Invocation: Clinton Trimmer
Flag Salute: Ashley Sodergren
Song: Ed Tomlinson, “God Bless America”
Greeter: Amy Travis
Roving Mic: Bill Lever | Garro Ellis
Birthdays: Susan Benham (8/24), Morgan Clayton (8/25), Jean-Luc Slagle (8/27), Lynn Blystone (8/28), Ron Eaves (8/28)
SPOKE EDITOR PROFILE:
Jorge Barrientos is the director of marketing and public relations at Chain | Cohn | Clark law office. He serves on board of directors for a variety of community organizations including The Hub of Bakersfield, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Kern County Chapter), and Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Education Foundation. When he’s not working or serving our community, you can find him traveling the world and hanging with his family, which includes wife Carla, 4-year-old son Julian, 2-year-old daughter Gianna Sol.
GUESTS:
- Mason Perryman from KGET-17, Angel Medrano and Rebecca Gonzalez from Central Valley Property Advisors (Juan Bustamante)
- Abbie Lenning from California Policy Center (Jeff Gutierrez)
- Annmarie Oddo from the County of Kern (Ally Soper)
GOOD NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Rotary District 5240 annual conference and foundation gala will be held Oct. 20-21 at the Doubletree Hotel in Bakersfield this year. The district includes more than 500 Rotarians from throughout the Central Valley and coastal areas. Stay tuned for sponsorship and other details.
NOT SO GOOD NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Keep Ben Stinson in your thoughts as he recovers from some health issues.
Our beloved Mary Castaneda submitted her letter of resignation. She will be staying on until a replacement is hired and trained. “It’s been an honor to serve with you,” she said. “This most beautiful journey will always be in my heart.”
President Joe Hay announced the board has recommended an increase in dues to $140 per month and will be bringing back missed meeting fees in an effort to improve Downtown Rotary budgets.
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
- Off-Site Meetings:
- Aug. 31: Stockdale CC (Bryan Nixon, Liberty High head football coach)
- Sept. 14: Stockdale CC
- Sept. 21: Dark, Margarita Party at the home of Lou & Cheryl Barbich (stay tuned for details)
- Sept. 28: Stockdale CC
PROGRAM
Aaron Duncan, Kern County Fire Chief, is a 22-year veteran of the department, joining the Explorer program at age 18 and joining the department at age 19. He’s served as battalion chief, chief inspector, and deputy chief as well. Today he oversees 47 fire stations covering 8,000 square miles, 500+ firefighters, and an operating budget of $216 million. It’s an area bigger than Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island combined, and 56 times bigger than the City of Bakersfield.
Rotary’s mission, he said, is like that of Kern County Fire Department: “It’s all about serving others in our community.”
The department responds to 92,500 emergency incidents per year, of which more than half are EMS-related. Its emergency communications center receives 500,000 calls per year, or more than 1,000 per day.
In its wildland division, “where we cut our teeth,” Duncan said, the department has two helicopters, 6 bulldozers, and four hand crews with a total of 100 firefighters. You also typically see firefighters at auto crash sites.
Among some interesting tidbits shared by Duncan:
- Houses burn hotter and faster than ever before due to home and furniture materials (plastics, glue, etc.).
- For every 30 seconds a fire can double in size.
- It takes a minimum of 7 personnel to battle a structure fire.
- The department currently has no staffing issues but is hiring. Applications open Sept. 14 at kerncountyfire.org. Participants take part in a 22-week training at its headquarters near Olive Drive.
Technology has been a “game-changer” for the fire department, Duncan said, including:
- IRIS, which gives real-time intelligence and data on disaster incidents, including in the mountains. “There is not a ridgetop in Kern County that I can’t see.”
- Ready Kern and Genesys, which divides the county into zones.
- Create your emergency notification account here.
- Duncan also suggested we have a plan, with escape routes and meeting places, three days of supplies to take with you, one gallon of water per day per person, snacks and non-perishables, and a flashlight.
- Drones to identify illegal fireworks.
- Dash and body cameras.
In a classic case of burying the lead, Duncan shared that 43% of fires they respond to are started by the unhoused/homeless/transients! We ran out of time to get more information on that juicy nugget of information, and what officials are doing to tackle the issue.
Duncan moved to Bakersfield at age 14 and graduated from Garces Memorial High School. He has three children (boys).
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