Category Archives: Benicia Fire Department

Benicia Fire Department, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Benicia Firefighter Tests Positive for COVID-19

CITY OF BENICIA
Benicia Fire Department
250 East L Street,
Benicia, California 94510

Contact: Fire Chief Josh Chadwick
Benicia Fire Department
(707) 746-4275
jchadwick@ci.benicia.ca.us

CITY OF BENICIA UPDATE ON COVID-19
Benicia Firefighter Tests Positive for COVID-19

Benicia, CA (July 1, 2020) — On July 1, 2020, a Benicia Fire Department firefighter informed the City of Benicia that they received a positive test result for COVID-19. The source of the infection has not yet been determined, but the Benicia Fire Department is working with the Solano County Public Health Department to attempt to determine the source.

Fire Chief Josh Chadwick has been in close contact with Solano County Public Health staff who have determined that, based on the firefighter’s last shift on duty and the date of onset of symptoms, there was no exposure to City staff or to the community during the firefighter’s infectious period.

“We are fortunate that during the period of infection, the firefighter was not present in the City of Benicia. The Benicia Fire Department is committed to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring the safety of the residents of Benicia,” said Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick.

The Benicia Fire Department has standing operating guidelines and county protocols in place to limit or prevent the infection between patients and fire personnel. Fire personnel follow these guidelines and protocols during treatment and interaction with residents. The firefighter had no fever or symptoms during their last on-duty shift. The affected Firefighter is in self-quarantine at home and has not required hospitalization.

All Benicia fire stations remain fully staffed and the City does not anticipate any disruption to service delivery.

Due to health privacy rights, the City is prohibited from providing any information about the identity of the affected firefighter.

For up-to-date information about the City of Benicia’s response to COVID-19, please go to https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/coronavirus.

###

Air Monitoring, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP), Benicia Fire Department, Valero Benicia Refinery

VIDEO: Benicia City Council workshop on air monitoring

By Roger Straw, October 23, 2019

Here is filmmaker Constance Beutel’s video of the City of Benicia’s Air Monitoring Workshop with representatives from Benicia Fire Department, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Valero and the newly forming non profit, Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program.

For more background and the staff report, see Mayor Patterson’s invitation, Benicia City Council workshop on Air Monitoring.

Air pollution, Air Quality, Air quality violations, Benicia Fire Department, Solano County CA, Solano County Department of Resource Management, Solano County Environmental Health Division, Valero Benicia Refinery

City of Benicia Press Release-Solano County Releases Incident Report on Flue Gas Scrubber Incident

Repost of a City of Benicia press release, including downloadable Incident Response Inspection Report

Monday, April 1, 2019 at 5:10 PM

Press Release – Solano County Valero Flue Scrubber Report

Benicia, CA (April 1, 2019) – The City of Benicia has received an Incident Response Inspection Report from the Solano County Department of Resource Management related to the flue gas scrubber incident at Valero Benicia Refinery. A copy of the report is included with this press release.

On March 24, 2019 at approximately 7:00 a.m., the City of Benicia issued an advisory

notice for all residents with respiratory issues to stay inside due to particulate matter released by the Valero Benicia Refinery. The City actively monitored the air quality and incident response activities, and provided information to the public via media outlets including social media and Alert Solano.

Benicia Fire Department personnel continues to work closely with Solano County Environmental Health to monitor operations and potential impacts to the community.

Press Release and Incident Response Inspection Report are available here: https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BF991A639-AAED-4E1A-9735-86EA195E2C8D%7D/uploads/Press_Release_So_Cty_Valero_Report_040119.pdf

Air pollution, Benicia City Council, Benicia Fire Department, Flaring, Public Health, Valero Benicia Refinery

More bad Valero flaring on Monday 5/15 sends 30 to hospital

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald

Residual Valero Benicia flaring reportedly sends 30 to hospital on Monday

By Katy St. Clair, 05/17/17, 5:15 PM PDT

BENICIA >> A residual flaring at the Valero Refinery on mid-day Monday reportedly sent 30 employees of the Industrial Park to the emergency room, a business owner said.

“I’m not happy about it at all,” said Dunlap Manufacturing head of operations Jasmin Powell, addressing the Benicia City Council on Tuesday night. “A cloud of smoke hit us between 1:30 and 4 (p.m.). I had to send everybody home.”

Dunlop Manufacturing is an Industrial Park anchor business that makes effects units and other accessories for musicians.

Valero has been intermittently flaring since a power failure on May 5, which initiated evacuations of the Industrial Park and a shelter-in-place at two elementary schools.

“We were affected severely … and we didn’t get any notice about anything going on beforehand,” Powell said. “And no one’s talking about it now,” she said.

“I did not know about this, Jasmin,” said Mayor Elizabeth Patterson.

While some on social media have been reporting flaring since the initial May 5 incident at Valero, no further evacuations or shelter-in-place orders have been announced.

Benicia Fire Chief Jim Lydon said that he wasn’t made aware of the situation on Monday until hearing about it around 4 p.m., but that Valero had given him “no notification” that day.

“I went to the refinery in an effort to gather information, and by then, whatever had been released from the scrubber unit was basically dissipated,” he said.

Lydon said he notified the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Solano County Environmental Health, “Who both began follow up.”

Lydon said that Valero received an other “public nuisance” citation for Monday’s emissions, but the air district could not confirm this.

Valero has not responded to Times-Herald inquiries, and no one from Valero was at Tuesday night’s council meeting.