Well, the May long weekend has come and gone and it sure was an exciting one. I spent the weekend in New Denver, a little town of about 500 half-way between Nelson and Revelstoke on Slocan Lake. I grew up in New Denver, and my parents still live there, so my wife and I go up and visit regularly. The fact that New Denver is very beautiful and that my parents have a hot tub in no way influences the frequency of my visits, of course.
The May Days celebrations have been a tradition on New Denver for about 100 years, and this year they were a little more authentic than usual. A landslide blocked the Trans-Canada east of Revelstoke, so a lot of traffic was diverted through our normally sleepy backwater. Then another landslide blocked the road south of New Denver. Yet another landslide knocked out power lines north of Nakusp, which triggered both a 24-hour power outage and a forest fire… Welcome to New Denver - we've got no power, no gas and no exit.
So settle in and enjoy May Days, just like we had it in 1901!
What I found really interesting was the role that the New Denver Fire Department played in all of this. Since the highway south of town was out, and the gas stations were closed due to the power outage, they were set up in the middle of town, redirecting traffic across another pass to Kaslo. To say that people were unimpressed by an additional detour with no gas is an understatement!
It seemed to me that they handled everything with great tact and skill. They calmed motorists down, ensured that fuel was available, got generators running and still had time to march in the parade! I didn't know I'd be signing up to be a social worker/crisis counselor when I joined a Fire Department, but I'm realizing it now. People see the helmet and assume you know what to do. The level of trust is astounding, and it challenges you to live up to that trust. On their busiest weekend of the year, the New Denver Volunteer Fire Department certainly did.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Interface Fires
I'm not sure how Emergency Service Coordinators sleep at night. They know so much about the catastrophic things that can go wrong in life - it's not a job for the anxious or faint-hearted.
I'm mentioning this because I had the dubious pleasure of learning about interface fires last week - specifically the responsibilities of our Department if a major forest fire hits our area. We're in a pretty high-risk area for forest fires, so this is a distinct possibility.
We have plenty of fuel mass, a fair amount of bug kill and heavy woodlands all around us. We're basically a long strip along the highway with forest on both sides - steeply sloped forest at that. I'd be surprised if there were any properties more than 100 meters from the forest.
Learning about the criteria that Forestry teams use to evaluate how hard to try to save a house was somewhat chilling, when applied to my property. Conifers within the 10-meter safety zone? Check. Trees less than 15 feet apart? Check. Vinyl siding? Check. Wooden deck connected to the house? Check. On the upside, at least the roof isn't shake! Of course, the shed alongside has a tar-paper roof…
Well, at least now I know about it all, so I can start making changes. I look at things differently though - that pile of wood from pruning the fruit trees is getting moved today, and I'm borrowing a chainsaw from my dad on the weekend for the trees. A little awareness and education certainly goes a long way.
I'm mentioning this because I had the dubious pleasure of learning about interface fires last week - specifically the responsibilities of our Department if a major forest fire hits our area. We're in a pretty high-risk area for forest fires, so this is a distinct possibility.
We have plenty of fuel mass, a fair amount of bug kill and heavy woodlands all around us. We're basically a long strip along the highway with forest on both sides - steeply sloped forest at that. I'd be surprised if there were any properties more than 100 meters from the forest.
Learning about the criteria that Forestry teams use to evaluate how hard to try to save a house was somewhat chilling, when applied to my property. Conifers within the 10-meter safety zone? Check. Trees less than 15 feet apart? Check. Vinyl siding? Check. Wooden deck connected to the house? Check. On the upside, at least the roof isn't shake! Of course, the shed alongside has a tar-paper roof…
Well, at least now I know about it all, so I can start making changes. I look at things differently though - that pile of wood from pruning the fruit trees is getting moved today, and I'm borrowing a chainsaw from my dad on the weekend for the trees. A little awareness and education certainly goes a long way.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Don't Leave Fire Unattended
Well, last week I mentioned that grass burning was a local tradition and that I hoped things didn't get out of control. Of course, whenever you say something like that, things inevitably do. This past Monday we had an excellent example of why you should never leave a burn site unattended and of how quickly things can change on you.
While doing some extensive grass burning around his property, a local homeowner seemed to take all the necessary steps. He monitored the fire carefully, he checked to make sure everything was out, he even asked a neighbor to monitor things while he was away from the property. Unfortunately a combination of high winds and a creosote-soaked shed led to a fairly large fire involving the shed, nearby trees and a woodpile.
The speed at which the fire went from smoldering coals to a serious blaze was surprising, for me at least. Firefighters driving past the property 15 minutes earlier saw no smoke, but the shed was fully involved and trees were candling by the time we arrived - notified by a department member who lived in the area.
For me, the fire was a great learning experience - my first fire call with the department. For the homeowner and neighbors, I hope it was an important learning experience as well - about the danger of just one smoldering ember and the speed with which a fire can spread. Luckily, it wasn't a lesson which cost people their homes or lives, but it's definitely something we can all learn from.
While doing some extensive grass burning around his property, a local homeowner seemed to take all the necessary steps. He monitored the fire carefully, he checked to make sure everything was out, he even asked a neighbor to monitor things while he was away from the property. Unfortunately a combination of high winds and a creosote-soaked shed led to a fairly large fire involving the shed, nearby trees and a woodpile.
The speed at which the fire went from smoldering coals to a serious blaze was surprising, for me at least. Firefighters driving past the property 15 minutes earlier saw no smoke, but the shed was fully involved and trees were candling by the time we arrived - notified by a department member who lived in the area.
For me, the fire was a great learning experience - my first fire call with the department. For the homeowner and neighbors, I hope it was an important learning experience as well - about the danger of just one smoldering ember and the speed with which a fire can spread. Luckily, it wasn't a lesson which cost people their homes or lives, but it's definitely something we can all learn from.
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