4.1 District-Wide Assessment Results

Field evaluations, interviews, fuel measurements and community assessments were conducted between May 2 and June 11, 2004. The overall results of the Risk/Hazard Assessments conducted in the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District are summarized in Table 1-1. Hazard mapping for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District is illustrated by on Figure 4-1.

4.1.1 Wildfire Protection Resources

Wildland firefighting suppression resources in North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District include the following agencies:

• North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District
• Tahoe-Douglas Fire District Fire Department
• South Lake City Fire Department
• Carson City Fire Department
• Lake Valley Fire Department
• Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chiefs Association Mutual Aid Agreement
• US Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU)
• Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF)
• East Fork Fire and Paramedic Districts

The NLTFPD is the primary agency that responds to wildfires for the majority of the rural communities described in this plan. The NLTFPD is described in detail in this section to eliminate repetition of the information throughout this document.

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District is a career fire district located on the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe. NLTFPD employs 46 career firefighters, ten volunteer firefighters, and 30 additional firefighters during the fire season. The NLTFPD protects and serves the Washoe County, Nevada portion of Lake Tahoe, covering 16 square miles. The fire district is governed by a three member board of directors. The Board of Directors generally meet once a month. Wildfire resources at any given time may be supplied from any one or more of the district’s three fire stations. A variety of equipment resources are available for fighting wildfires. Table 4-1 lists the typical equipment available from a NLTFPD station and typical response times.

Table 4-1. Typical Wildfire Resources for a First Alarm

Response Time	Type Of Equipment	Amount Of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
10 to 30 minutes	Type I Engine Type III Engine Command Officer Type II Crew Type I Engine Type III Engine	3 2 2 1 4 1	NLTFPD
	Strike Team/Task Force	3	Regional Chiefs
	Type III Engine Type II Helicopter Air Attack Command Officer	2 1 1 1	USFS
1 to 2 hours	Strike Team/Task Force Air Tankers	1 Varies	Regional USFS through Redding California
2+ hours	Structure Protection Strike Teams Resources as requested by the USFS		Regional Chiefs
Source: Personal Communication with Fire Chief Jim Linardos, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District 5-2004.

Water Sources and Infrastructure in the District

There are numerous water storage tanks situated throughout the district. Fire hydrants are spaced within a minimum of 500 feet of structures. The water sources are either gravity fed or powered by pumps with emergency back-up generators. Water source information was obtained from the NLTFPD Wildland Pre-Incident Survey, 2003.

Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

All of the NLTFPD firefighters have a minimum of NFPA Firefighter I and II training and wildland firefighting training (NWCG 310-1), and are trained to BLM Red Card certification. Red Card certification 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.

NLTFPD Detection and Communication

Fires are reported in the NLTPFD through the dispatch facility in Incline Village, Nevada and through 911 calls. The NLTFPD has access to the state mutual aid frequencies. Fires are communicated to fire response personnel through the use of radios and pagers. The radio system is compatible with neighboring agencies and there are no known gaps in radio coverage. There are no fire lookouts, patrols, or reconnaissance flights.

Prior to 1999, the US Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit used the dispatch service in Minden, Nevada. The Minden Dispatch fills resource orders through the Western Great Basin Coordination Center located in Reno, Nevada.

In 1999 the dispatch service for the US Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit were moved from the Minden Interagency Dispatch in Minden, Nevada to the Camino Interagency Dispatch in Camino, California. Currently, all resources ordered anywhere in the Lake Tahoe Basin by the US Forest Service must go through the Camino Dispatch. The Camino Dispatch fills resource orders through the North Zone Coordinating Center located in Redding, California. Orders that cannot be filled are then sent to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho which dispatches resources throughout the U.S. The communication system is diagramed in Figure 4-2. This process is not effective in obtaining needed resources in the Lake Tahoe basin in a timely manner as was demonstrated by the 2002 Gondola Fire.

The 2002 Gondola Fire at South Lake Tahoe illustrated the problems with the current dispatch system. Air tankers were available at the Minden Air Tanker Base but were not ordered by Camino Dispatch because Minden is located outside of California. Although the Minden tankers were the closest resource, California tankers from bases farther away were used. In addition, local Nevada fire resources were not ordered. At one point, California fire engines were responding past Nevada fire stations there were closer to the fire. The Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District ordered resources under the Lake Tahoe Regional Chiefs Mutual Aid Agreement. Because of the confusing dispatch system, the California Office of Emergency Services assigned request numbers to the mutual aid engines, and the Tahoe-Douglas FPD was billed for the mutual aid engines that should have responded for no charge.

Work Load

In 2003, NLTFPD responded to 1,800 calls, of which 15 were fires.

