The Turlock Fire Department responded to a total of 458 incidents during the month of March. These included a total of 303 emergency medical service calls. Turlock Fire responded to 25 motor vehicle accidents, and 19 commercial/residential fire alarms. There were a total of 22 fire type calls: two building fires, one vehicle fire, five grass/ rubbish fires, one arcing shorted electrical, four unauthorized burnings, three Dumpster fires, two cooking fires, one authorized control burn, two excessive heat burns and one fire classified as "other." Remaining incidents consisted of public assists, assist to police, water or steam leak, smoke checks, gas leaks, haz-mat, or power lines down.

NOTEWORTHY EVENTS: The Turlock Fire Department starts each day with one thing in mind, "protecting what matters most" to our citizens. To accomplish this goal they must train daily to keep all of their skills fresh. Almost all training the fire department does is for the public, except for Rapid Intervention Crew Training. What happens if a firefighter became part of the emergency instead of mitigating it? Structure fires have many hidden dangers leaving room for unavoidable hazards. This month crews trained on skills to help a firefighter out in the event he becomes the emergency. On every structure fire scene where firefighters go inside a burning building they are required to have a RIC team outside and ready to be activated in the event of this type of emergency. A RIC team is two or more firefighters dedicated solely to search and rescue of other firefighters in distress. It is very high intense training covering skills needed to quickly and safely remove down firefighters. This is just one of the many training topics that Turlock Fire Department covered in the month of March.

SAFETY TIP: With sunny weather returning, it's important to review these tips on barbeque safety before starting up that grill:
1. Clean grill thoroughly.
2. Check for leaks, cracking or brittleness before using it.
3. Clean out the tubes that lead into the burner.
4. Make sure the grill is at least 10 feet away from your house, garage or trees.
5. Store and use your grill on a flat surface that cannot burn.
6. DO NOT use grills in an enclosed area, such as a garage or on top of any surface that can catch fire (porch, deck, etc).
7. Keep children away from fire and grills. Create a safety zone around the grill and instruct children to remain outside that zone.
8. Have a fire extinguisher, garden hose, bucket of water, or sand nearby.
9. DO NOT wear loose clothing that might catch fire.
10. Use long handled barbecue tools and/or flame resistant mitts.
11. NEVER use any flammable liquid other than a barbecue starter fluid.
12. NEVER pour starter fluid onto an open flame.
13. NEVER leave the grill unattended.
14. Keep your grill clean and free of grease buildup that may lead to a fire and ALWAYS follow the manufacturer's cleaning and storing instructions that accompany the grill.