IS RECEPTIVE TO THE SMALLEST SPARK. >>> THIS IS CBS NEWS BAY AREA WITH JULIETTE GOODRICH. >>> HI, I'M SARA DONCHEY IN TODAY FOR JULIETTE. >>> IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EMERGENCY EVERY SECOND COUNTS, WHEN YOU CALL 911 IT WILL BE ROUTED TO THIS, MULTIMILLION DISPATCH CENTER T. HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR TWO MONTHS. DESPITE THE BELLS AND WHISTLES IT IS GETTING OFF TO A ROUGH START. >> Reporter: SAN FRANCISCO, 911 WHAT IS THE EXACT LOCATION OF YOUR EMERGENCY. >> Reporter: WHEN YOU CALL 911 ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS GETTING HELP AND FAST. >> HOW OLD IS THE PATIENT? >> FOR THE PAST 16 YEARS BERT HAS BEEN ANSWERING THE CALLS DAY IN AND DAY OUT. >> DISPATCHER IT IS A GREAT JOB. YOU LITERALLY HELP PEOPLE AT THEIR GREATEST TIME OF NEED. >> AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE 911 DISPATCHER'S UNION HE SAYS BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT THERE IS A COMPLEX SET OF CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS THAT WILL TAKE TIME AND MONEY TO FIX >> SAN FRANCISCO 911. >> Reporter: IN APRIL THEY UNVEILED THE NEW AND IMPROVED 911 DISPATCH CENTER. A $9 MILLION RENOVATION FUNDED BY A BOND APPROVED BY VOTERS FOUR YEARS AGO. THE REMODEL INCLUDES 55 NEW WORKSTATIONS, STATE OF THE ART FACILITY. BERT SAYS MOST OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS, THOUGH NEEDED, ARE COSMETIC >> IT IS ALMOST LIKE LIP STICK ON A PIG >> THE DAY AFTER THE GRAND OPENING BURT SAYS THE CENTER'S COMPUTER SYSTEM CRASHED FOR TWO HOURS FORCING THEM TO GO TO MANUAL MODE. >> WHEN A CALL COMES IN EVERYTHING IS WRITTEN DOWN ON A PIECE OF PAPER T IS GIVEN TO A RUNNER. SO THEY CAN TAKE IT TO THE POLICE DISPATCH OR FIRE DISPATCH >> BURT SAID THAT WAS NOT THE ONLY TIME >> HOW MANY CRASHES HAVE YOU HAD IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS? >> I THINK ABOUT 6-8? >> NO MAGIC WAND. >> THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAYS THE COMPUTER SYSTEM IS NEARING ITS END OF LIFE. THERE IS A LARGER $44 MILLION PLAN TO UPGRADE IT BUT THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS. >> THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC OR ON THE DELIVER OF SERVICES. AND IT PREPARES US FOR WORSE ACCEPT ARIOS IF WE LOSE POWER OUTAGE WE ARE GOOD AT MANUAL MODE >> IT IS NOT GREAT IT HAS NOT EFFECTED RESPONSE TIMES >> HOW WOULD THEY KNOW THAT? >> THE GOAL FOR 911 DISPATCHERS IS TO ANSWER 95% OF THE CALLS WITHIN 15 SECONDS. IN FEBRUARY, THE LAST DATA AVAILABLE, SAN FRANCISCO WAS AT 73%. >> HALF OF OUR CALLS ARE ANSWERED WITHIN THREE SECONDS. SO, IF YOU LOOK AT US COMPARED TO OTHERS WE ARE DOING WELL. >> Reporter: BURT BELIEVES THE DEPARTMENT IS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN WORKERS. HE SAYS SINCE 2019, MORE THAN 60% OF THOSE WHO COMPLETED TRAINING HAVE LEFT. >> IT IS HARD TO KEEP THEM HERE WHEN YOU CAN NOT GET A DAY OFF. >> WHAT IS THE EXACT LOCATION OF YOUR EMERGENCY? >> SO THEY CAN RESPOND TO YOURS. >> OKAY, THANKS. >>> HE SAID THE COMPUTER SYSTEM CRASHED AGAIN THIS PAST SATURDAY FOR MORE THAN FOUR HOURS. STAFFING ISSUES, THERE ARE 40 POSITIONS STILL UNFILLED. THE CITY IS HIRING DISPATCHERS BUT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH 16 MONTHS OF TRAINING. THE SAIL ROW IS BETWEEN $106 AND $135,000. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO APPLY WE POSTED A LINK ON OUR WEBSITE. NOW RETURNING TO FIRST ALERT WEATHER. SOME AREAS GOT TO 100 DEGREES INLAND. A DIFFERENT STORY FOR THE COAST. IT WAS ALL A SHORT-LIVED HEATWAVE. LET'S GO TO DETAILS OF A COOL DOWN. >> YES. TEMPERATURES THAT ARE GOING TO RETURN TO NORMAL ALREADY, TOMORROW, AFTER THE BRIEF BURST OF HEAT TODAY, LOOKING OUT LIVE, IT WAS INLAND IN THE EAST BAY WHERE WE FOUND THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES, GOT UP TO 101 DEGREES IN LIVERMORE, 100 DEGREES EVEN IN CONCORD AND A LOT OF TEMPERATURES AND UPPER 90s WHERE YOU FELL SHORT OF THE TRIPLE DIGITS. JUST A FEW DEGREES BELOW THE RECORD. DID NOT HAVE RECORDS FALL ACROSS THE BAY AREA. LOWER 90s FOR SAN JOSE, UPPER 80s FOR FREMONT. 