Fire restrictions have officially begun in the Truckee Meadows.
Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue over the weekend briefed community members on this year’s fire season and what steps they can take to prevent as much damage and loss as possible.
Fire officials also introduced a pilot program, www.perimetermap.com, as a new tool to make communication during wildfires and other disasters faster and easier.
“It’s a real-time communication between fire, law enforcement, emergency management and the public during disasters,” said Kelly Echeverria, emergency manager for Washoe County. “We’ll draw on a map an area where there is a threat, an area where we would like to evacuate, and then an area that should be prepared to evacuate.
“Any road closures will be on the map as well. The shelter location can be dropped on there, too. If there is a preferred route for evacuation, then we’ll drop it on the map as well.”
This is the first year this program will run. Officials said it has been tested to ensure its effectiveness in real-time. The ability to update evacuation zones and routes from a first responder’s cell phone improves the speed at which the public can be made aware of the ongoing disaster.
“There is a back side of things where law enforcement and first responders can speak with emergency management and drop those items on the map,” Echeverria added. “We’ll publish that, and then the public can see it. It’s very fast that you’re getting that information and that we’re getting that information.
“Nobody has to verbally describe anything anymore, and we hope that we get it right. It’s now drawn on a map, in the field, and we instantaneously have that information,” she said.
Echeverria said that, during testing, updated information was out for the public within seconds.
Fire officials also discussed how to keep the area around your home safe from fire danger. Tips included keeping a five-foot perimeter around your home with little to no vegetation so the structure or vegetation doesn’t have the ability to catch fire with any embers.
Keeping your home as safe as possible from embers makes it easier for your home to survive in the case of a wildfire. Living With Fire has more resources.
In the case of an evacuation, first responders stressed the importance of following any and all evacuation orders for your own safety, the safety of your neighbors and those fighting the fire. According to TMFR Division Chief August Isernhagen, people have gotten in the way during previous fires, a challenge that can cause severe issues in fighting fires and saving homes.
“Individuals chose not to leave the area,” Isernhagen said. “We’re doing all this, we’re setting everything up to give people as much information as possible to leave the area, and then they don’t.
“What happened to us was they were standing on the roadways that we needed to get our apparatus to the edge of the fire to try to hold it from going into that subdivision. There were individuals with their kids in strollers watching the aircraft as the fire was coming toward that subdivision. That creates a problem for us,” he explained.
What residents can do to be prepared for fire season, in addition to the things listed above, is to have a kit or bag ready in the case of an evacuation. Things to keep in this bag are essential, such as any medications you currently take, extra clothes, some cash and any important documents.
Make a plan for a wildfire that includes setting up a meeting place with family or neighbors. Make sure to have your preferred methods of communication on your phone and a local and long-distance point of contact to relay information about your well-being.
Stay informed through emergency alerts on your phone, traditional news media, and www.emergencywashoe.com where you can be kept up to date with any issues related to the situation in Washoe County.
