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Uploaded: Saturday, December 15, 2012, 9:15 AM
Updated: Sunday, December 16, 2012, 4:43 PM
Firefighters duck gunfire in East Palo Alto
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by Sue Dremann
Palo Alto Weekly Staff
Firefighters returning to their East Palo Alto station ran for cover after two rival gangs engaged in a gun battle in front of their quarters about two weeks ago, Menlo Park Fire Protection District officials confirmed Friday, Dec. 14.
It was just one of many such dangerous gunfire incidents station employees have experienced in the past couple of months, including an incident that occurred on Thursday night, Division Chief Frank Fraone said.
Two weeks ago, as crew members were backing the fire apparatus into the station, they heard gunfire and sought cover inside the fire station and vehicles. The gun battle between the occupants of two cars caused a bullet to strike a bulletproof-glass window and ricochet into the window frame of the station on University Avenue. A second round struck the garage roll-up door where trucks and equipment are stored, Fraone said.
No one was injured during the incident, which was followed by another round of shooting outside the station Thursday, he said.
In the past two months, the station has been hit four times, he said. Bullet holes have damaged the fire station and firefighters' vehicles a number of times.
The department added two-inch-thick outside fencing to deflect bullets on the side of firefighters' sleeping and living quarters, bulletproof glass in the office window and extra-thick walls in the patio area, he said. Damage to the station has been the result of direct gunfire or stray bullets, he added.
Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman, Battalion Chief Ben Marra and Fraone recently met with the city of East Palo Alto officials to discuss recent gang and violent activity, Mr. Fraone said.
The meeting offered "nothing assuring," other than an acknowledgment that violence has been on the rise and police are launching a crackdown, with other city police departments and county agencies, to dismantle the gangs, he said.
East Palo Alto police Chief Ronald Davis could not be reached for comment.
More than a dozen shootings and several murders in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park are attributed to a violent feud between the "Taliban" in Menlo Park and the "DaVill" in East Palo Alto, Chief Davis said in November.
On Nov. 27 he announced a concerted violence-reduction campaign called Operation SMART. Palo Alto and Menlo Park police agencies are working with East Palo Alto to quash the crime wave.
Other programs, including Operation Ceasefire, call in gang members for face-to-face discussions with police and contact with faith leaders and social services agencies to bring services to those who want to opt out of the gang life.
At a recent officers' conference, chief officers and company supervisors with the fire district reviewed and discussed precautionary safety measures related to gunfire incidents. Personnel don body armor when they respond to medical calls about shootings and extra police secure the scenes before emergency personnel and firefighters arrive, Mr. Fraone said.
The department will be building a new station, which could have bullet-resistant Kevlar lining in the sleeping and living area walls, he said. Temporary housing is about to be brought in so that the new station can be built, he said. Construction is planned to begin in the spring.
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Posted by Charge the Parents, a resident of another community, on Dec 17, 2012 at 1:20 pm I would like to start a discussion to hear what others think about holding the parents of gang members (17 and younger) responsible for any and all crimes their gang-involved kid(s) commit or participate in, and if the gang member receives ANY support from the parent(s), then the age of the gang member doesn't matter. By support I mean money, housing (including use of the parent's mailing address to list as their resudence), food, clothing, childcare and anything else that contributes or enables their kid(s) to participate in gang activity in any form. Here's why: Parents have a responsibility to everyone to raise a law abiding, responsible, and productive member of society, and they should know what their child is involved in. It doesn't matter if the parent(s) are educated or not, work 5 jobs or not, are raising their kid(s) alone or not. If a person decides to have a child you should be forced to accept the consequences that come with that responsibility. Gangs recruit kids and teenagers, and no one can convince me that the parents are completely oblivious to their child's involvement, and if they are oblivious or don't care about it, then they are just as guilty as their child committing the crime because they should know.
Why do we hold bar owners responsible when their bartender continues to serve an intoxicated person who later leaves that bar and causes a collision, but not the parent(s) of a gang member who continuously enables their child's participation in the gang by turning a blind eye to it and allowing it to continue? Forbid it, move your family away from it, do whatever it takes or kick your child out and cease communication with them, because doing nothing about it IS a CHOICE. it's a choice to be an enabler, to be part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
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Posted by Menlo Voter, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on Dec 17, 2012 at 3:08 pm Parents are civily responsible for the damages their minor children cause. The problem is the parents are pretty much lawsuit proof because typically they don't have a pot to pee in. It's like trying to get blood from a stone.
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Posted by SteveC, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Dec 17, 2012 at 5:59 pm
SteveC is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online Menlo Voter forgot the window to throw the pee out. AND often times the parents are gang members also or embrase the gang mentality or do not give a damn abou the kids and it is the gang that gives them the sense of a family and loyality.
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Posted by Bob, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Dec 17, 2012 at 7:53 pm While I think your thread about gangs and the parents' responsibility has some merit, I thought this was a story about fire fighters and their safety.
I'm glad the fire district and the officials who were instrumental in having safety features in the old and soon to be built new station insisted on them.
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Posted by Menlo Voter, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on Dec 17, 2012 at 8:42 pm Bob: it's truly sad that protective measures like bullet proof glass need to even be incorporated into a fire house.
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Posted by Bob, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Dec 17, 2012 at 10:28 pm Menlo Voter -- I agree. In order to keep first responders safe, measures like this are necessary. However, occurrences, like the ones mentioned in the article, occur much less often than 10-20 years ago when EPA had a much worse reputation.
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Posted by tired of it, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on Jan 29, 2013 at 3:16 pm there is no defense, no actual reason, some people have lost value for all human life.. the only "answers" to the problem are responsible role-modeling, heightened personal awareness of the enviornment and doing what we can to help ourselves and our loved ones.. the greaest opportunities for change lie within the individual, bad choices are the culprit and some people simply choose violence....it is sad but true, model responsible behaviors and make productive and wise choices, maybe somebody is watching you!too many people came up under as bad or worse enviornments and have worked their way into productive, healthy lives...nope, no actual defenses or justifications are available - support those who really are making sound decisions, they too are often ignored!!Invest in those who who invest in themselves, that sends a positive message...
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