Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent The El Dorado Irrigation District’s Jan. 20 meeting was a combination of a tutorial on Roberts Rules by General Counsel Brian Poulsen, an insurance payout to the district relating to the Caldor Fire damage and the passage of action items and awarding of contracts that will make repairs and improvements for what the EID Board of Directors agree is an “aged and deteriorating water system infrastructure.” The meeting began with a salute by General Manager Jim Abercrombie to the district employees who worked to repair the water outage in Camino on Christmas Day. “These folks were out there working their tails off, while the rest of us were at home dining on Who pudding and roast beast,” he quipped. “They really should be commended.” On the topic of fire, Senior Deputy General Counsel Elizabeth Leeper reported to the board on the claim filed with the insurance company as a result of damage caused by 2021’s Caldor Fire. The claim was filed for $34 million, according to Leeper and, to date, the district has received $23 million. Leeper also told the board that the claim on the 2023 insurance claim from storms that resulted in
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