4.0 County-Wide Assessment Results
4.1 County-wide Risk and Hazard Assessment Overview
In early March of 2004, RCI Project Teams visited the six communities described in this report. Their evaluations of community design aspects (roads, signage, utility infrastructure), defensible space characteristics, construction materials and architectural features, wildland-urban interface qualities, and fuel densities resulted in the overall hazard rating for each community. The key quantifiable components of these assessments are summarized in Table 4-1.
| Community | Interface Classification | Interface Fuel Hazard | Ignition Risk | Hazard Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Springs | Intermix | Low | Moderate | Moderate |
| Eastgate | Rural | Low | Moderate | High |
| Fallon | Classic | Low | Low | Low |
| Fallon Naval Air Station | Classic | Low | Low | Low |
| Fallon Outskirts | Rural | Moderate | Low | Low |
| Middlegate | Intermix | Low | Moderate | Moderate |
4.1.1 Wildfire Protection Resources
Wildfire suppression resources are available throughout Churchill County from the 41-member Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department to the 45-member career staffed Fallon Naval Air Station Fire Department. The Fallon/Churchill VFD received the nation’s first Insurance Services Offices Class 1 Volunteer Fire Department rating. The Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department has three career positions including Fire Chief, Fire Marshal, and Equipment Supervisor. It houses equipment at four stations, and responds to an average of 400 calls per year (Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department website).
The Fallon Naval Air Station (NAS) has two fire stations and responds to wildland-urban interface fires outside the Fallon NAS by request. Additional resources are available from the BLM. Table 4-2 lists the types of wildfire resources, cooperating partners, and equipment available to respond to wildland fires in all Churchill County communities. The availability of the listed resources may vary depending on the time of year and resource needs in other areas. Additional BLM resources may be sent based upon the report of a fire and by request of the Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department.
| Type of Equipment | Amount of Equipment | Cooperating Partner (Resource Location) |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 Engine Type 3 Engine Type 1 Water Tender (4,000 gal.) Command Officer |
6 2 3 1 |
Fallon/Churchill VFD |
| Type 1 Engine Type 3 Engine (1) Type 6 Engine Type 1 Water Tender |
1 1 1 1 |
Fallon Naval Air Station (by request only) |
| (1) The Type 3 engine listed under the Fallon Naval Air Station was in a state of disrepair at the time of the assessment. | ||
| Type of Equipment | Amount of Equipment | Cooperating Partner (Resource Location) |
|---|---|---|
| Type 3 Engine Water Tender Incident Command Type 1 Air Tanker Air Attack |
1 1 1 1 1 |
The closest available Bureau of Land Management resources dispatched by the Sierra Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada |
| Source: Personal Communication with Leonard Waking Fire Management Officer BLM Carson City Field Office, Steven Edgar Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist BLM Carson City Field Office, Ed Harris Equipment Manager Fallon/Churchill VFD, and Stuart Cook Fire Management Officer Fallon Naval Air Station. | ||
Detection and Communication
Fires are reported in Churchill County through 911 calls to the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office in Fallon.
Fires are communicated to fire response personnel through:
- Emergency Dispatch through the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office in Fallon
- Radios using the primary frequency - 155.0555
- Pagers and telephones where volunteer fire departments exist
BLM fire suppression resources are dispatched by the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada. The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office has access to the state mutual aid frequencies and the radio system is compatible with neighboring agencies.
Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications
All firefighters are trained to a minimum of Incident Command Systems, Firefighter I and II, and Hazardous Materials Decontamination training. The Fallon/Churchill VFD does not utilize the Red Card certification for individual qualifications. Red Card certification is part of a fire qualifications management system used by many state and all federal wildland fire management agencies that certifies an individual’s qualifications to fight wildland fires.
Work Load
The Fallon/Churchill VFD responded to 325 calls in 2003:
- 50 wildland /brush fire calls
- 275 other calls
Financial Support
Financial support for the Fallon/Churchill VFD comes primarily from the Churchill County General Fund and funding from the Churchill County tax budget. Over the last three years the Fallon/Churchill VFD has also received funding from the BLM Carson City Field Office through the rural fire assistance program. The funding from BLM was used to purchase personal protection equipment, purchase suppression equipment, purchase communication equipment and fund additional wildland fire training.
Community Preparedness
Churchill County has an active Local Emergency Planning Committee and has adopted an all-risk emergency plan in cooperation with the City of Fallon. It is periodically updated and was last revised in March 2004.
The Fallon/Churchill VFD currently works under the Uniform Building Code, Uniform Fire Code, and National Fire Protection Association (NPFA) Life Safety, and NFPA 1500 fire codes. The Fallon/Churchill VFD reviews development plans to ensure that new development meets current fire code standards. The Fallon/Churchill VFD has a brush clearance program enforced by the local Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal conducts surveys and works with specific landowners for brush clearance. The Fire Marshal has enforcement power to issue citations if homeowners refuse to cooperate.
4.2 County-wide Recommendations
The Churchill County risk and hazard reduction recommendations address the primary concern regarding protection of existing and future development in the wildland-urban interfaces areas within the county. Other recommendations pertain to community coordination and public education efforts that could be undertaken to enhance fire safety in Churchill County.
4.2.1 Property Owner Responsibilities:
- Implement defensible space treatments as an essential first line of defense for residential structures. General guidelines for creating defensible space around residences and structures are provided in each community section and Appendix D.
- Coordinate with the Bureau of Land Management to construct two greenstrips around the communities of Cold Springs and Middlegate.
4.2.2 Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department Responsibilities:
- Coordinate with the Bureau of Land Management, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, and Nevada Division of Forestry to conduct public education and fire awareness programs.
- Schedule an annual County-Wide Fire Awareness Day for citizens to learn about fire safety, defensible space, and other fire-related issues. Notify outlying communities served by the VFD of the event.
- Incorporate Fire Safe Community Planning Recommendations for New Developments in development plan reviews. See Appendix E for an example.
- Implement a burn permit program or a call-in burn program in which landowners notify the Fallon/Churchill VFD before initiating any type of debris burning. A sample burn permit is included in Appendix E.
- Coordinate with residents of Cold Springs and Middlegate to help provide wildland fire training and pursue grant funding for a 100 to 200-gallon slip-on pump and tank unit and a truck for each community.
4.2.3 Churchill County Responsibilities:
- Enforce or develop county laws, regulations, and ordinances that support implementation and maintenance of defensible space and address fuel reduction responsibilities for absentee homeowners and vacant lots in the communities of Fallon and Fallon Outskirts.
- Install a 5,000-gallon water tank for fire suppression water supplies at the NDOT Maintenance Station in Cold Springs.
- Station a pick-up truck and a one-piece, slip-on, 100 to 200-gallon pump and tank unit with hose and hose reel in the communities of Cold Springs and Middlegate. This equipment, fitted properly for the size and weight limitations of the truck, can be used to provide initial attack of wildfires threatening the communities.
4.2.4 Bureau of Land Management Responsibilities:
- Construct a minimum 100-foot wide greenstrip around the communities of Cold Springs and Middlegate.
- Identify a minimum of four people from each of the communities of Cold Springs and Middlegate and train them using the Basic Wildland Firefighter Training course.
- Distribute copies of the publication “Living With Fire”. This publication is free of charge. Copies can be requested from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 784-4848.
Specific community-level mitigation recommendations are made in the following sections where assessments of ignition risks and fire hazards warrant additional attention.