4.1 County-wide Risk and Hazard Assessment Overview

The RCI Project Team evaluated the communities in Elko County described in this report between August 23 and September 3, 2004. The hazard rating for each community, fuel conditions in the interface areas, and ignition risks are summarized in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1. Community Risk and Hazard Assessment Results

Community	Interface Condition	Interface Fuel Hazard Condition	Ignition Risk Rating	Community Hazard Rating
Extreme Hazard Communities
Jarbidge	Intermix	Low-Extreme	Moderate-High	Extreme
Jiggs/Smith Creek	Intermix	Moderate-Extreme	High	Extreme
Ruby Valley Indian Allotments	Rural	Low-High	High	Extreme
High Hazard Communities
Adobe Heights	Intermix	Low-Moderate	Moderate-High	High
Adobe Ranchos	Intermix	Moderate	Moderate-High	High
Contact	Intermix	Moderate-High	High	High
Deeth/Starr Valley	Intermix	Low-Extreme	High	High
Lamoille	Intermix	Low-Extreme	High	High
Lee /South Fork Indian Reservation	Intermix	Low-Extreme	Moderate	High
Lucky Nugget I & II	Intermix	Moderate	High	High
Midas	Classic	High	High	High
Mountain City	Classic	Low-High	High	High
Osino	Intermix	Low-Moderate	High	High
Ruby Lake Estates	Intermix	Low-Extreme	High	High
Ten Mile	Intermix	Moderate-High	High	High
Tuscarora	Intermix	Low-High	High	High
Moderate Hazard Communities
Carlin	Classic	Moderate-High	High	Moderate
Currie	Intermix	Low-Moderate	High	Moderate
Elburz	Classic	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Elko	Classic and Intermix	Moderate-High	Moderate	Moderate
Gold Creek	Intermix	Low-High	Low-Moderate	Moderate
Hidden Valley/Coal Mine	Intermix	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
Humboldt Ranchettes	Intermix	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
North Fork	Classic	Moderate	High	Moderate
Oasis	Classic	Moderate	Moderate-High	Moderate
Owyhee	Intermix	Moderate-High	Moderate	Moderate
Pilot Valley	Intermix	Low-Moderate	High	Moderate
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge & Hatchery	Intermix	Moderate-High	High	Moderate
Ryndon	Intermix	Moderate	Moderate-High	Moderate
Spring Creek	Intermix	Low-High	High	Moderate
Wild Horse Estates	Intermix	Low-Moderate	High	Moderate
Low Hazard Communities
Jackpot	Intermix	Moderate	Moderate	Low
Montello	Intermix	Low-Moderate	Low-Moderate	Low
Wells	Classic	Low-Moderate	High	Low
West Wendover	Classic	Low	Low	Low
Rural Ranch Communities
Charleston	Rural	Low-High	High	N/A1
Clover Valley	Rural	Moderate-High	Moderate	N/A1
Goose Creek	Rural	Low-High	High	N/A1
Independence Valley	Rural	Moderate	High	N/A1
Maggie Summit Road	Rural	Low-High	High	N/A1
Odger’s Ranch	Rural	Moderate	High	N/A1
O’Neil Basin	Rural	Low-High	High	N/A1
Ruby Valley	Rural	Moderate-High	High	N/A1
Previously Assessed Communities
Shanty Town	Intermix	Moderate-High	High	N/A2
1The Community Hazard Assessment procedures are not applicable to rural ranch communities. 2The results for communities previously assessed by other procedures are not comparable to the procedures used for this assessment.

4.1.1 Wildfire Protection Resources

Wildfire protection resources are provided throughout Elko County by cooperating state, federal and local agencies. The Nevada Division of Forestry manages fire protection on private lands within the Elko Fire Protection District and oversees fourteen volunteer fire departments established under NRS 473. NDF Volunteer Fire Departments in Elko County are located in the following communities.

• Clover Valley
• Lamoille
• Ryndon
• Deeth
• Midas
• Ruby Valley
• Independence Valley
• Montello (Tecoma FPD)
• Spring Creek
• Jarbidge
• Mountain City
• Ten Mile
• Jiggs
• North Fork (inactive)

Two additional volunteer fire departments are established in Carlin and Wells. The Cities of Elko, Wendover and Jackpot have combination career-volunteer fire departments in their cities.

The Bureau of Land Management Elko Field Office has three annex stations in addition to the Elko Field Office that include the Wells Station, Midas Station, and the Elko Helibase. The US Forest Service stations fire suppression resources at the Mountain City and Wells Guard Stations. Table 4-2 summarizes the types of wildfire suppression resources available from the Nevada Division of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management Elko Field Office, and US Forest Service. Federal agency equipment is only fully staffed during the fire season from May to September. The local wildfire suppression resources located within each community are detailed in the community chapters of this report.

