Auburn City Fire Chief Dave Spencer, employed by the City in July 2018 presented an informative update on the state of fire service in Auburn. Auburn’s fire personnel work 48-hour shifts and the department is well integrated with the mutual aide response system, a necessary association because of local staffing limitations and national regulations.
Chief Spencer formerly worked in the fire service in S. California and brings a wealth of experience to Auburn. An added bonus is that he and CalFire Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit Chief Brian Estes have a long history of association in fire and emergency services; this means a logarithmic gain for Auburn.
Chief Spencer noted that Auburn’s fire personnel comprise a robust, well-trained all-risk department of dedicated fire professionals. Personnel are steeped in an array of Core Values, including Adaptability, Communication, Integrity, Knowledge, Leadership, Longevity and professionalism. With these core values, the department is prepared to deliver exceptional service to our community.
Within the range of the department’s services, Chief Spencer noted the following: Education and Community; Fire Code Enforcement; Fire Investigator; Community Risk Reduction; Community Events; Disaster Preparedness; and, Emergency Response All Risk. All of this is driven by their Three Pillars: Commitment to Excellence, Sustainability and Innovation.
Chief Spencer noted that we are in a new reality and that we need to come up with solutions. Climate change, the complexities of the wildland-urban interface, greater numbers of inhabitants, a dated 9-1-1 system, changing requirements conscripted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and a host of other demands mean that we cannot live in the era of volunteer fire departments.
Auburn City Fire, in 2018, responded to 2,058 incidents, an average of six calls per day. More than 80% of calls were medical-related, with the majority of those calls centering on cardiac and breathing difficulties, each life-threatening circumstances. Chief Spencer also noted that the department is developing a new wildland-urban interface model that it hopes to roll out in April 2019.
Chief Spencer offered a wealth of information – too much to capture, but in answering one question, he affirmed that our 9-1-1 system, developed in the 1970s, is antiquated. If one phones in an emergency on a cell phone, that call is routed to the CHP, which means it must be rerouted to the proper agency. If anyone – you – calls 9-1-1 on a cell phone, do have a physical address for the incident to report to dispatch because provision of such will save critical time.
Among our guests today was Passport Club Rotarian Kay Whitaker.
Weekly Trivia Question-
Asked of a group of educators: “In Roman mythology, who was Cupid’s mother?”
The answer offered was incorrect, resulting in table-wide contributions to President Kahl’s fine tally.
The correct answer is...see below!
As promised by President Kahl, Linda Maeding, Dr. Dan Gustavson and Bob Litchfield, Esq., offered Valentine jokes, which were marginally adult in nature. Dr. Dan offered the winning joke. That resulted in a spin of the wheel by Linda and Bob, and Dr. Dan pocketed $15 as did Auburn Rotary.
Auburn Rotary’s newest member, Russ Sato, MBA, FACHE (Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives), was introduced by Mitch Hanna. Russ is a transfer from Auburn’s Passport Club. He is a licensed physical therapist but is employed by Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital as its Director of Ancillary Services, Business Growth and Development. Russ has been with Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital for three years. Welcome, Russ.
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Announcements
Scott Christensen announced the Rotary Music Contest, scheduled in about five weeks. Applications are now available. See Scott for details and to obtain an application for any qualifying musician you may know.
Fireside Chat - Bridget Powers has very kindly offered her house for the next Fireside Chat on March 14 at 5:30pm. Our Fireside Chats have evolved into a great social time as well as learning about Rotary. Everyone is welcome!! Come and meet our new members. Each person brings a dish to share and something to drink. Thanks again Bridget for volunteering your home. 198 Rio Camino Street, Auburn
Rotary Campout – Contact Steve Galyardt to register. Twenty RV spots have been reserved and ten are already committed for the July 12, 13 adventure.
Cookie Contest – One additional judge is needed for the “Let’s Have Some Tasty Fun” chocolate chip and sugar cookie contest scheduled for March 5, 2019. Contact Linda Maeding for details.
Steve Grundmeier offered “Happy Bucks” and panned a video of his granddaughter’s very first steps following months of recovery from extreme injuries sustained in a tragic automobile accident. Steve and family have been grateful for all the prayers and concerns offered by a legion of Rotarians and friends.
Harold Weaver Award - Attached is the application for the upcoming Harold Weaver Award. Please complete and forward to forrest@eklundinsurance.com or fax to 530-820-1930.
Word has it that over the course of the meeting, a certain back table enjoyed a taste of a gift given Don Whitaker while on business in China. Maotai or Moutai is a brand of baijiu, a distilled Chinese liquor, made in the town of Maotai in China's Guizhou province. Produced by the state-owned Kweichow Moutai Company, the beverage is distilled from fermented sorghum and now comes in several different varieties. Wikipedia states, “Maotai is distilled from a blend of sorghum, wheat, and peas. Its taste is tough to describe. Imagine rotten cabbage, ethyl alcohol, and paint thinner, blended and strained. It smells like ammonia; the Wikipedia page for Maotai notes its "solvent and barnyard aromas." No wonder Steve Snyder nearly gagged. Maotai is commonly used for toasts at State dinners in China.
