4.0 County-Wide Assessment Results

4.1 County-wide Risk and Hazard Assessment Overview

The RCI Project Team evaluated the Eureka County communities described in this report on July 26 and 27, 2004. The hazard rating for each community, fuel conditions in the interface areas, and ignition risk are summarized in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1. Assessment Results Summary
Community	Interface Condition	Interface Fuel Hazard Condition	Ignition Risk	Community Hazard Rating
Beowawe	Intermix	Low to High	Moderate	Moderate
Crescent Valley	Intermix	Low	Moderate	Low
Diamond Valley	Intermix	Low to Moderate	Low	Moderate
Dunphy	Intermix	Moderate	Moderate	Low
Eureka	Classic Interface	Moderate to Extreme	High	High
Grass Valley	Rural	Low to Moderate	Low	N/A*
Palisade	Intermix	Low to High	Moderate	Moderate
Pine Valley	Rural	Low to High	High	N/A*
Pioneer Pass	Classic Interface	Low to Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
* The Community Hazard Assessment procedures are not applicable to rural communities.

4.1.1 Wildfire Protection Resources

As the biggest land administrator in Eureka County, the Bureau of Land Management provides wildfire protection throughout the county. BLM resources from the Battle Mountain and Elko Field Offices are dispatched from the Central Nevada Interagency Dispatch Center in Winnemucca, and the Elko Interagency Dispatch Center in Elko. The BLM also stations resources at the Eureka Fire Station during the fire season. Equipment and Resources available to respond to a wildland fire in Eureka County are shown in Table 4-2.

The Nevada Division of Forestry is responsible for fire protection on all non-federal lands in Eureka County with one exception, Eureka. Six volunteer fire departments are operated in Eureka County as part of the NDF Eureka County Fire Protection District authorized under NRS 473, Fire Protection Districts Receiving Federal Aid. The NDF conservation camp in Carlin provides Type 2-trained Hand Crews for wildland fire suppression. The initial response to a wildland fire by volunteer firefighters will vary depending on the day of week and time of day that the fire is reported. Some volunteer fire department members may be unable to respond immediately to fire calls during typical workday hours. Resources available from local volunteer fire departments are summarized in each community chapter in this report.

Table 4-2. Eureka County Wildfire Suppression Resources, Cooperating Partners, and Available Equipment
Type of Resource	Amount of Equipment	Agency Partner (Resource Location)
Type 3 Engine Type 4 Engine	1 1	Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain Field Office (Battle Mountain)
Type 4 Engine	2 (seasonal)	Bureau of Land Management Eureka Station (Eureka)
Type 3 Engine Water Tender Helicopter Air Attack Air Tanker	4 1 1 1 1	Bureau of Land Management Elko Field Office (Elko-Interagency)
Command Bulldozer Hand Crew (Type 2-Trained)	1 1 1	Nevada Division of Forestry Conservation Camp (Carlin)
Source: Chad Lewis and Dave Ullrich BLM Battle Mountain Field Office; Tom Reid, BLM Elko Field Office; Butch Hayes, BLM Nevada State Office.

4.1.2 Communications

Communication frequencies are currently compatible among the volunteers and the state and federal fire agencies. However, remote locations and extreme topography often interfere with radio coverage. Emergency communications would be greatly improved by stationing mobile radio repeater units at the Eureka and Crescent Valley Volunteer Fire Stations. When the federal agencies go to narrow band digital radios the volunteers will no longer be able to communicate with the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service.