Table 4-2. Wildfire Suppression Resources Available from Cooperating Agencies in Elko County During Fire Season

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Type 4 Engines	3	Bureau of Land Management (Carlin Station)
Type 4 Engines Type 2 Water Tender Hotshot Crew	3 1 1	Bureau of Land Management (Elko Field Office)
Type 3 Helicopter Air Attack Platform	1 1	Bureau of Land Management (Elko Helibase)
Type 4 Engines SEAT	4 1	Bureau of Land Management (Wells Station)
Type 4 Engine	1	Bureau of Land Management (Midas Station)
Type 6 Engine Type 3 Engine Type I Water Tender Dozers	1 1 1 2	Nevada Division of Forestry Northern Region (Elko)
Type 2-Trained Hand Crews	1 each	Nevada Division of Forestry (Carlin and Wells Honor Camps)
Type 6 Engine Patrol	1 1	US Forest Service (Mountain City)
Type 6 Engine Patrol	1 1	US Forest Service Wells Ranger District
Type _ Engine Water Tender	1 1	US Fish and Wildlife Service (Ruby Valley)
Source: Sam Hicks, Nevada Division of Forestry Elko County Prevention Captain; Joe Freeland, Bureau of Land Management Elko Fire Management Officer; Kevin Hall, Nevada Division of Forestry Northern Region FMO; Tom Turk, Nevada Division of Forestry Northern Region Battalion Chief; Melody Asher, US Forest Service Zone FMO.

4.1.2 Fire Suppression Training and Equipment

The Nevada Division of Forestry and the other cooperating agencies provide annual basic wildland training to each volunteer fire department in Elko County and provide annual refresher training opportunities for all volunteer departments. The Nevada Division of Forestry offers wildland firefighting training several times per year in Wells, Spring Creek, Elko, and Carlin. Volunteer Fire Chiefs need to strongly encourage all volunteer firefighters to attend every available training.

Many of the volunteer firefighters have not received State Fire Marshal structural firefighting training. Lack of structure training is a safety concern. Wildfires can be started when a structure fire escapes into wildland fuels.

Another concern for the volunteer fire departments is the difficulty in recruiting and retaining volunteers, with some volunteer fire stations having fewer than five members. Volunteer stations need an adequate volunteer base in order to properly protect their communities. The State of Nevada, Nevada Division of Forestry and Elko County should work cooperatively to establish an incentive program to recruit and maintain volunteer firefighters.

Many of the volunteer fire departments have equipment that is well over twenty years old. Outdated equipment can lead to delays in response and/or limit response if the equipment is not working properly. Volunteer stations should coordinate with Nevada Division of Forestry and Elko County to access federal grant programs for funding to replace outdated equipment.

4.1.3 Detection and Communication

Fires are reported to the Interagency Dispatch Center in Elko. The Elko County Sheriff’s Office has access to the state mutual aid frequencies and the radio system is compatible with neighboring agencies. The Nevada Division of Forestry and federal agencies are on a narrow band radio system to meet federal mandates and can communicate directly to each other during an emergency incident. If volunteer or local fire departments or other fire protection agencies do not have narrow band capabilities, there will be gaps in communication that could lead to delayed directions and response. Elko County, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and the other cooperating agencies should make it a priority to assure that compatible communications are maintained with volunteers.

4.1.4 Financial Support

The Elko County Fire Protection District is organized under NRS 473 authorization. Under a mutual aid agreement between Elko County and the Nevada Division of Forestry, each volunteer fire department receives payment for equipment used at each fire event. In Elko County, volunteer fire departments within the Elko County Fire Protection district are funded by allocations from the Elko County General Fund, not by a separate property tax for the Fire Protection District as is typically the case elsewhere in Nevada. The Carlin, Elko, Jackpot, Wells, and West Wendover municipal fire departments are funded through property tax receipts from the respective areas of responsibility.

4.1.5 Community Preparedness

Elko County has an active Local Emergency Planning Committee. The Emergency Management Plan includes a disaster plan. The Elko Fire Department and City of Elko coordinate on a pre-attack plan, and the Elko Police and Fire Departments coordinate in the development of evacuation plans. All plans are updated annually. Elko County is also included in the Department of Emergency Management Statewide Emergency Management Plan through the Division of Forestry.

The Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Division of Forestry, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs coordinate annually with Elko County volunteer fire departments on a pre-attack plan for the County.

The Nevada Division of Forestry reviews development plans for communities within the Elko County Fire Protection District. The Nevada Division of Forestry Northern Region has had a Fire Protection Officer based in Ely since 2003. The Fire Protection Officer has worked with communities to improve community preparedness.