County supervisors honor Lodi, Woodbridge fire chiefs for their actions during winter storms
May 3—Two fire chiefs who serve the Lodi area were honored by the county this week for their efforts in keeping residents safe during this year's winter storms.
Lodi Fire Department Chief Ken Johnson and Woodbridge Fire District Chief Darin Downey received proclamations from the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning.
Supervisor Steve Ding, who represents Lodi and Woodbridge on the board, said the two chiefs went above and beyond throughout the flurry of storms that hit the region for two months.
Ding said Johnson was the very first public servant he met after his swearing in in December, and the meeting happened New Year's Day as Thornton residents were being evacuated due to flooding.
He said Johnson contacted the Red Cross in Modesto when San Joaquin's chapter could not be reached, and he also persuaded his church to open as a place for evacuees to go for shelter.
"It literally felt like we were on an island by ourselves," Ding said. "He himself opened an emergency evacuation center at his church on Ham Lane in Lodi. But the evacuees never showed up, because there was no one on-site in Thornton to tell them where to go."
Johnson said he was humbled and honored to be recognized by the county, along with other fire departments that worked hard to keep residents safe during the storms.
He said the atmospheric rivers, which began in December and lasted through early March, tested the response capabilities of all fire departments in the county.
"All the fire departments that responded... they're the tip of the spear, where sometimes the odds are against us," he said. "They don't have all the answers, but they have the tenacity, the grit and the will to get the job done."
The atmospheric rivers that began New Year's weekend caused major flooding on Lodi and Woodbridge streets, fallen trees and fires.
The Lodi Fire and Police departments responded to more than 50 weather-related calls that included 15 vehicle accidents and two fires caused by falling trees, and Lodi Electric Utility crews logged more than 200 hours of overtime as they worked to restore power to thousands of residents on New Year's weekend.
The storms flooded classrooms at Houston and Serna schools, as well as on Highway 99 near the schools in Acampo.
"We see our citizens as the most important thing where we can have an affect on," Johnson said. "We commit ourselves every single day to protection during a weather event or any other incident that might affect the city."
It was just a couple weeks later that Ding said he had to transition to the flooding incident at the Arbor Mobile Home Park in Acampo, where he said the Woodbridge Fire District worked diligently to protect life and property.
"The boots on the ground there were just phenomenal," he said."To see (all the agencies) work in unison, it was a symphony. It was beautiful to watch, and your leadership was a main part of that, along with Chief Downey."
On Jan. 14, some 200 residents of the Arbor Mobile Home Park at 19690 Highway 99 frontage road due to major flooding after a drainage and pump system failed over the Martin Luther King, Jr weekend.
Residents were allowed to return a little more than a week later.
Downey was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting, but wrote a letter which was read by Ding.
"Every day, the firefighters of the Woodbridge Fire District work diligently to protect the communities we are sworn to serve, and these unusual storm events were no different," Downey wrote. "We would not have done it without our mutual aid efforts and the support of San Joaquin County."
Downey added that he believed Ding should be commended as well, noting that in his 32 years of fire service, no other supervisor or county official worked as hard to help ensure the safety of residents.
"I believe this demonstrates the same level of commitment when it comes to the safety of San Joaquin County, Downey wrote.
