From Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens:
Last weekend marked the first out-of-county mutual aid response by the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department in recent years. Twenty-four deputies, three sergeants and one lieutenant from our department responded to the Station Fire Incident in Los Angeles County, Friday August 29, 2009, as a Mobile Field Force (MFF). The OCSD MFF was deployed to assist with evacuations, roadblocks, and directed patrol in the La Canada and La Cresenta communities.
The department is currently engaged in Mobile Field Force training in order to provide organized, disciplined and self-reliant control forces that can be deployed to unusual occurrences. An additional benefit is the ability to deploy on-duty personnel for both planned and un-planned events while saving on overtime costs - a priority during these fiscally challenging times.
With an eye to the future, OCSD leads the way in emergency management and Mobile Field Force preparedness. Next year we will be a "force provider" to our sister city Anaheim during the All Star Game. Thousands of people will descend on Orange County and will expect the utmost in safety. OCSD is, and will be, better prepared in providing an organized disciplined response with our Mobile Field Force capabilities.