4.0 County-Wide Assessment Results
4.1 County-wide Risk and Hazard Assessment Overview
During May of 2004, the RCI Project Team evaluated the 13 communities described in this report. Their inventory of community design aspects (roads, signage, utility infrastructure), defensible space condition, construction materials and architectural features, wildland-urban interface characteristics, fuel type, and fuel density resulted in an overall hazard rating for each community. The key components of these assessments are summarized in Table 4-1.
| Community | Fire Protection District - Agency | Interface Conditions | Fuel Hazard | Ignition Risk | Community Hazard Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | Central Lyon County | Classic Interface, Intermix | Low to Moderate | High | Moderate |
| Fernley | Fernley | Classic Interface | Low | Low | Low |
| Fort Churchill - Weeks | Central Lyon County | Rural | Low to Moderate | Low | Moderate |
| Mark Twain | Central Lyon County | Classic Interface, Intermix | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Mason Valley | Mason Valley | Classic Interface, Intermix, Rural, Occluded | Low to High | Low | Moderate |
| Mound House | Central Lyon County | Classic Interface, Intermix | Moderate to Extreme | High | Moderate |
| Silver City | Central Lyon County | Intermix | Moderate to Extreme | High | High |
| Silver Springs | Central Lyon County | Intermix | Low to Moderate | Low | Low |
| Smith Valley | Smith Valley | Intermix | Low to High | High | Moderate |
| Stagecoach | Central Lyon County | Intermix | Low | Low | Low |
| Wabuska | Mason Valley | Rural | Low to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Weed Heights | Mason Valley | Classic Interface | Low | Low | Moderate |
| Yerington | Mason Valley | Classic Interface | Low to High | Low | Low |
4.2 Wildfire Protection Resources
4.2.1 Central Lyon County Fire Protection District Resources
The Central Lyon County Fire Protection District (FPD), located in Dayton, provides wildfire protection and suppression for a large portion of Lyon County including the communities of Dayton, Fort Churchill-Weeks, Mark Twain, Mound House, Silver City, Silver Springs, and Stagecoach. Additional resources are available by mutual aid agreements with NDF and BLM dispatched from the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada. Tables 4-2 and 4-3 summarize the types of wildfire suppression resources, cooperating partners and equipment available for initial attack of wildfires threatening the communities in the Central Lyon County FPD. The availability of the listed resources may vary depending on time of year and resource needs in other areas.
The Central Lyon County FPD is a combination career and volunteer department with one seasonal, 19 career and 65 volunteer firefighters. The district includes six Volunteer Fire Departments (VFD): Dayton VFD, Dayton Valley VFD, Stagecoach VFD, Mound House VFD, Silver City VFD, and Silver Springs VFD.
| Type of Resource | Amount of Equipment | Cooperating Partner (Resource Location) |
|---|---|---|
| Brush Engines Water Tenders Duty Officer |
6 4 1 |
Central Lyon County Fire Protection District (Dayton) |
| Engine Type III Engine Type I Water Tender Duty Officer |
1 1 1 1 |
Mason Valley Fire Protection District (Yerington) |
| Crew Type II | 1 | NDF (Silver Springs or Carson City) |
| Type of Resource | Amount of Equipment | Resource Location |
|---|---|---|
| Single Engine Air Tanker Air Tanker Type I Type III Engines Dozer Water Tender Hand Crew |
2 2 2 2 1 1 |
The closest available BLM resources dispatched by the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden. |
| Helicopter Type III Dozer Water Tender Hand Crew |
1 1 1 1 |
The closest available NDF resources dispatched by the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden. |
| Brush Engine Water Tender |
2 2 |
Storey County |
| Brush Engine | 3 | East Fork Fire and Paramedic District |
| Strike Team (5 engines per team) | 3 | Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chief’s Association |
| Type II Incident Management Team | 1 | Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators or the closest available Regional or National Team |
| Source: Personal communication with Chief John Gillenwater, Central Lyon County Fire Protection District; Scott Hartly, Mason Valley Fire Protection District; Leonard Wehking, Fire Management Officer, BLM Carson City Field Office. | ||
Detection and Communication
Fires are reported in Lyon County through Lyon County Dispatch in Yerington and 911 calls. Fires are communicated to fire response personnel through radio and pagers. The radio system used is compatible with neighboring agencies. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office also has access to the state mutual aid frequencies (NDF 159.89500, BLM 170.02500 and 155.47500).
Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications
Fire personnel in the district receive training to meet National Fire Protection Association standards for firefighters, fire officers, fire instructors, and fire prevention employees. They also receive training to meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group wildland standards. Central Lyon County FPD uses the Red Card system for individual qualifications, which is part of a fire qualifications management system used by many state and all federal wildland fire management agencies that indicates an individual is qualified to fight wildland fires.
Work Load
On average, Central Lyon County FPD responds to approximately 1,400 emergency medical calls and 60 wildfire calls annually. They respond to approximately 500 other calls each year, which may include structure and vehicle fires, and false alarms.
Financial Support
Funding is provided by ad valorem (property) taxes through the Central Lyon County FPD.
Community Preparedness
Lyon County has an active Local Emergency Planning Committee that is responsible for annual updates to the Lyon County disaster plan. Central Lyon County FPD is responsible for annual updates to the emergency and mitigation plans for the district. Central Lyon County FPD utilizes a pre-attack plan that is updated every six months. The Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators has a pre-attack plan (dispatch run cards for initial attack) that is updated annually prior to the start of each fire season. The Central Lyon County FPD participates in the pre-attack plan meetings as well as reviewing development plans for the communities. Central Lyon County FPD has also developed an open burning program and issues burn permits. Lyon County has adopted the 1997 Uniform Fire Code for all new developments.
4.2.2 Mason Valley Fire Protection District Resources
Wildfire Protection Resources
Wildlfire protection and suppression resources are provided to the communities of Yerington, Mason, Weed Heights, Wabuska, and Mason Valley in Lyon County by the Mason Valley Fire Protection District located in Yerington. Additional BLM and NDF resources are dispatched through the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada. Tables 4-2 and 4-3 summarize the types of wildfire suppression resources, cooperating partners and equipment available. The availability of the listed resources may vary depending on time of year and resource needs in other areas.
The Mason Valley FPD is a combined career and volunteer department with four career and 30 volunteer firefighters. The Yerington VFD is the only Volunteer Fire Department within the Mason Valley Fire Protection District.
Detection and Communication
Fires are reported in Lyon County through Lyon County Dispatch in Yerington and 911 calls. Fires are communicated to fire response personnel through radio frequencies 155.100 and 155.400 (tactical) and pagers. The radio system is compatible with neighboring agencies. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office also has access to the state mutual aid frequencies (NDF 159.89500, BLM 170.02500 and 155.47500).
Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications
Fire personnel in the Mason Valley Fire Protection District receive training to meet National Fire Protection Association standards for entry-level firefighters, National Wildfire Coordinating Group 310-1 standards for wildland firefighters, and State Fire Marshall Firefighter 1 and 2 standards. The Mason Valley FPD uses the Red Card system for individual qualifications, which is part of a fire qualifications management system used by many state and all federal wildland fire management agencies that indicates an individual is qualified to fight wildland fires.
Work Load
The Mason Valley FPD responded to the following number and type of calls in 2003.
- 772 emergency medical
- 36 wildfires
- 13 structure fires
- 10 hazardous material
- 21 mutual aid
- 9 vehicle fires
- 53 investigations
- 50 auto accidents
- 1 aircraft crash
- 20 false alarms
Financial Support
Financial support for the Mason Valley Fire Protection District is provided through ad valore. property taxes.
Community Preparedness
The Mason Valley Fire Protection District is charged with updating the emergency, pre-attack, and mitigation plans for their district. The emergency plan was last updated in 2003 and the pre-attack plan is currently being updated. The Local Emergency Planning Committee is responsible for annual updates to the county disaster plan. The BLM has a pre-attack plan for the area that is updated annually prior to the start of each fire season. The Mason Valley FPD reviews development plans for their district. There is an emergency siren in Yerington and no open burning is allowed within the town limits. In the rest of Mason Valley the Mason Valley FPD asks that residents call before they burn.
4.3 County-Wide Recommendations
- It is recommended that Lyon County incorporate the eight recommendations described in Appendix D: Fire Safe Community Recommendations for Planning New Developments.
- Communities with fire protection districts should take advantage of the opportunity to promote fire safe concepts to the public through the organization and execution of annual community fire awareness events.
Specific community-level mitigation recommendations are made in the following sections where assessments of ignition risks and fire hazards warrant additional attention.