LAKE COUNTY >> The Lake Transit Authority and its contractor, ParaTransit Services Inc., earned three awards at the California Association for Coordinated Transportation’s (CalACT) annual spring conference.
According to LTA General Manager Mark Wall the two groups received the Q’Straint Above and Beyond Award, given jointly for their response and recovery efforts for the Valley Fire. Additionally, he and Wanda Gray of Paratransit Service were honored as the Manager of the Year — the only two such awards given at CalACT’s conference in San Diego.
“I think that these awards reflect the partnership between Lake Transity Authority and Paratransit Services,” Wall said. “We not only survived the fires, but I think Lake Transit thrived thanks [to] its contractor, their employees, and funding help from Caltrans.”
The nomination for the awards lauded the courage, sacrifice and quick-thinking of staff in the face of the hellish flames. They had 11 buses on the night of Sept. 12, dodging walls of fire to carry people to safety and lead a very successful, low-casualty evacuation.
“Our team’s quick thinking may have saved lives that day,” he said, recalling the escape from Twin Pine when a LTA bus en route to Clearlake via Highway 29 came upon heavy flames at the Wardlaw Street stoplight in Middletown.
The buses immediately decided to go to Calistoga and head back into Lake County on a 140-mile loop via the U.S. 101.
When asked about their success, Wall contributed it to Gray — who was coordinating buses while in the burn area — and her staff’s preparedness and learning from the emergency response required in the Rocky Fire nearly a month before.
“There was a lot of experience going into the Valley Fire to handle these situations,” he said. “Wanda was right on top of that. I think she was quite prepared…”
She may have also saved lives that day.
According to Wall, she was in Anderson Springs when she alerted a CHP officer, who was distracted by an “intense verbal exchange” with a resident, about the oncoming inferno so they can get in the bus and leave. She said sounded it like a freight train.
Yet, it wasn’t just her performance during and after the fire that inspired Wall to nominate the CalACT award; it is also her dedication to helping the community’s disadvantaged to have accessible and affordable transportation.
Not only has she expanded non-emergency medical transportation in the county, but she also was instrumental in LTA’s special shuttles to and from emergency shelters for survivors along with free ride service on existing routes until Mid-November.
“If there was a manager of the decade award, I think she would deserve it for all the tireless effort she has put into the operation.” Wall said. “She’s been involved in other efforts in the community and really goes beyond what most contractors do.”
As for the reception of his award, he said he didn’t expect it nor does he know who nominated him. Additionally, he claimed that he didn’t want to accept it at first when he was informed about it two days before the conference.
“I didn’t want the spotlight on me; I wanted it on Wanda,” he said.
If he does take any credit for it, the extent was making the call to state and federal officials for assistance money a few weeks after the fire. Other than that, the grant of $252,000 of Federal Transit Authority assistance funds was all thanks to them.
He also thanked his employees, which some lost their homes in the Valley Fire and still showed up for work when they were in “many cases emotionally distraught.”
“The only thing I can explain about what they did is that they love their jobs,” he said. “They love their service to the community.
The LTA next meeting is today at 9 a.m. at Lakeport City Hall.