60s AND 70s. ABOVE AVERAGE, WELL SHORT OF RECORD TERRITORY. THE RECORD TODAY IN SAN FRANCISCO IS 92 DEGREES. WE WILL NOT REACH THAT LEVEL UNLESS OFFSHORE WINDS DEVELOP. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. WINDS ONSHORE AND THE TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TOMORROW. STILL ANOTHER HOUR TO GO. HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8:00 P.M. YOU WANT TO TAKE IT EASY THIS EVENING. HOTTER POCKETS INLAND. EVERYONE WILL BE WITHIN 2-3 DEGREES OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, TEMPERATURES INLAND, CONFINED TO THE 80s. LOOKING AHEAD IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>> THE HEAT IS MAKING FIREFIGHTERS MORE VIGILANT. WE WENT ALONG WITH CREWS IN THE SOUTH BAY TODAY. >> THIS AREA HERE YOU CAN SEE, THEY COME IN AND MOWED THE GRASS TO KEEP IT LOW. BUT INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH AND TALKING ABOUT, TALKING ABOUT HAVING A WET WINTER YOU CAN SEE HOW THICK THE GRASS IS ON THE GROUND EVEN AFTER MOWING. >> THE FIRE BATTALION CHIEF IS SHOWING US DRY GRASS OR AS FIREFIGHTERS SEE IT, BRUSH FIRE FUEL. >> THIS GRASS ONLY TAKES AN HOUR TO WHERE IT IS READY TO BURN. EVEN IF IT WAS FOGGY OVERNIGHT, IF WE HAVE 90 DEGREE TEMPERATURE THE NEXT DAY, LOW HUMIDITY THE GRASS WILL BE READY TO BURN AGAIN >> IT IS THIS COMBINATION THAT PROMPTED THE SAN JOSE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ACTIVATE ITS WILDLAND SEASON. THAT MEANS MORE FIREFIGHTERS AND VEHICLES WILL BE READY TO GO. I WILL SAY IT IS HIGH. YOU WANT IT CUT DOWN LOW. 1 INCH OFF OF THE GROUND >> IT IS NOT ONLY THE TALL DRY GRASS THAT BRINGS CONCERN FOR FIREFIGHTERS. >> STRONG WINDS ARE PROBABLY OUR GREATEST CONCERN. EMBERS CAN TRAVEL UP TO A QUARTER TO HALF MILE AWAY FROM AN INCIDENT. THAT IS CONCERNING TO US. IT IS COMMON FOR EMBERS TO GET INTO TREES AND CAST DOWNWIND APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER TO HALF A MILE. >> A RECENT EXAMPLE WAS A FIRE A WEEK AGO THAT DESTROYED THREE HOMES IN EAST SAN JOSE. STRONG WINDS CARRYING THE EMBERS OVER SEVERAL BLOCKS TO ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD. BURNING THIS PALM TREE, THEN CARRYING THEM FARTHER WHERE THEY BURNED SEVERAL BACKYARDS. THE GOOD NEWS, THE WINDS ARE NOT A FACTOR TODAY. BUT FIREFIGHTERS WARN IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH FOR FLAMES TO SPREAD QUICKLY. >> IT IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE SMALLEST SPARK. >> EFFORTS ARE UNDER WAY TO RESTORE THE DAMAGED AREAS BEFORE THEY BURN AGAIN. IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS NEAR THE ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST PULLING OUT MUSTARD PLANTS THAT SPROUTED IN BURN SCARS AND WILL REPLACE THEM WITH NATIVE ONES. >> THIS AREA WILL DRY OUT AS SOON AS IT GETS EXPHOT IT IS PRONE TO FIRE. IT IS A PILE OF KINDLING. >> ALL OF THE REMOVAL IS EXPECTED TO TAKE FOUR YEARS, FUNDED BY A $7 MILLION GRANT BY CAL FIRE. >>> A MEASURE THAT GETS TOUGHER ON RETAIL THEFT QUALIFIED FOR THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. ROLL BACK PROP 47, CALIFORNIA'S LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM PASSED BY VOTERS 10 YEARS AGO. THAT MEASURE REDUCED THEFT AND DRUG POSSESSION FROM FELONIES TO MISDEMEANORS. THE GOAL WAS TO EASE PRISON OVERCROWDING. CRITICS SAY IT LED TO A RISE IN PETTY CRIME. THEY HAVE BEEN GATHERING SIGNATURES TO OVERHAUL PROP 47 AND INCREASE SENTENCES FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS. >>> OAKLAND POLICE SAY THEY ARRESTED FIVE PEOPLE AFTER THESE WILD WEEKEND SIDESHOWS. WE SHOWED YOU THIS VIDEO YESTERDAY. OPD SAYS THE HELICOPTER FOLLOWED THEM ACROSS OAKLAND TO TRACK DOWN PARTICIPANTS. THEY IMPOUNDED THREE CARS AND THREE GUNS. WORKING TO IDENTIFY MORE
