Pala Fire Department performs extrication demonstration at Fire and Safety Expo

The Fire and Safety Exposition which is part of the San Diego County Fair took place June 6, and a crew from the Pala Fire Department performed a vehicle extrication demonstration.

Unit captain Jay Hearn, engineer Ryan James, fire medic Tony Nunez, and firefighter Rodney Ewing participated in the demonstration.

"Out there with about 1,000 eyeballs on us it seems like it took a long time, but everything went fine," Hearn said.

In 1995 the Cajon Speedway, the Burn Institute, and local fire departments collaborated for an annual night which included fundraising and promotions for the Burn Institute, a pre-race parade of fire trucks, an American flag raised from a fire engine ladder for the Star-Spangled Banner, and a Firefighters Destruction Derby. The Burn Institute and local firefighters also collaborated for an annual exposition and burn run at Qualcomm Stadium.

Cajon Speedway closed after the 2004 season, but in 2010 the Fire and Safety Exposition was moved to the San Diego County Fair. James Floros, who was the Burn Institute director at the time, contacted Bob Pfohl, who was Santee's fire chief when he won the 2000 Firefighters Destruction Derby, about the possibility of a firefighters demolition derby at the fair. Pfohl, who retired from the City of Santee in 2006 and was a Viejas Fire Department division chief in 2010 (he is now a Barona Fire Department division chief), agreed to organize the event.

Some changes due to the configuration of the Del Mar Arena were necessary. The parade of fire trucks takes place earlier in the day, the flag is not raised from a ladder inside the covered arena, and the cars are divided into heats. The current format involves three early afternoon heats with the last two running cars in each heat advancing to the final, and a pair of last chance heats in the late afternoon allow the last remaining car in each of those two smashups entry into the final crunchfest which begins after the cleanup activity from the second last chance heat.

In 2013, another difference between Cajon Speedway and the fairgrounds demolition derby was recognized. Cajon Speedway had a regular fire crew with a truck to extinguish vehicle fires. The fair used fire extinguishers for the first four years. Two years ago the car of Cal Fire firefighter Angel Hendrie became engulfed in flames. Hendrie was unhurt, and changes were made to reduce the risk of car fires. One of those was the presence of suppression teams, with a truck as well as a firefighting crew, at each end of the arena.

In 2014, the Pala fire crew was stationed at the north end of the arena and a crew from the Rainbow Volunteer Fire Department stood by at the south end of the arena. The Pala fire suppression unit saw action during the first heat when flames under the hood of San Diego firefighter Joe Kennedy's car needed to be extinguished. The Rainbow Volunteer Fire Department also had a car in last year's derby but did not participate in this year's exposition, and this year the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District had the crew at the south end of the arena.

Between the initial heats and the last chance heats the Pala Fire Department demonstrated the vehicle extrication while the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District firefighters extinguished a vehicle blaze. The engulfed vehicle was actually a metal model, but the Pala fire crew turned a mid-1990s Chevrolet Impala into a convertible. San Diego County Fairgrounds general manager Tim Fennell volunteered to be the victim trapped in the Impala.

"These guys are professional, they know what they're doing, and I felt like I was in good hands," Fennell said. "It's good to know that there are professionals like this out there looking out for us."

The fire crew used spreaders, cutters, and a Halagon bar (for prying) to open the car and allow Fennell to be removed. The crew of the on-site ambulance placed Fennell on a gurney and put him into the back of the ambulance before Fennell returned to the spectator stands.

Hearn noted that an extrication can take as short as two minutes but can take more than two hours, depending on the severity and whether or not the vehicle is upright. "Our car out here was on all four wheels, so it was pretty easy," he said.

The Pala Fire Department did not need to respond during the demolition derby itself, although in the final Pfohl's 1970 Plymouth Fury caught on fire on the south side of the arena and the Rancho Santa Fe firefighters extinguished the blaze.

"It was very successful," Hearn said of the Fire and Safety Exposition. "Very fun event."