Amador County – Jackson City Council unanimously approved hiring a fire engineer on Monday, urging it to be done as soon as possible for safety reasons.

The hiring was done on staff recommendation, as the Council learned it has fire protection reserves of $700,000 and the calls for service continue to climb, after a record setting number of calls were answered in 2011 by the Jackson Fire Department.

City Manager Mike Daly said the 1,215 total calls for service last year were the first time Jackson Fire answered more than 1,000 calls for service in a year. He said January the Fire Department answered 136 calls for service, so the record year last year “was not something that was a fluke.”

Fire Chief Marc Crain said the department’s calls last year were led by 826 medical aid calls, making up 68 percent of all calls, which he said is a national trend. In 2011 there were also 159 public assist calls (13 percent), 111 fire related calls (9 percent), and 94 vehicle accident calls (8 percent).

Crain said the 21 crew members of the Jackson Fire Department, including four paid personnel, logged 2,215 hours of training last year. He said most of the service calls happen during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the critical time when most of our volunteers are at work. Three fire crew members attending the meeting Monday, including Chiefs Mark Morton and Chief Fishback respond to the most incidents, he said.

Crain said Jackson Fire typically has one staff member on duty, and responding and carrying out duties at service calls depends on volunteers being able to make it to the call.

He said when there is one person staffing the station, the skills such as extrication and fire fighting need two people, and even with off-duty officers responding, a lot of times the response is delayed. He said they depend a lot on Morton and Fishback being able to leave Meek’s Hardware Store. When they can’t, they are short-handed.

Crain said 103 days of the calendar year, they have one person on duty, and they are usually able to get volunteers to sign up. He said they had a bunch of incidents Monday (Feb. 13) and the engine from Argonaut had one person on it.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Sutter Amador Hospital plans an Orthopedic Health Fair Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Jackson hospital.

The Orthopedic Health Fair is a free educational event to learn more about Sutter Amador Hospital’s Orthopedic Surgery Program. Refreshments will served. Attendees can meet the Orthopedic Surgeons, Anesthesiologists and surgical staff. They can also talk to Sutter Amador Hospital’s Physical and Occupational Therapy Staff.

The Fair also gives attendees the chance to meet with community care providers about options after their hospital stay, including Amador Physical Therapy, Excel Physical Therapy, Kit Carson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and United Home Care.

Fair attendees can learn about prosthetic devices and other new technology from reputable orthopedic vendors. Attendants at the Fair will include the SAH Rehabilitation Team, SAH Surgery Team, and the hospital’s Orthopedic Surgeons, Christopher J. Krpan, Craig H. Lovett, Paul K. Metzger, Raymond H. Pierson, and Peter N. Sfakianos.

The Orthopedic Fair is 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 in the Lobby and Conference Room, on the First Floor of Sutter Amador Hospital, 200 Mission Boulevard in Jackson.

For information, see the SAH website at SutterAmador.org.

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Amador County – An official of Sutter Gold Mining Incorporated last week shared some company goals with Sutter Creek City Council, and dispelled some misinformation.

Sutter Gold Mining Vice President David Cochrane said the company’s goal is to be in production by the end of the year and to be an environmentally responsible mining company. They also hope to be a long-time employer in the county for many years.

He said the scenery is changing. They are grading a mill pad, have graded and rocked a parking area, and will build fire suppression lines, per the fire marshal, and a private access road off Amador Road.

In public comment, they discussed a mine committee, required by the County’s “use permit.” City Manager Sean Rabe said it has not yet met, but will have public meetings. Mayor Linda Rianda said Councilman Gary Wooten was appointed to the committee in January, and was asked to give the council reports from the meetings.

A woman asked about a large black plastic object seen at the site. Cochrane said waste rock from 1993 mining sits where the property site drains. The state Regional Water Quality Control Board told them to drill a hole and line it with plastic, so water is caught by a pond, and held, so it does not filter through the waste rock. He said the 4.5-acre waste rock pile area on the old site was reduced to one acre for current use.

The use permit covered noise and dust.Cochrane said most milling and rock crushing will be done indoors. The blasting will be very controlled. Also, contrary to news reports, he said “we are not going to have a stamp mill.” They will have jaw and rod mills, operated inside a closed building.

Asked about pollutants, Cochrane said Mother Lode ores are non-acid generating, and they are able to remove 96 percent of the gold in their crushing process. They will not use cyanide, but will use oil to float out gold.

He said the company will remove 90 percent of the arsenic so that the tailings will not be a hazardous waste, and will no longer a problem. They plan to put 65 percent of the tailings back in the ground. It will be processed with water to remove arsenic, which will then be dewatered. Cochrane said they will then ship the remaining arsenic and ore to big gold producing companies in Nevada, which will buy the ore for its gold value, and treat it with cyanide to remove the gold. He said the natural sulfites in the Mother Lode rock will be used in the process in Nevada.

The information is available on the company’s website, SutterGoldMining.com.

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Amador County – Farms of Amador’s “Inspiration for Year-Round Food Production” winter event is planned for Wednesday in Amador City, and it is open to all who are interested in agriculture in the foothills.

Farms of Amador wants to continue developing a regional food system for Amador County and to increase productivity and profitability of County producers. To this end, the group is hosting Gary Hickman, the owner of Cuesta Roble Greenhouse Vegetable Research Nursery, established in 2004 in the wooded hills of Mariposa County.

A horticultural advisor with University of California for 25 years, Hickman is a consultant on greenhouse projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Inter-American Investment Bank, Canadian Centre for International Studies, USDA and many private commercial operations and NGOs.

Hickman will begin a two-hour presentation on the basics of greenhouse production in a foothill climate at 5:30 p.m. which will be followed by a dinner at 7:30 p.m., featuring local food and wine.

Farms of Amador will provide the main course while its members will bring side dishes to share. The cost for the event will be $10 per person for non-Farms of Amador members, free admission for Farms of Amador members who bring a side dish.

Doors open at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Amador City Community Hall, 14531 East School Street in Amador City. RSVP for the event at FarmsOfAmador.com or contact Sean Kriletich at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.