Exercise brings agencies together in Sunridge

Thick, towering columns of smoke between the hills of Carson City and Carson Valley signaled the first large wildland fire of the season on Tuesday.

Of course, no motorists could see the fire, because it only existed in a digital rendering inside the conference room of East Fork Fire Station No. 12 off North Sunridge Drive.

"This is the second time we've done this," said East Fork Deputy Chief David Fogerson. "Last year, it went well, so we decided to make it bigger this year."

Fogerson was referring to the wildland fire drill that brought together nearly 50 emergency personnel from nine agencies, including East Fork, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Emergency Management, 911 Emergency Service Dispatch, the Carson City Fire Department, the Tahoe-Douglas Fire District, U.S. Forest Service, Nevada Division of Forestry and Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch.

"We want it to be true to life," Fogerson said, "what you'd actually see in a wildland fire response."

While waiting for a bucket-laden helicopter from the NDF, Fogerson urged his colleagues to get to know each other.

"We want to establish relationships before the fire," he said. "Then we can know and trust each other once the fire is going on."

Fogerson said communication is essential, and all parties need to be aware of the different apparatuses used by each agency.

"In times of diminished budgets, we have to rely more and more on each other," he said.

When the helicopter arrived, it was time for action. Using a computer-generated image, East Fork Training Capt. Larry Goss briefed the group on what amounted to a roughly 10-acre blaze on the east-sloping side of the station.

The weather forecast, Goss said, called for dry conditions, between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, a northwesterly 10-15-mph wind, and relative humidity of 10 to 20 percent.

Goss also provided a distressing scenario prior to the fire: an increase in wildland activity with resources drawn down. He imagined investigators were looking at suspicious activity, while mop-up crews were just returning from Clear Creek.

"But we all have to put the fire out," he said.

As if the fire were real, the group broke into respective teams and attacked the imaginary flames. First establishing a command structure, they worked from both the ground and air.

In real life, Fogerson said, captains on the ground would have to decide how to proceed based on the size and direction of the flames. If access is available, brush engines with off-road tires can bring hose right to the fire. If access is difficult, firefighters can pack hundreds of feet of hose in backpacks and move in on foot.

Another option, Fogerson said, is to create and maintain additional fires in safe, strategic areas to reduce fuels in the path of the oncoming blaze. If flames are over 12 feet high, aircraft are used to drop water from above, and bulldozers are used on the ground to create defensive space.

"The aircraft we use a lot just to cool down the fire," Fogerson said.

Once taller flames are knocked down, and once the pace of the fire is slowed, personnel can better attack the blaze with hoses.

In regard to this year's wildfire forecast, Fogerson remarked that one can nearly squeeze the water out of the sagebrush, indicating a high moisture content in the vegetation.

However, as seasoned firefighters know, what looks good one day quickly can lead to a severe fire the next. With the advent of summer, wet vegetation quickly can turn into abundant dry fuel.

"Every year, it goes back and forth," Fogerson said. "The most severe fire seasons can never really be predicted. Every year, we prepare for the worst, and we hope for the best."

Fogerson said the public can help in the seasonal battle.

"The biggest thing is to have 30-foot clearance around your house," he said. "We're obviously more worried about people's homes than the brush itself."

Fogerson urged residents to visit www.livingwithfire.com for more tips.

"Use common sense," he said.