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On the Frontlines of a Generational Wildfire and Windstorm

LA County Public Workes member Jimmy Dollison is in front of a County truck. He's wearing sunglasses and is wearing a white safety helmet with the Public Works logo.
Jimmy Dollison

The National Weather Service issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation alert days before deadly winds ripped through Los Angeles County’s foothill communities on January 7th. For our LA County Public Works members like Jimmy Dollison, this meant preparing for a dispatch to the hardest hit San Gabriel Valley communities on January 7th and the days that followed.

Dollison’s sunrise to sunset dispatch entailed sweeping the aftermath of historic winds that leveled trees in Pasadena, South Pasadena, Montrovia, La Cañada Flintridge, and San Marino. With the Eaton Fire raging in Altadena and the Angeles National Forest, it became crucial for LA County Public Works to clear the roads of fallen trees in the neighboring communities, as the evacuation warnings spread across multiple cities.

Dollison’s non-stop work was collaborative and a demonstration of the multi-agency effort that taking on the historic windstorms required. While our LA County members operate the heavy machinery, they worked closely with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to clear the streets. CAL FIRE has been crucial in putting boots on the ground to chop up and clear the privately owned trees that ended up on public streets.

A group of CALFIRE workers chop down a fallen tree branches in the middle of the street. The group of CALFIRE workers are all in yellow and green uniforms and wearing safety helmets.
CAL FIRE staff at work

When asked of the on-the-job dangers, Dollison says he’s “accustomed to these situations” after going through multiple wildfires during his 25-years of service. In situations like this, Dollison’s personal protective equipment (PPE) is indispensable. His PPE includes a respirator, mask, and re-circulating the sweeper cabin’s air to avoid breathing any of the wildfire’s dangerous air particles.

Despite the worst of the wildfires and windstorms now behind us, Dollison will be dispatched this upcoming Sunday for another 12-hour shift to mitigate the hazards that come with the first rainfall in scorched areas.

Now more than ever it remains critical that we step up for every County worker and immediately address the short-staffing crisis at Public Works. That’s why SEIU 721 members like Dollison, who also serves on the BU 431 Bargaining Team, continue to fight for a fair contract that rewards our frontline staff and facilitates recruitment through good pay.

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