I was on the Lee Vining Volunteer Fire Department for 15 years (1996-2011). The calls recounted on this page occurred during spring, summer, and fall 1996, and hopefully give a sense of what it is like to be on a volunteer fire department and also intersect with some Mono Basin historical names and places and events. Some names may be changed.
Woman on Stairs at Mono Vista
We responded to the Mono Vista RV Park, where a woman slipped on icy stairs and hurt her back. We put a c-collar on her, gave her oxygen, and put her on a backboard. The medics arrived and we carried her on the backboard to the gurney. They took her away and we we returned to quarters. It went very smoothly.
Smoldering at Alpine Village
We responded to Alpine Village, where there was smoke coming out doors and out from under the eaves of a building. It was a thin grey smoke, and there was no fire. Faulty wiring had caught some laundry on fire, and it was out already. After looking around and making sure it was out, we returned to quarters.
Snake Bite at Ranger Station
I was the first one to the fire hall, and I got the Suburban running. Cedar, Mike, and Matt showed up, and I drove to the Ranger Station. It was hot, and I was wearing shorts with my turnout jacket. Larry Ford had the kid's arm bandaged, and his dad was telling what happened. The medics came and took the kid away. It did not seem serious. We returned to base.
Car Fire at Hess Park
Mid-day we responded and found a burned-out dash, but the fire was out already.
Lightning Fire at Simis Ranch
We'd been having some pretty amazing thunderstorms, one that started a fire above Tioga Lodge. They were dropping Mono Lake water on it from a helicopter to put it out, and somebody said over the radio "put another shrimp on the barby."
A week or so later, we were having a raging thunderstorm, and after it passed, the fire siren went off. You could guess it was a lightning fire.
We headed north, and saw the smoke coming from the Simis place. We also saw lightning strikes still hammering the area. By the time we got to Old Hwy 395 at Thompson Ranch, things had quieted down, and we headed up the old road. We passed a California Department of Corrections fire crew heading up the hill, and we drove to within 100 yards of the fire.
An area a little over an acre in size had blackened sagebrush that was smoking. Sagebrush a few feet away was untouched. It was pretty unique-looking. Dave had already been shoveling dirt on the embers, and Connie was nearby (she took a picture of Geoff and me).
The CDC crew arrived on foot, and like an army began finishing off the fire. They fired up chainsaws and cut the blackened brush, and ripped up the soil. It seemed a little excessive. The Forest Service arrived, and we left our water tender there.
What was impressive was the defined area that had been hit by lightning, and the untouched area around it, and the war-zone mentality that attacked it, even though it looked like the fire wasn't going anywhere and was mostly out and just smoldering.
Auto Accident at the Mono Inn
We responded, and in front of the Mono Inn two mangled cars blocked the highway. Injuries in one seemed minor, but a woman in the other car seemed to be in more serious condition. She was sitting in the passenger side alone, saying that the driver had left. She was on something, and somewhat uncooperative. I was trying to get a c-collar for her, but couldn't find one that fit. She was bleeding, and blood got on the c-collar. Finally someone helped me get one that fit. A doctor stopped and helped, and when the medics arrived he left. I got recruited to direct traffic, since only one lane was open. We took turns letting traffic through in each direction. Shelly finally removed both cars from the roadway, and we let traffic go. I drove Mike's truck back to the Best Western, since he drove the ambulance to Mammoth.
Old Hiker at Tioga Lake
I was having dinner with my then-girlfriend at Bodie Mike's when we got a call about someone hurting his back on the Mt. Dana Trail at Tioga Lake. We picked up his friend at TPR. It had just gotten dark, and the RP (reporting person) took us to the victim. We carried oxygen and our first-out bag with flashlights to the other side of the lake, and then 100 yards off the trail, where we found an old man (79 years old) sitting on a rock. He seemed fine, since he had time to rest. We checked him out, got him on a backboard, and gave him oxygen. He said his back had given out, and he could barely walk because he was so exhausted. The medics arrived, and checked him out while we waited for Search and Rescue to come with "gurneys on big tires." The RP was exhausted too and was starting to get cold. They checked him out, and decided he was of greater concern, since he had a medical history of heart conditions. They started an IV on both patients, and both had oxygen going. One of the patients said that since they started an invasive procedure, he felt he should tell them that he was HIV positive. The medics said it didn't matter, since they take body substance isolation precautions anyway.
Finally, after a lot of waiting, Search and Rescue arrived with the gurneys. Meanwhile, people had brought more oxygen to resupply us. We got the patients in the gurneys, and rolled them back over sometimes tricky terrain (it was strenuous, and we had 4-5 guys holding each gurney). I held the IV much of the way. Sometime in the next year or two LVFD got our own "gurney on a big tire" so that we could handle a call like this without waiting for Search and Rescue.
When we finally got back, my girlfriend (and Wendy) were on my computer at work. When I had left, everyone at Bodie Mike's was staring at her sitting there alone. She said someone said "I hope its not a first date" and someone else said "no sex tonight."
Motorcycle Down on Tioga Road
Near the bottom of the grade, at one of the turnouts, a motorcycle had gone down because a car hit a rock and leaked oil on a curve. The motorcycle had skidded in the dirt a ways, and a big biker dude was lying on his back in the turnout. People were holding a blanket over him to shade him from the sun. He had blood on him. We put a c-collar on him, gave him oxygen, and the medics arrived. We put him on a backboard, and got him on a gurney.
My sister and future brother-in-law were going to meet me for lunch on this Labor Day before heading home from a weekend visit. As we returned to town, I saw them sitting at Bodie Mike's, and I hurried over. They had arrived at the restaurant right after I had left on the call, and were just finishing eating. They stayed while I ordered and ate, then they returned home to the Bay Area.
Fire near the High School in the Caltrans Yard
We responded in two trucks to the High School, with Dick in Laura in #2 (or #4?) and Geoff and me in #3. Geoff and I drove around the back, looking for the fire, and I spotted it in the Caltrans Yard when we came around the front. I radioed Dick that we found it, and we stopped next to the fire. A Caltrans guy was standing next to a small pile of trash that was burning. He said "I can't believe that someone called this in. Sorry, guys." We left.
