A Nevada Division of Forestry helicopter flies over Genoa during the 2022 Cemetery Fire.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
A proposal with Tahoe-Douglas Fire to use Douglas County School District property for emergency purposes would not only increase response times around the lake, but it would open new opportunities at George Whittell High School.
The proposal was brought before the board during the June 11 meeting for information purposes only. A vote could not legally be taken to approve the item, School Board President David Burns said with further information brought back at a later meeting, it’s possible the proposal could be approved.
“Some of this has been in discussion before,” said Burns. “We are not shooting it down, I can say that, but we can’t take a vote now.”
Tahoe-Douglas Fire Chief Scott Lindegren provided the board with information about current fire and rescue resources at the Tahoe Basin. He said resources are scarce is surrounding areas and a fire rescue helicopter program facility could increase emergency response times.
“A lot of you may or may not know, but we are very thin on resources when it comes to any type of air rescue, putting out fires and actually doing rescues in our area,” said Lindegren.
With resources coming from mostly north, south and some as far as the Sacramento Valley, it leaves the Lake Tahoe Basin with a huge response time for any type of air support.
In Nevada, support usually comes from Minden-Tahoe Airport where the Nevada Division of Forestry has stationed a helicopter, which is staffed seasonally from June through October.
Lindegren said in the past, the Tahoe-Douglas Fire has asked for helicopter assistance, but one is not always available.
“Seven times last year, and we have this documented, my district requested a rescue helicopter to come assist us on a rescue on the lake and we were told there was nothing available,” said Lindegren.
Lindegren said the process in order to get air assistance in Nevada is a lengthy process having to go through Douglas County Dispatch, Douglas County Emergency Management, and then to the State and the Nevada State Department of Emergency Services who gets those assets from the National Guard.
“It’s a very lengthy process and also has to be approved by the governor to get that helicopter to come and it doesn’t always happen,” he said.
Another instance where local air support would have been handy was during the Caldor and Tamarack fires.
The Tamarack fire was being “monitored” for 10 days before it ultimately grew and destroyed 14 homes in Douglas County and countless homes in California and Alpine County.
“If we would have had a program like this in place, we wouldn’t be talking about the Tamarack fire because we would have just put it out, it’s that simple,” said Lindegren. “So, what we are trying to do is to establish a 24/7, 365 program that serves our citizens and our surrounding area.”
Lindegren said the facility and program would serve the entire Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding areas, including Reno, Sparks, Storey County, Lyon County, and across the Lake into California.
One of the locations being considered for the facility is at Whittell High School where the idea of establishing a program with the school could offset some burdens of the space being used, while providing education and experience in firefighting, emergency response training, pilot training, and more to students.
“We are very passionate in supporting our kids in our community and giving them opportunities,” said Lindegren. “And we think this could be an amazing program.”
Ideas to improve enrollment at George Whittell High School by bringing in outside programs such as an Explorer program and a fire science CTE program has circulated discussion during past school board meetings.
Lake Tahoe resident, parent, and school board candidate Erinn Miller spoke during public comment on the benefits the program could bring to Whittell.
“We have started that Explorer program and we are going to be starting a fire science CTE program in the fall,” said Miller. “I think utilizing the medic and helicopter is going to be great assets for that community and the program it can provide as well are really great options for increasing enrollment.”
The proposal may appear on a future agenda with further information and possible action.
