Mayhem in Midpines - Fact Checker
March 23, 2023 - Mariposa County Sheriff addresses fact checking, and rumors connected to recent article in the local paper.
It’s unimaginable to be faced with the fear of a flooding household and the fear of potentially drowning or losing a family member in a flood. When you are under stress or fear and calling 911, you wish someone could just jump through the phone and come to your rescue. When you are scared and asking for help, what feels like three hours may merely be minutes.
Unfortunately, the Mariposa Gazette writer presented the community with a story that left readers severely disappointed in the Sheriff’s Office, its staff and its volunteers because they presented a story for fiction and not based on facts. Had this writer called our office, instead of sending a text on Monday, March 20th, or followed up with a phone call before their printing deadline, we could have provided them with 911 calls, time stamped responses and a plethora of other details on what occurred at the Bear Creek Cabin area on the night of Tuesday, March 14th, 2023.
The initial call for help at the Bear Creek Cabins came into our office at 8:22 p.m. During all emergency calls it is imperative for 911 dispatchers to gather as much information as possible to pass along to the responding staff. While these questions might feel unnecessary when you are experiencing an emergency, they do serve a very important purpose. Things like how many people are there, how much water is there, can you get to higher ground, can you get away from the water, what is your number in case we get disconnected, etc. At that same time, available Deputies were on scene of multiple trapped residents due to flooding just a few miles up the road at the Midpines trailer park. As with all major incidents, assessments are made to evaluate life safety emergencies. A response to both incidents was coordinated and additional units were dispatched. Available Deputies arrived at the Bear Creek Cabins area at 8:50 p.m. along with CALFIRE. The bridge accessing the area was compromised. Deputies continued on foot in an attempt to get to the cabins. Meanwhile other calls from the area were coming into the 911 Emergency Dispatch Center. Dispatchers were able to get a thorough count of the residents impacted and which apartments they were in. Due to the swift water and lack of vehicle access, the Search and Rescue Volunteer Team was dispatched at 9:13 p.m. Search and Rescue Volunteers respond from homes to the SAR headquarters in order to obtain all necessary equipment for rescues. Deputies continued to search for residents and ways to access the properties as dispatchers continued speaking to residents. While searching the area deputies located a potential cause of the flooding. At 9:17 p.m. they called for the Mariposa County Roads Department to clear the lodged debris from the bridge. County Roads arrived with a backhoe at 9:32 p.m. to clear the bridge. The Search and Rescue Team arrived on scene at 10:19 p.m. As the water receded, Search and Rescue along with Deputies continued to assess the properties. During the incident Sheriff Briese coordinated for the activation of an emergency shelter to be opened by Mariposa County HHSA (Health & Human Services Agency) to house anyone who needed assistance. A transportation unit was sent to stage in the area to drive residents to the shelter.
But anyone reading the article written didn’t get to read about any of that. They read a top fold article bashing the dedicated people who take the life, safety & security of this community extremely seriously. They didn’t get to read about the partnerships that all the agencies involved have with each other. They didn’t get to hear about how swift response and quick thinking potentially saved lives. Had this writer done their due diligence, readers could have been made aware of all those things.
“Our office has always been and continues to strive to be transparent with both the community and local media. Our relationship with each and every community member is important to us, and we work hard every single day on those community relationships. I am so disappointed in this article. To be clear, the fear & frustration felt by the community members involved is expected, but a local media outlet should and must provide an article that is built on facts, which they failed to do in this case. Unfortunately, persistence and follow up did not occur during story telling hour. Instead, a one-sided juicy story for a top fold article has discredited the dedication and countless hours of service the men and women that run to the disaster to save lives. We don’t tell the media what to print but if it’s not correct we can help provide the true information to the beautiful community we serve.” Sheriff Jeremy Briese.
Source: Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office
