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The Bakersfield Californian from Bakersfield, California • Page 9

Location:
Bakersfield, California
Issue Date:
Page:
9
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Old house, part of Bodie scenery, houses interagency fire crew. Teamwork aids fire fight Helping to protect town of Bodie from fire are Ken and Betty Fetherson. hp's a park ranger and she will be part of the fire-fighting crew this year. Interagency plans aids in protection. Holding Jcey roles in fire protection are staff members of Interagency Dispatch Center at Bishop, standing, Bill Haight, chief of operations, and Pat Kidder, district fire marshal; seated, Mike O'Neill, fire crew leader.

Interagency center is only one of innovations. Bureau of Land Management public information officer Paul Savercool with headquarters in Rakersfield wrote this article for a BLM magazine. Our Public Lands. PAUL W. SAVERCOOL "You gets what you pays for is a truism that was probably coined by a shrewd trader back in the days when the United States was a loosely knit federation of colonies under the rule of England Us West had only been explored by a handful of mountain men and trappers that followed the sun in search of the solitude of wilderness vistas not yet exploited by mankind.

Today that wilderness is now heavily populated, and its unexplored vistasa thing of the past. Mankind's heavy foot is felt everywhere in the West, and with him comes the threat of one of the most devastating menaces to the land imaginable: wild range and forest fires! And. as man's numbers mount, so does his impact on the environment In order to combat the ever increasing threat of tire, the Bureau of Land Management' Bakcrsfield District has initiated plans that heed back to that old pre-revolutionary statement on values, rephrasing it to meet their self-developed set of high standards on fire prevention and suppression. "You gets what you pays for and then some!" would host typify the ingenuity, ability and effort generated hy these people he- hind the BLM fire program to offer maximum protection with an eye on staying within their already strained annual budget. In order to develop the most comprehensive fire suppression program, and yet realizing budgetary commitments, the Bakcrsfield District BLM entered into a mutual fire protection agreement with Inyo National Forest and the California Division ol Forestry (CDFi What it means is, the land used by the public, whether private, stale or federally managed, would be put under a protective mantle by all agencies.

The plan called for the formation of what is now called the Owens Valley Interagency Dispatch Center in Bishop, financed by BLM USFS and CDF. dispatch center personnel coordinate all fire suppression for the Inyo National Forest. CDF lands and national resource lands administered by the BLM Also, closely connected arc all the city fire departments in the area. The latter numbers over a dozen small community volunteer groups Automatic dispatch system Faced with the seemingly impossible task of protecting many millions of acres of NRL from ignition hy man-made or natural causes, some pretty innovative concepts have come into play that may be summed up as an immense effort at cooperation and coordination An overall plan had to be developed su the BLM entered into a mutual operating agreement with Inyo National Forest. Toiyahe National Forest.

Sequoia National Forest, Districts IV. V. VI. of the California Division of Forestry, and Kern. Ventura.

Los Angeles and Santa Barbara county fire departments. Through close coordination, an automatic dispatch plan has been developed. It improves on the efficiency of all agencies involved in attacking wildfires. Basically, the plan tells ihe dispatcher what interagency group and what equipment to send into any area regardless of administering authority, for quick ami tinal suppression, depending on severity of weather and oilier conditions The original agreement of understanding between the agencies is explicit in the coordination concept from the first paragraph. It reads, "When requested to assist, or in accordance with a prearranged response plan, the BLM.

USFS and CDF agree to pay the fire district for manpower and approved equipment for action taken on a going fire. This means that private fire districts in the area covered by the interagency effort will be paid from managing agencies' funds if asked to roll on a fire on public lands, thus expanding their effectiveness even further Often volunteer fire groups are in a position to get to the fire Helitak pad of Bridgeport is base interagency helicopter crew earlier than one of the state or federal teams. Toward this end much time and effort is expended by BLM professionals in training groups in fire suppression techniques. How well does this idea of massing equipment and manpower work? The best answer would be to cite an example that occurred In October. A wildland fire flared to life in the northern part of the Owens Valley.

The situation was critical. There was a strong wind blowing to push the fire out of control; an abundance of tinder-dry fuel to feed its insatiable appetite; and it was headed for country that was nearly inaccessible by vehicle. Top that off with the fact that the entire area had been under drought conditions for several months, and you have a situation that turns any fire fighter white with apprehension. As soon as the reported sighting was called into the dispatch center. BLM's Crowley Lake fire crew was radioed to roll on it In minutes it was on the site and phase one of the initial fight plan was underway.

