BILL ANALYSIS �
ACR 162
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 26, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
ACR 162 (Medina) - As Introduced: June 17, 2014
SUBJECT : CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie Memorial Highway
SUMMARY : Re-designates a specific portion of State Route (SR)
215 in Riverside County as the "CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie
Memorial Highway" and provides clarification on Mr. Guthrie's
professional accomplishments. Specifically, this bill :
1)Recounts the lifetime accomplishments John D. Guthrie, a
father, husband, veteran, and firefighter with the California
Division of Forestry (CDF).
2)Re-designates a portion of SR 215 between the Ramona
Expressway Exit and the SR 74 junction in Riverside County as
the CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie Memorial Highway.
3)Requests that the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent
with the signing requirements for the state highway system,
showing the special designation and, upon receiving donations
from non-state sources covering that cost, to erect those
signs.
EXISTING LAW: Assigns Caltrans the responsibility of operating
and maintaining state highways. This includes the installation
and maintenance of highway signs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Costs to make and erect the appropriate signs
are covered by donations.
COMMENTS : John D. Guthrie grew up in Perris, California and
served two years with the United States Navy. Mr. Guthrie was
hired by CDF in 1955 and began working at the Lake Elsinore
Station. On July 8, 1959, as a fire truck driver, he was among
more than 500 CDF and U.S. Forest Service firefighters were
called to fight the Decker Canyon Fire. Guthrie and his crew
were sent into a canyon to start setting backfires and the
shifting winds soon pushed a wall of flames back up the canyon
and toward their truck. With the flames advancing on them,
Guthrie ordered the other firefighters back to the truck for
ACR 162
Page 2
protection, despite the fact that there was not room in the
truck for him. He attempted to use a fire hose to wet himself
down for protection, but the fire hose was burned beyond use.
Mr. Guthrie, with over 85% of his body burned, began walking out
of the canyon before others came to his aid and an ambulance
arrived to take him to the closest hospital. Mr. Guthrie
finally succumbed to his injuries and passed away on September
14, 1959. Twenty-seven other firefighters were ultimately
injured fighting the 1,700-acre blaze.
ACR 107 (Cook), Chapter 80, Statutes of 2008, served as the
initial legislation that designated a specific portion of SR 215
in honor of Mr. Guthrie. However, ACR 107 included an
inaccurate fact related to the Decker Canyon Fire.
Specifically, ACR 107 stated that several firefighters died
while in the fire truck at the direction of Mr. Guthrie.
However, by directing the other firefighters into the fire
truck, they were actually able to escape the blazing fire, and
in turn, Mr. Guthrie saving the lives of several firefighters.
The author introduced this bill on behalf of Mr. Guthrie's
surviving family in order to provide clarification in honor of
Mr. Guthrie.
This bill re-designating this same portion of SR 215 in honor of
John D. Guthrie provides additional clarification related to the
incidents that occurred during the Decker Canyon Fire and
acknowledges the significant role Mr. Guthrie played in his
community and for his country.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093