GONE THROUGH FIRE:
Modjeska and Silverado Canyons and the 2007 Santiago Fire
PATRICK J. ANTRIM
Canyon resident and Orange County Fire Authority battalion chief
| OH 4138 | |
| Narrator | Antrim, Patrick J. |
| Interviewer | Volker Janssen |
| Date | June 7, 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Location | Silverado Canyon, Orange County, California |
| Project |
2007 Santiago Fire
|
| Format(s) | Audio; Video; Final Transcript (29 pp.) |
| Other | Field Notes; Photographs |
| Abstract | An oral history with fire captain Patrick Antrim, a lifetime Silverado Canyon resident. This interview was conducted for the Center for Oral and Public History and Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary about the Santiago Fire in Modjeska Canyon in October 2007. The purpose of this interview was to gather information about Antrim's life in the canyon, his work as a firefighter, and his experiences during the Santiago fire. This interview especially focuses on his childhood in the canyon, and his parents; growing up with nature; the beauty of the canyon and the conveniences of the suburbs; training for firefighting during high school and Santa Ana College; the job of a firefighter; comparing structural and wildfires; the environmental risks in the canyon; diving tragedy at the abandoned mine; car accidents, mountain bikers, and mountain lions; a fatal rock slide in 2005; Silverado fire risks of the past; preparing the community for the fire season; Santiago fire: returning home for evacuation; leading the Silverado Canyon strike team; the benefit of local knowledge; the Silverado Fire Plan; clearing the brush for negligent neighbors; the tools and military organization of a strike team; building a fire line; the return of the community; Antrim's position as Orange County Fire Authority captain between canyonites and Orange County government; mandatory evacuations and community complacency over mudflows; new weather conditions and the all-year fire season; development and the transition from wildfires to wildland urban interface fires; the transformation from small town to bedroom community in Silverado since 1960s. |
| Video |
|
| Audio |
|
| Transcript |
OH 4138 transcript 
|
