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MONDAY MARCH 29, 2010 Breaking news at: Farm Strong Workouts Vitality www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A RED BLUFF Down to Final Four SPORTS 1B Showers 60/46 Weather forecast 8B Supes look to switch emergency services By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Tehama County Supervisors are scheduled to vote Tuesday — a decision that could change everything from ambulance response times to the number of trained emergency personnel. The county contracts with NorCal EMS, a North State emergency medical services provider. Under state law, the private, non-profit operation is given the authority not only to train and accredit emergency personnel, but set emergency policies right down to ambu- lance driving and dispatch. But NorCal’s costs are slated to increase. According to coun- ty documents, Butte and Colusa counties opted in 2009 to join the Sierra-Sacramento Valley EMS Agency, a group owned and run by local governments. NorCal EMS dropping from 11 to 9 counties is expected to increase the expense for its remaining members. “We understand that several, if not all, of the other agencies now being served by NorCal EMS are pursuing the same change to Sierra-Sacramento Valley EMS,” Board Chairman Ron Warner said in a letter to be sent to Sierra-Sacramento EMS the board approves it Tuesday. Warner said county adminis- tration had been preparing for the switch for as long as a year. All but two California regions use joint-government EMS agencies, and the Sierra- Sacramento Valley contract includes provisions the county See SUPES, page 7A DAILYNEWS The Cowboy Day TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 County to look into petroleum storage By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer After decades of inactivity, Tehama County is preparing for a countywide inspection of petroleum storage tanks. Inspections are required for anyone with tanks adding up to 10,000 gallons or more. Farms, logging and nursery operations are exempt unless one has more than 20,000 gallons. Theoretically, inspections have been required for decades and are supposed to be conduct- ed at three-year intervals, Envi- ronmental Health Director Tim Potanovic said. “The rules were always there,” he said. But the policy has been ignored by the State Water Resources Board, which was until this year responsible for enforcement. Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Striker, Roger Urricelqi’s dog, rounds up cattle Saturday at the annual Tehama County Cattlemen’s Field Day at the Forr Ranch. By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer VINA — Ten miles north of Chico and nine miles south of Los Molinos, the Tehama Coun- ty Cattleman Association Saturday continued a decades-long spring tradition. The Cattleman’s Field Day, held at the Forr Ranch for the first time since 1972, pulled in close to 300 people for a day of cattle challenge and chat. Ever year the event location changes in the hopes of drawing in residents from that area of the county, local Cattleman’s Association Director Nathan Owens said. In 2009, the event was changed to accommo- date stock-dog trials and more contests, includ- ing a Two-Man Stockman’s Challenge and Three-Man Calf Branding. It was the stock-dogs that drew in the Silvera family from Los Molinos this year. All three of the Silvera daughters clutched black-and-white stuffed stock dogs as 10 real stock dogs took on the ranch’s Stockdog trial, competing for a $750 prize and buckle. The family, which lives with a pair of retied stock dogs at home, regularly attends the Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale’s stock dog trials, Sue Silvera said. The dogs make great pets, she said. See COWBOY, page 7A The board has not had the resources to enforce the policy, Potanovic said. So starting in January, the responsibility was transferred to local environmental health agen- cies. “For the past two years, we’ve expended some grant funding for training and implementation, for whatever the department needed to ramp up for this program,” Potanovic said But the cost of inspection is still unclear and will not be known until April at the earliest. Inspections will begin soon after. Tank owners were already required to purchase permits from the board on a regular See COUNTY, page 7A Egg-static Cyclocross makes Red Bluff debut Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Hundreds of children and their families descended Saturday on Jackson Heights Elementary School grounds in search of eggs in the annual Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt. By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer The siren on the police car screamed Sat- urday morning and chil- dren, until then held back by caution tape, began the same sprint- ing, stumbling, search- ing ritual that has been synonymous with spring in Red Bluff for more than 70 years Saturday at Jackson Heights Ele- mentary School. Having served decades and generations of candy-craving, egg- eyeing Red Bluff youth, the Red Bluff Kiwanis Club has reached the point where it can dye 7,800 eggs with just 30 members over the course of six hours, event Chairman J.B. Stacy said. The result is an event at which children from preschool to sixth-grade are guaranteed some of the pastel-dyed, hidden rewards that make up the egg hunt, club mem- ber Jim Hirsch said. With the exception of the youngest children, parents, dressed in sun- glasses and sweatshirts, were benched by orga- nizers — limited to dol- ing out praise and direc- tion from the pavement. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See EGG, page 7A Daily News photo by Chip Thompson Fred Avila, owner of Fast Wheels Bike Shop in Red Bluff, clears an obstacle during the 45- minute B class cyclocross race Sunday at Forward Park. Avila took first in his age division. By CHIP THOMPSON DN editor What would be a challenging course for any cyclist was made a bit more difficult Sunday for the debut of cyclocross racing in Red Bluff. The last race of the season in the six-race Ride On Race Series, Sun- day’s race at Forward Park gave locals a chance to compete and see the relatively obscure race form up close. To see more photos from this event, visit redbluffdailynews.com Cyclocross involves riding a cir- cuit course that’s often narrow and steep for a set time period, head to head against others in the same class. The addition of obstacles and very steep or rocky sections force riders to dismount and carry their bikes at several points on the loop before dismounting and riding on. Race organizer Jarret Yount, originally of Red Bluff, took on the series after prior organizers pulled out shortly before the races were set to commence Jan. 24 in Swasey. Yount was able to keep the series going with six races, including races in Anderson and Redding. See DEBUT, page 7A