Andrew Stubbe, a firefighter who is not eligible for a job as a Kern County Firefighter after supervisors changed the eligiblity requirements of the hiring process to avoid the cost of running a traditional firefighter academy, has asked for a separate time to speak on the issue.

He's making the point that people who took the same employment exam as he did were hired a year ago under different standards than he is being held to.

He argues that civil service rules require the hiring process to be fair.

"The only thing that has changed is the money to run the academy," Stubbe said.

Also this morning the Department of Human Services was honored with their annual Adoption Awareness Month proclaimation for November.

Barbara, a soon to be foster mother, and her three adopted daughters - sisters 13, 12 and 10 years old came to share their stories.

The oldest daughter thanked the board for helping them find a home and stay together as sisters.

OK, the headline says "Isabella Dam evacuation plan". From that I have learned that Andrew Stubbe is not a happy (non)firefighter, and some woman named Barbara is a happy foster mom. And the Isabella Dam evacuation plan is ...?

Thanks for the update. Quirks of Kern indeed.

Ronn Rose is up to begin the Corps presentation on the plan.

He's laying out the 18 potential, serious ways in whick the Isabella Lake dam and auxilary dam could fail under high flood and earthquake situations.

Problems with the Main dam -

High water flow from major storm:

• erosion of the spillway

• water would overtop the spillway

• water could overtop the dam

• the pressure of the water could create seepage and then water would drill its way through the dam - that's called "piping."

Seismic problems

• the shaking could pull the dam away from the embankment

• the dam could fracture

• the dam could be deformed and fail

Auxiliary dam

high water flood

• water could overtop the side.

• water could overtop the side

• seepage and piping could happen in the foundation

• the boral canal conduilt could have seepage creating dam piping.

• there could be seepage in the embankment.

Seismic problems.

• The dam could rupture on fault

• Shaking could crack the dam

• deformation of dam would separate Borel conduit

• the shaking could sheer off the tower at the dam

• the embankment could crack.

"It sounds pretty bad," Rose said. But he said, the water pool would have to be high and a big earthquake would have to hit.

Too.... I cover the whole supervisors meeting....I'm on the dam now.

Georgianna Armstrong is laying out the evacuation plan.

There will be five "Alert Levels"

Level 0 is no conditions at the dam

Level 1 is triggered when an event of concern happens at the dam

Level 2 is activated when the event proves to cause a change in the dam's status - seepage. Prisoners in jails and animal control animals moved.

Level 3 is activated when that change continues to degrade the dam. "Precautionary evacuation." Institutions begin evacuation and transit

Level 4 is activated at a more than 50 percent chance of dam failure. "Recommended evactuation"

Level 5 is dam failure. "Everybody out of the pool." Bakersfield flood areas are closed.

There are five evacuation zones in Bakersfield - each with it's own routes outta town.

North Zone - North of the Kern River and east of Highway 99

Northwest Zone - North of the river and west of Highway 99

Central Zone - East of Highway 99 between Highway 58 and the river

Southwest zone - south of the river and west of Highway 99

South east zone - East of Highway 99 and south of Highway 58

*Just what I was going to ask*

Think of how many thousands of  people will drown when the water reaches peak flood stage of 18 inches....

Supervisor Watson has some questions.

He wants to know how the electronic media would be involved.

Armstrong said the information about the evacuation would be sent out through the media.

He wants to know if there will be customized information brochures tailored to special needs area tailored to specific geographic zones.

Armstrong said they plan to launch an agressive public information campaign.

Watson asked what would happen to dairy cattle.

"Livestock and large animals are the responsibility of their owners," Armstrong said.

Maggard is saying that he's worried that printed information would be thrown away and it would be a waste of printing and distribution costs.

He's suggesting that the community know one solid way to find the information when the alerts happen - i.e. the radio.

The county's consultant says Maggard has it right.

The news will flood television and radio at the time of the alert.

i wonder if they translate all this into spanish....for the spanish speakers...ya know?

Why doesn't the government just buy everyone a boat? 

"The creation of the Isabella Dam was important to Bakersfield because it provided protection from flooding of the Kern River.  In fact, as the dam was being constructed, the river flooded in November of 1950 causing more than $1,000,000 damage."

http://www.bakersfieldlife....

"Watson asked what would happen to dairy cattle."

Yeah, right Ray.  That is where you get all your money.  He should be concerned about where all the manure will go if dairies are flooded.