Financial Support

The NLTFPD was established under NRS 474 and financial support comes from the ad valorem tax rate and state sales tax revenues (CTX, formerly SCCRT).

Community Preparedness

The NLTFPD has several pertinent plans, all of which are updated annually:

• Emergency Plan for hazardous materials
• Pre-attack Plan for response to incidents with the district
• All-risk Plan
• Burn Plan and Community Fire Plan
• Emergency Evacuation Plan

The district does not have a brush clearance program. The district reviews development plans to ensure compliance with the 1997 Uniform Fire Code.

4.2 North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Risk Reduction Recommendations, Roles And Responsibilities

The responsibility to keep a community fire safe falls on residents as well as the local fire protection agency and public agencies. The following general recommendations focus primarily on fuel reduction and defensible space efforts that residents, fire departments and public agencies can follow to increase fire safety. Recommendations also include public education and community coordination efforts. The most important consideration for successful implementation of the recommendations in this report may be for agency and landowner cooperation and coordination to ensure that the necessary fuel reduction treatments are implemented, completed, and maintained.

Defensible space treatments are an essential first line of defense for residential structures. Significantly reducing or removing vegetation within a prescribed distance from structures (typically 30 feet) reduces fire intensity and improves firefighter and homeowner chances for successfully defending a structure against oncoming wildfire. The recommendations in this report follow the TRPA approved Tahoe Fire Protection District Defensible Space Checklist and Explanation included in Appendix D.

Fuels reduction treatments are applied on a larger scale than defensible space treatments. By permanently changing the fuel structure over large blocks of land to one of lower volume or reduced flammability with a fuel reduction treatment, the expected result in the event of a catastrophic wildfire would be one of reduced capacity for uncontrolled spread through the treated area.

Fuelbreaks are necessary to slow the advance of a fire and protect resources or structures from a fire. The fuelbreaks discussed in this recommendation will aid in keeping access roads open and protect power lines. Because there are limited access points to the community, it is imperative that these be maintained to allow fire suppression equipment into the community and to provide an evacuation route if the need arises.

These fuelbreaks will also help to protect utility lines in the area. Properly maintained vegetation within power line corridors greatly reduces potential hazards, and the risk of additional ignitions, along those easements. It is important to keep power line corridors clear of flammable vegetation, especially around power poles and beneath transformers, as fires have been known to start from arcing power lines during windy conditions.

Coordination among local, state and federal fire suppression agencies is important in the day-to-day fire prevention activities and becomes critical in the event of a wildland fire. During a fire event, firefighters from other communities and states may be dispatched to areas they have never been before. This is particularly true in areas that have limited fire suppression resources and will most likely be dependent on an outside agency in the event of a catastrophic wildland fire.

Public education on making communities more fire safe is critical. Informed community members will take the initiative to lead efforts in effectively reducing the threat that wildland fires present to the entire interface community.

4.2.1 Property Owner Responsibilities

General guidelines for improving defensible space around residences and structures in the district are provided below.

Defensible Space

• Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes according to the checklist and explanation provided in Appendix D. This area should be kept:
  Lean - There are only small amounts of flammable vegetation,
  Clean - There is no accumulation of dead vegetation or other flammable debris,
  Green - Existing plants are healthy and green during the fire season.
• Immediately dispose of cleared vegetation when implementing defensible space treatments. The material dries quickly and poses a fire risk if left on site.
• Maintain this defensible space as needed to keep the space lean, clean, and green.
• Remove all dead and dying vegetation, debris, and scrap lumber within 30 to 100 feet of any structure according to the checklist and explanation in Appendix D.
• Clear all vegetation and combustible materials around propane tanks for a minimum distance of 10 feet.
• Native shrubs, such as bitterbrush, should be thinned to a spacing of twice their height. Short, green well-maintained groundcovers do not need to be thinned.
• Store firewood a minimum distance of 30 feet from structures.
• Spark arresting screens should be installed on chimneys.
• If possible, enclose or screen areas under wood decks and porches to prevent entry by flying embers. If not possible, then maintain the areas to be free of weeds and other flammable debris. Screen all house vents and eaves.
• Pine needles, leaves, and debris should be removed from roofs and rain gutters.
• Live native trees within the defensible space zone should be thinned to 80 square feet basal area per acre to open up the crown canopy and provide room for the crowns to expand. The TRPA and the fire district can help the homeowner make this determination. Closed tree canopies trap heat from ground fire and can lead to a crown fire.
• For trees remaining within the defensible space zone, homeowners should limb branches a minimum of 6 feet from the ground, preferably up to 15 feet, or not more than 1/3 of the tree height to reduce ladder fuels.
• All dead and diseased branches, duff and native shrubs should be removed from beneath remaining trees.
• Prune trees so that the branches are at least 10 feet away from chimneys and or structures.
• Irrigate all trees and large shrubs in close proximity to structures to increase their fire resiliency. This is especially important during drought conditions.

