Today was the final day for the Wildland Urban Interface Conference and the morning had some interesting sessions:
- Fatigue Management on Wildland Fires by Pete Lawrence from Oceanside FD
- Urban / Wildland Firefighters and Heat Injury by Vaughan Miller from Ventura County FD;
- The Station Fire by John Tripp from LA County FD
In the afternoon we headed on a field trip to Incline Village on North Lake Tahoe. Incline Village is home to the Ponderosa Ranch of Bonanza fame.
It had been snowing for the last 3 days with an additional 45cm of snow on the ground – all the best for the skiing on the weekend. 🙂
We visited North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District as they staff three 20-person fire crews. When not on assignment, crews implement fuels treatments within the District. Government agencies contract with the District to implement fuels treatments on their property. On private land the District assists property owners with laying out projects and securing funding.
Hand-thinning and pile-burning is implemented to reduce heavy fuel loading that contributes to the risk of a catastrophic wildfire, and to reduce stand density to a level that promotes a healthy and resilient ecosystem. The district has treated 656 acres with under story fire since the program’s inception.
Chief Mike Brown and Captain Steve Alcorn took me on a visit of their Station which ran an Engine, Truck, 2 Brush Trucks, Heavy Rescue, 2 EMS Rescues, 4 Crew Buggies, snow vehicles and water craft. During the tour, they received a call for smoke in a Realtor’s Office so I got to go on the run which didnt end up being anything.
Chief Brown gave us a ride back to town via the Mt Rose Ski Resort. He just happens to be working at the resort on Saturday as Ski Patrol so will catch up again then.
I need to many thanks for posting this article while not the standard bias that is so prevalent in these days’s writings. This content is straightforward information.