The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
Assistant District Forester Jeremy Dedic teaches his attentive audience how to prune and space trees to mitigate ladder fuels.
Two years ago, the only defense between this fire and Pine Haven were the local firefighters from around the county and help from state and federal resources.
Assistant District Forester for the State of Wyoming Jeremy Dedic introduced a class to residents and property owners of Pine Haven and Pine Ridge last week in an effort to protect the lives of firefighters as they work to protect the interests of the community.
The Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department hosted this presentation for residents to have a better idea of what firefighters see upon arrival at the property; what they can reasonably do in the time they have before the fire gets too close; and what their plan is to not only get into the property safely, but to extricate themselves when they have to get back out.
Assistant Fire Chief Don Lancaster advocates this training particularly for the neighboring communities Pine Haven and Pine Ridge annually. "We refer to it as Community Risk Reduction," he says.
This information is not academic, but intended to be utilized for the safety of the men and women who are on the front lines in such situations as well as the properties they are trying to save on their neighbors' behalf.
The community is responsible for maintaining a home site mitigating ladder fuels, including roofs cleared of pine needles, flammables under or on decks, etc.
While enjoying close proximity to Keyhole Reservoir, Pine Haven and Pine Ridge also sit in the midst of forest and residents must make significant effort to protect their families and property from the ravages of fire.
Two years ago, Pine Haven experienced a close call due to just such a wild fire running through the trees and grass that started in town, but was quickly pushed by wind into the forest north of town. Several agencies worked together to protect the community, but there are limitations to what they can do.
Lancaster explained that fire burned about 130 acres, "It burned really fast and when it took off, it really took off."
The fire crews were able to save all but one home and Lancaster, speaking from years of experience, explained the problem:
"Had things been cleared out from around that home, we probably would have been able to save it. There were so many jack pines and junipers and everything else around there that it just got too hot too quick, we couldn't safely put people in there."
Pine Ridge is a real worry for the fireman:
"If we would get a large wild fire, we would have a lot of issues trying to get to some of those places in order to try to save the structures. As it sits right now, there are quite a few structures we might not be able to get to in the event of a rapid moving wild fire."
Accessibility and ladder fuels, if not addressed by the residents, may cost them more than they realize.
"Narrow road accessibility with all the fuels right alongside the roads," Lancaster said of the situation, "And there are some places in there where any larger engine wouldn't even be able to get turned around and that creates a real problem for us. Whenever we take an engine in somewhere, we have to make sure that we can get that turned around and have it pointed out so if it becomes necessary to evacuate, we need to have a path where we can get out of there safely."
The assistant chief spoke candidly: "I would like to encourage everyone to do their part because I never want to see a situation where we have to risk any firefighters' lives in order to save a structure. If you have to risk a firefighter's life to save a structure, the structure can be replaced – lives can't."
