Inmate Fire Crew Performing a "Tool Out"

Inmate fire crews from the Lassen-Modoc-Plumas Unit (LMU) of CAL FIRE will attend the Annual Fire Preparedness Exercise in Red Bluff, May 7 thru May 10, 2012 in preparation for the upcoming fire season.  The annual Exercise is the largest in the state and will provide an opportunity for 49 fire crews, including 14 crews from LMU’s Antelope, Devil’s Garden, and Intermountain Conservation Camps, to be evaluated on physical conditioning, firefighting knowledge, and their ability to perform safely.  Under competitive pressure, the fire crews will hike into the incident site, construct fire lines, and deploy fire shelters under simulated emergency conditions. 

The Annual Fire Preparedness Exercise is an important part of preparing for fire season each year.  It is an outstanding opportunity to put the year’s training to the test and to gear up both physically and mentally for the ensuing fire season.

Sacramento - Devastating wildfires threaten California every year, and to ensure Californians are ready, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. declared May 6-12, 2012 as “Wildfire Awareness Week“.  

CAL FIRE is taking advantage of Wilfire Awareness Week to remind residents of the dangers from wildfires and the simple steps they can take to prepare for them.

“Despite a rainy March, this year’s overall precipitation is below average,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE Director. “As a result of the dry winter, the number of wildfires that CAL FIRE firefighters have responded to is nearly three times that of last year.”

According to the state’s final snow survey on May 1, the statewide snowpack water content is only 40 percent of normal. From January to April, CAL FIRE crews have responded to over 800 wildfires, nearly two and half times the number in 2011 when there were approximately 300. This year’s number of wildfires is above the five-year average as well, where the average is over 600 wildfires.

During Wildfire Awareness Week, CAL FIRE is reminding Californians that when it comes to wildfires, remember “Ready, Set, Go!“. Being Ready for a wildfire starts by maintaining 100 feet of Defensible Space and hardening homes with fire resistant building materials.

“Before we get into the peak of fire season, residents should prepare themselves, their families and their homes for wildfires,” said Chief Pimlott. “Defensible Space and fire resistant building materials really gives a home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.”

CAL FIRE relaunched its wildfire preparedness website, www.ReadyForWildfire.org with added features and steps to assist homeowners in preparing for wildfires. The site offers tips for residents to make their homes more resistant to wildfires and to ensure that their families are ready to evacuate early and safely when a wildfire strikes.

Photo taken by Sal DeMasi

The Janesville Volunteer Fire Department and CAL FIRE recently hosted a Lassen County Wildland Field Day in the town of Janesville, California.  The Field Day consisted of a large scale Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) drill involving 26 houses.  Fifteen fire engines and 110 firefighters from 12 different Lassen County Fire Departments participated in the event as did firefighters from the Lassen National Forest and Bureau of Land Management.  The Sierra Medical Services Alliance (SEMSA) and the Lassen County Sheriff?s Office also assisted with the drill.

“Smokey’s friends don’t play with matches or lighters.”  That was the core message Smokey Bear and several of his helpers shared with more than 500 local kindergarten and first grade students throughout the month of February. A multi-agency team of instructors including U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and CAL FIRE visited five schools in the Susanville area to teach children about match safety; stop, drop and roll; exit drills in the home and 9-1-1.

In October, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) participated in the 2011 national “Cares Enough to Wear Pink” campaign in support of cancer awareness. Employees of the Lassen Modoc Plumas Unit of CAL FIRE joined over 900 fire and police departments nationwide in wearing specially designed T-shirts on duty to draw attention to the cause.  The money spent by staff to purchase the T-shirts was to come back to the Unit where it would be donated to a local non-profit cancer related program or foundation.

The response by Unit staff was tremendous and over $400 was raised.  These funds will be donated to the Honey Lake Hospice; an all-volunteer organization that has been providing services to the communities of Janesville, Milford, Herlong, Doyle, Ravendale and Eagle Lake since 2004.