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One Book One Community
March 13 and March 27 - Placer Adult School Class 6:30-7:30 Call 885-8585 to register. March 20 - 7:00 film at the State Theater: “Which Way Home” April 3 Panel Discussion: Immigration in Our Community April 7 - Dinner at the Flower Farm in Loomis Catered by former Latitudes owners Pat and Pete Enoch 5 p.m. Check the website, https://www.auburnoboc.org to secure $35 tickets for the classic El Salvadorean cuisine dinner. April 10 - An Evening with Author Lauren Markham, interviewed by Beth Ruyak.
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New Member
The Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Auburn has approved the following individual for membership. If no objections are received by the Board, within 10 days of this publication, he is, upon payment of the proper fees, considered to be a member of the Rotary Club of Auburn:
Bob Richardson - Classification: City Manager
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Chloe News
Auburn Rotary’s RYE student, Chloe Godfrind, from
Belgium, was conscripted to attend a RYE conference in Reno, NV on February 9th. With hesitation because of severely inclimate weather in the Sierra Nevada, Betty Bennett, drove Chloe to Reno in the Bennett family’s trusty all-wheel-drive Subaru. The conference was a fantastic experience for Chloe, Betty and 16 other District 5190 RYE students, but the return home was a challenge. With I-80 closed due to blizzard conditions, Chloe and Betty found refuge Saturday evening at a friend’s apartment in Truckee – or was it Squaw Valley? Sunday was an equal challenge. When the Interstate finally reopened to traffic, it took three hours to drive from Truckee to Serene Lakes where they stayed with Dr. Dan Gustavson’s family. Dr. Dan’s family is the current host family for Chloe. It also happens that Dan is a weekend ski instructor at Sugar Bowl, so on Monday, Chloe received very personal ski lessons. While she had seen snow in Belgium, donning skis for the very first time in her life was a great experience. Within 90 minutes, Chloe was navigating beginner slopes and transitioning to intermediate slopes while skiing with Dr. Dan’s daughter. Chloe is quite the athlete!
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Black Marble
The tidy sum of $67 was up for grabs but there was no winner.
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District News
Dear District 5190 Rotarians;
Call for Sergeant at Arms Volunteers - 2019
We need volunteers to assist the great Rotarians of District 5190---
Please volunteer to be a Sergeant-at-Arms for Club Leadership Assembly. We’ll work around anyone’s schedule! The assigned duty could be as short as 2 hours or all day. We like to say, “Try it, you’ll like it!”
Club Leadership Assembly is Saturday, April 6th at the Nugget in Sparks.
Please contact Don or Anita Daniels, and we will provide all the information a Rotarian would need.
July 2018 presented an informative update on the state of fire service in Auburn. Auburn’s fire personnel work 48-hour shifts and the department is well integrated with the mutual aide response system, a necessary association because of local staffing limitations and national regulations.
nt is prepared to deliver exceptional service to our community.
Gustavson and Bob Litchfield, Esq., offered Valentine jokes, which were marginally adult in nature. Dr. Dan offered the winning joke. That resulted in a spin of the wheel by Linda and Bob, and Dr. Dan pocketed $15 as did Auburn Rotary.
introduced by Mitch Hanna. Russ is a transfer from Auburn’s Passport Club. He is a licensed physical therapist but is employed by Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital as its Director of Ancillary Services, Business Growth and Development. Russ has been with Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital for three years. Welcome, Russ.
Belgium, was conscripted to attend a RYE conference in Reno, NV on February 9th. With hesitation because of severely inclimate weather in the Sierra Nevada, Betty Bennett, drove Chloe to Reno in the Bennett family’s trusty all-wheel-drive Subaru. The conference was a fantastic experience for Chloe, Betty and 16 other District 5190 RYE students, but the return home was a challenge. With I-80 closed due to blizzard conditions, Chloe and Betty found refuge Saturday evening at a friend’s apartment in Truckee – or was it Squaw Valley? Sunday was an equal challenge. Whe
n the Interstate finally reopened to traffic, it took three hours to drive from Truckee to Serene Lakes where they stayed with Dr. Dan Gustavson’s family. Dr. Dan’s family is the current host family for Chloe. It also happens that Dan is a weekend ski instructor at Sugar Bowl, so on Monday, Chloe received very personal ski lessons. While she had seen snow in Belgium, donning skis for the very first time in her life was a great experience. Within 90 minutes, Chloe was navigating beginner slopes and transitioning to intermediate slopes while skiing with Dr. Dan’s daughter. Chloe is quite the athlete!