Construction Materials

• Replace wood shake roofs with Class A non-combustible material such as tile, metal, or composition.

Fuel Reduction Treatments

• Thin and remove native trees and brush for a distance of 10 feet from the road edge along both sides of private driveways longer than 200 feet. Flammable fuels should be replaced with fire-resistant species or a TRPA-approved pre-suppression seed mix.
• Maintain proper clearances beneath powerlines to the home.

Community Coordination

• Form a local chapter of the Nevada Fire Safe Council. The Nevada Fire Safe Council proposes to work with Nevada’s communities to develop solutions that reduce the risk of loss of lives and property from wildfires. Through the establishment of a local Chapter, communities become part of a large information-sharing network that receives notifications of programs and funding opportunities for fire mitigation projects such as those listed in this report. The Nevada Fire Safe Council will accept and manage grants and contracts on the Chapter’s behalf through its non-profit status. The Nevada Fire Safe Council provides assistance and support to communities to complete fire safe plans, set priorities, educate and train community members and promote success stories of its members. For more information on forming a chapter, contact:
  The Nevada Fire Safe Council
  1187 Charles Drive
  Reno, Nevada 89509
  (775) 322-2413
• Make sure residential addresses are visible from the road. Residential address characters should be at least six inches high and commercial addresses 12 inches high and fire resistant. Improving visibility of addresses will make it easier for those unfamiliar with the area to navigate an area during a wildland fire.

4.2.2 North Lake Tahoe FPD Responsibilities

Coordination among local, state and federal fire suppression agencies is important in the day-to-day fire prevention activities and becomes critical in the event of a wildland fire.

Fuel Reduction Treatments

• Continue photographic monitoring of fuel hazard reduction project areas.

Community Coordination

• The district should be available for inspections of home defensible space measures.
• Enforce the prompt removal of standing dead and dead down vegetation.

Public Education

• Distribute copies of the NLTFPD brochure “Wildfire in Your Backyard” to all property owners.
• Distribute copies of the publication “Living with Fire” to all property owners. This publication is free of charge. Copies can be requested from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 784-4848.
• Hold an annual “Fire and Safety Awareness” event.

4.2.3 USFS / State of Nevada Responsibilities

Fuel Reduction Treatments

• Thin trees and remove brush from individual lots according to Fuel Reduction guidelines in Chapter 7.0.
• Thin brush and trees in the urban lots to tie in with treatments on adjacent lots.
• Cooperate with the NLTFPD to implement the fuel reduction recommendations in this document.
• Develop an agreement between Camino Interagency Dispatch Center and Minden Dispatch Center for wildfire ignitions that occur on National Forest lands that directs Camino Dispatch to provide Initial Attack Services and to transfer dispatch authority to Minden Dispatch for Expanded Dispatch Services for fires that are located on the Nevada portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin to initiate faster response from suppression resources in closer proximity to the fire.

4.2.4 Sierra Pacific Power Company Responsibilities

Fuel Reduction Treatments

• Remove rather than prune trees in the power line right-of-way. Topping trees severely weakens them and predisposes them to attack by bark beetle infestation and disease.
• Reduce vegetation to maintain a minimum distance of 15 feet from all utility poles.
• Clear all vegetation and maintain a minimum distance of 30 feet from the fence around all electrical transfer stations.

4.2.5 IVGID Responsibilities

Community Coordination

• Cooperate with the NLTFPD to maintain the greenbelts by thinning trees and removing brush according to Fuel Reduction guidelines in Chapter 7.0.

4.2.6 TRPA Responsibilities

Fuel Reduction Treatments

• Consider allowing or permitting yarding of material with cable systems as described in Chapter 7.0 of this document. Aerial yarding systems allow for material to be lifted from the ground before being transported to a landing. This reduces the amount of soil disturbance in biomass removal operations.
• Consider allowing or permitting whole tree skidding to remove trees from an area. This method allows the tree processing to be conducted at a landing site rather than leaving chipping and spreading the chips in the forest. Heavy layers of chips inhibit grasses and forbs from emerging.
• Consider revising the Code of Ordinances to that a tree density of 80 to 100 square feet of basal area per acre is attainable (see Chapter 7.0).
• Cooperate with Washoe County to require that all roads be at least 22-feet wide and have turning radius of at least 45 degrees. Existing roads and turn-arounds should be widened. Long single-lane roads should have turn-outs of at least 35 feet, placed every 700 feet when possible.

Figure 4-1 Wildfire Hazard Classifications for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District small | large | x-large
Figure 4-2 NLTFPD Communication Diagram for Wildfire Suppression, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District small | large