Next, retardant bombers were alerted by the Owens Valley dispatch center and sent on their way to the blaze. At the same time, the FSFS "Hotshots" were transported from Lee Vinning. north of Crowley Lake, to the fire. All this was done by utilization of a prearranged dispatch plan based on years of experience with wildfires in the valley. The BLM suppression crew from Conway Summit was put on alert and made ready to go at a moment's notice By now the lorest service and CDF crews were at the fire, battling it along with the BLM firefighters.

To make a long story short, the cooperation between the agencies halted Sandra (as they later named the fire), within a scant 70 acres' There is no way of calculating how many thousands of acres of public land would have been blackened had it not been for the efforts and coordination of the dispatcher center. The interagency dispatch center is only one ol the innovations in fire management the Bakcrsfield BLM is into. BLM employes are firm believers in educating the public as a means of fire prevention They hold classes and workshops all around the district when they aren't battling blazes. Bill Haight, chief of operations for the BLM district, jokes that his fire management officer. Pad Kidder, and his men have to have a good background in public relations in order to hold the job down He is joking, of course, but his men are always found giving classes, talks, and demonstrations on fire prevention to groups and private individuals.

Much of this education time is on off-duty hours It's just another demonstration of the lengths that dedicated men will go to so that the threat of fire will be cut down. In July. 1976, the BLM director gave the Bakcrsfield District BLM administrative authority over the Bodie Planning Unit. This added an additional 250.000 acres that had to be protected from fire in the northern portion of the district. In addition, the small ghost town of Bodie, now a California State Historic Site, is under the BLM sphere of influence.

The wooden structures in the town are protected by only two full- time site rangers, and it's a pretty precarious situation with regard to fire. Tourists are not even allowed to smoke except in certain areas. As a matter of fact. Bodie was over 90 per cent destroyed by a rampaging fire in the early 1930s. BLM crews are working with the two rangers in Bodie to perfect a fire plan for the town.

Communications have been set up so the rangers can now hold two-way conversations with the Owens Valley dispatch center, as well as the BLM fire crew at Conway Summit II a fire starts in the vicinity help would be forthcoming at a moment's notice. Future plans tor Bodie call for housing a full crew of BLM firelighters in that historic landmark when the fire season starts in 1977 Interagency helitac plan As a result of these new lands put under the management of the Bakersfield district, the responsibility for fire protection becomes an even heavier burden. Roads are poor and many areas are inaccessible by any type of vehicle. With the high level of lightning in the area, the obvious answer was for BLM to develop a helitac helicopter assault capability. However, the cost to protect the small acreage became staggering.

Through close coordination and cooperation with Toiyahe National Forest, which experiences the same problems, an interagency telitac crew was formed. The result'' A tested and highly regarded crew of BLM and USFS personnel, capable of extinguishing any wildfires. The cost saving to the taxpayer using the interagency approach and eliminating duplicity in this instance alone can be measured in the tens of thousands annually. The'helitac crew is an important part of the whole Owens Valley interagency dispatch system, available to aid other agencies. On the extreme southern end of the Sierra Nevadas.

the Bakersfield district has entered into a similar arrangement with the Sequoia National Forest and Kern County. Land around Lake Isabella always has been an area of numerous large fires. Because of the effort of the BLM, USFS and Kern County, closely working together, property and life there is a lot safer than at any other time in history. Things look good for the future of the BLM's fire program. The dollar savings it has been able to realize and yet adequately protect more than 5,000,000 acres ensures a rosy future.

And yet the plans don't stop. BLM and Inyo National Forest are looking into combining men and equipment in the same camp for some of the more remote areas withing their jurisdiction. Sequoia National Forest, Kern County and the BLM are looking at the possibility of making this same plan a reality in other parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This type of coordination seems reasonable when you take into consideration the fact that wildfires know no administrative boundaries Boundaries are one of man's devices. It is tough enough to manage fire-fighting efforts without having to keep responsibilities always at the forefront.

When the fire is out. then administrative responsibility is checked and financial responsibilities noted The fire program with the BLM is one with top priority. The men that are hired for the job have to be the best. Second best just won't make it because men and equipment are spaced throughout a vast area and represent mighty thin lines of defense. The men in the BLM fire program are professionals, and proud that they can give the bureau "What they paid and then some!".

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About The Bakersfield Californian Archive

Pages Available:
207,205
Years Available:
1907-1977