20.0 Conclusions

The RCI Project Team developed the recommendations in this report based on site-specific conditions observed during the wildfire risk and hazard assessments and information provided by local fire departments and agencies. General and specific recommendations provide a starting point so that each community described in this report can take a proactive approach in formulating projects to reduce the risks of loss of life, property, and natural resources from a wildfire.

The communities of Blue Diamond, Ely, McGill, and Ruth were previously assessed by Resource Concepts, Inc. in June 2003. The RCI Project Team Fire and Resource Specialists revisited the four communities during the August 2004 assessment to determine if recommendations from the previous report had been implemented. They found that part of the fuel reduction treatment for Blue Diamond had been implemented, but none of the other communities had carried out any of the previously recommended fuel reduction treatments.

Communities assessed in White Pine County are generally at high risk for wildfire ignitions in the wildland-urban interface areas. The County is in an area known for summer thunderstorms and dry lightning strike fires. Public education about fire safety, implementation and maintenance of defensible space, and fuel reduction projects will remedy many of the hazards and provide a greater level of safety to White Pine County communities.

The majority of the private lands in White Pine County are included in the Nevada Division of Forestry White Pine County Fire Protection District. The District is managed by a Battalion Chief and includes the Ely Conservation Camp. Volunteer fire departments in Baker, Cherry Creek, Lackawanna, Lund, McGill and Ruth are operated under the NDF Fire Protection District. The Baker, Cherry Creek, and Lackawanna volunteer fire departments are in need of equipment or storage facilities for their equipment, as well as more frequent wildland firefighting training. The Ely Fire Department operated by a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters and provides fire protection for the City of Ely.

The majority of White Pine County is public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM Ely Field Office has a cooperative agreement with each of the White Pine County volunteer fire departments to respond to wildfires that threaten communities with fire suppression equipment and personnel. BLM fire suppression apparatus are generally housed at the Ely Field Office, but may not be available on high fire hazard days due to commitments to other fires. The Great Basin National Park Fire Department also has a mutual aid agreement with the county. Two Type 6 engines are available for response to wildfires. The Ely Interagency Communication Center dispatches BLM, NDF, USFS, and GBNP resources as available and necessary for wildfire suppression throughout White Pine County.

Agricultural fields and pastures surround the communities of Cold Creek, Pleasant Valley, Preston, Shoshone, and Strawberry. They provide a buffer zone between residential structures and wildland fuels. These areas are more at risk of economic loss from damage to ranch improvements and stockpiled commodities than residential structure loss. The rural ranch communities of Shoshone and Strawberry have no water sources other than wells or ranch ponds. Water sources for fire suppression would have to be brought to the site by fire protection personnel. These communities should seek grant funding to develop water sources for fire suppression.

There is no way to completely eliminate the threat that wildfires present to communities at the wildland-urban interface. However, the recommendations in this report are intended to increase public responsibility and encourage concerned community members to be proactive in reducing the risk of wildfire ignitions near their communities. Creating and maintaining defensible space on private property and increasing public awareness of the risks and potential for damage or loss of lives and property associated with living in a fire-prone environment are best accomplished at the local level.

The recommendations presented for each community in this report should be considered a starting point for addressing community wildfire safety. Long-term community safety from wildfire requires a permanent commitment to the enforcement of fire safe ordinances at the local level and dedicated attention to fuels management. Regular monitoring of fuel conditions and periodic updates to this report should include new recommendations for maintenance or implementation of additional treatments as development continues to encroach at the wildland-urban interface.