Salute and Cheers To Firefighters!

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

September 19, 2018 (San Diego) - September is National Wine Awareness Month and wine has become so vital to California that it deserves a whole month. “Last year we saw the devastation from wildfires in Sonoma and Napa and fires are still burning dangerously close in many areas throughout the state, reminds Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. We are far from being out of the woods as we have yet to experience our Santa Ana’s, Sundowners and Diablo winds.”

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

August 5, 2018 (San Diego) -- When I was younger I hated all the back-to-school commercials. They were a dreaded reminder that summer was over and pretty soon, I'd be back inside a hot, stuffy classroom, mourning my lost freedom.

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

July 12, 2018 (San Diego's East County) - Okay, let’s be honest... that’s a great song but when it gets hot, it’s really not that much fun. Especially If you work or play outside, you should know about heat stress safety tips. Heat stress is caused by over exposure to hot climates. You might not think it is possible, but you can suffer from heat related injuries inside as well as outside. Heat stress occurs when your bodies core temperature rises above normal.

Follow these heat stress safety tips to prevent heat injuries:

Avoid the Summer Time Blues

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

June 11, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays causes most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer. To lower your skin cancer risk, protect your skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna 

May 28, 2018 (San Diego) -- This Memorial Day Weekend brought cool temperatures in Southern California.  with many areas experiencing light precipitation. What makes this unusual is the fact we had several brush fires throughout southern California. This is very strong evidence we are looking at another significant wildfire season this summer.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

May 14, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) - We know all about those snakes at work that slither around trying to work their way into promotions, office social circles and politics, or even belly up to the boss. They’ll do anything (even bite you in the back) as long as it benefits them.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

March 26, 2018 (San Diego's East County) - Hop To It – Easter Safety!

Searching for a hidden Easter basket is an activity that children of all ages enjoy.  However, there can be a few problems if parents are not careful.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

February 19, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- A cold front is passing though this week and people aren't the only ones who value a dry, cozy home in cold weather. Rodents do, too. As it gets colder, everything that was out tends to want to find some sort of harbor inside.

High protein diet can help keep you healthy

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

February 1, 2018 (San Diego) -- The flu season is unusually severe this year, and California is one of the hardest-hit states, with more deaths reported weekly, some experts believe new infections may be peaking, flu activity will likely remain into April. 

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

January 3, 2017 (San Diego) -- As the holidays come to a close, fire safety is just as important as at any other time of year. And the risks with dry Christmas trees are greater than ever.

Christmas trees dried out early due to low humidity and winds prior to Christmas. That’s why it’s important to safely remove that dried out Christmas Tree - now!.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

December 4, 2017 (San Diego) -- Wildfires are not the only hazard we have to concern ourselves with during high winds and Red Flag warnings which go into effect today and last through the week. These winds may be our strongest of the season!

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

November 13, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - When most of us think about Thanksgiving, images of turkey, stuffing and time spent with loved ones typically come to mind, not fire hazards. However, an increased risk of fire is, in fact, a reality of Thanksgiving reminds Fire Chief Sam Digiovanna. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), three times as many home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving as on a typical day. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

October 12, 2017 (San Diego) -- Wildfires seem to be burning daily in almost every county. You may not live directly in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) however you will likely be impacted by the large amount of smoke generated by these fires.

Particulate matter generated from the smoke is the main public health threat during short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, so it’s crucial to protect yourself.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

September 3, 2017 (San Diego) -- Have you ever wondered how firefighters determine which homes to defend and which ones we don’t during a wildfire?

As firefighters, we lay out our plans for the tactical operations before a brush fire by pre-planning our districts. During a brush fire, it’s imperative that we make quick but well-thought-out decisions that reflect life safety issues for both responders and citizens first, followed by property conservation.

Grant Yourself Immunity

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

August 14, 2017 (San Diego) -- Every week it seems there’s some new virus, disease, airborne, food contamination in which we have to exercise caution around or get an immunization.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could get an immunization against the 405 freeway and stop that spread of toxic traffic! How about from rude and obnoxious people? I guess we can never rid ourselves of those.  However, vaccine-preventable diseases can be prevented if we take the time and get our immunization shots.