Thanks for your point of view. However, you are talking out of your ass on this one. I was a member of the Ketchum Fire Department for 25 years. I am still considered a lifetime member because of my service. I am not currently active in day-to-day activities, but I can speak to my years on the department. My brother is the former Deputy Assistant Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. I spoke to him last night. No department is set up for what happened in Los Angeles this month. Just like no Department is set up for a 9-11 event. Events of this magnitude are managed to the best of the ability with the resources available. The Ketchum and North Valley Departments I worked for have exceptional training, personal, equipment and facilities. They are well funded and also have a war chest of money available from the generous community donations to the Volunteer Association. We have adequate apparatus and personal to handle anything short of a catastrophic event. We also have several draft sites throughout the valley from the Big Wood and Trail Creek and Warm Springs. Yes, they have low water periods in the late summer and Fall but do not run dry as you suggested. I was on the first engine out on the Castle Rock fire in 2007 and in spite of an 80000 acre event we did not have a single square foot of structure damage. During a wildland event the local departments are used for initial attack and when the federal resources arrive, we then become structure protection and medical support. Please don't confuse the fuels, terrain, weather, and infrastructure of Los Angeles with the Wood River Valley. Thank you to all first responders locally and world wide for your service.
It happens everywhere. People are complacent about fire until it happens, then wish they'd done things differently. In Lake Tahoe area you couldn't cut down a tree for decades, until a huge fire made them realize that was dumb.
I was saddened by the comments in the Ketchum 10 year plan where some people wanted to stop the removal of trees. But most of those old trees (Colorado Spruce for the most part) are way overgrown and contain a lot of dead branches and needles which become flying embers when ignited. In fact those old spruce are known to go up like torches in fires. They are not native to this area, they are in inappropriate locations for their size, they destroy the character of Ketchum by blocking the views we all came here for, they pull a lot of water out of the water table, and they are fire hazards. We shouldn't be requiring that they be saved, we should be encouraging people to replace them.
I think overall we could do a much better job of educating people about fireproof building materials and techniques, and defensive zones. Surprising that even new houses don't have to submit any plans to address fire resistance. Because it's never just about your home, it affects your neighbors and potentially the whole town.
I disagree w the theory that "no changes are needed because we got away with it once."
Back in the day we referred to the Sawtooth Valley and Ketchum RD as the "asbestos forest." Sounds like a pretty farfetched nickname these days, doesn't it?
The climate has changed since 2007, there are more dead and dying trees than there were then, fuels become drier than ever, we have much more flammable cheatgrass than ever, and there is more chances of ignition because of the population growth and the increase in summer visitors to our area. We have a LOT more value to protect than we ever did.
I was a federal wildland firefighter serving on Hotshot Crews including the Chilao Hot Shots (Angeles NF) just above Altadena/Pasadena CA and the Sawtooth Hotshots. I was also an Engine Capt and Battalion Chief as well working in Tahoe, OR, and NV. I have a BS in Forestry from UI.
The simplest, cheapest thing that could be implemented quickly is an as-needed contract for several bulldozers and USFS qualified operators.
I think we all need to review our planning in order to avoid the current LA fiasco. It's easy to see the City Council focused on growth, but not considering the potential pifalls. For example, consider our water souce capacity and the continuing pressure put on it by the massive new structures and exploding human impact. Our water is limited by snowpack and we already see the Magic Reservoir periodically going dry. The water usage by farmers and the resort area has outstriped the ability to keep the reservoir - a vital sorurce of water for fire control - full. Idaho's arcane water rights laws are part of the problem here. The bigger problem is where will the water come from for all these new demands? Where will the water come from to fight the inevitable fires to come? Has the City Council considered these factors?
Perry
Thanks for your point of view. However, you are talking out of your ass on this one. I was a member of the Ketchum Fire Department for 25 years. I am still considered a lifetime member because of my service. I am not currently active in day-to-day activities, but I can speak to my years on the department. My brother is the former Deputy Assistant Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. I spoke to him last night. No department is set up for what happened in Los Angeles this month. Just like no Department is set up for a 9-11 event. Events of this magnitude are managed to the best of the ability with the resources available. The Ketchum and North Valley Departments I worked for have exceptional training, personal, equipment and facilities. They are well funded and also have a war chest of money available from the generous community donations to the Volunteer Association. We have adequate apparatus and personal to handle anything short of a catastrophic event. We also have several draft sites throughout the valley from the Big Wood and Trail Creek and Warm Springs. Yes, they have low water periods in the late summer and Fall but do not run dry as you suggested. I was on the first engine out on the Castle Rock fire in 2007 and in spite of an 80000 acre event we did not have a single square foot of structure damage. During a wildland event the local departments are used for initial attack and when the federal resources arrive, we then become structure protection and medical support. Please don't confuse the fuels, terrain, weather, and infrastructure of Los Angeles with the Wood River Valley. Thank you to all first responders locally and world wide for your service.
Brian Poster
I defer to your specific knowledge. And I appreciate you being a fire fighter. Again, like you and most people, I am in awe of their bravery.
I would no conflate WRV with So Cal. However, in how many Ketchum or Hailey council meetings has fire preparation been a topic?
The Big Wood has run dry in Bellevue multiple years.
It happens everywhere. People are complacent about fire until it happens, then wish they'd done things differently. In Lake Tahoe area you couldn't cut down a tree for decades, until a huge fire made them realize that was dumb.
I was saddened by the comments in the Ketchum 10 year plan where some people wanted to stop the removal of trees. But most of those old trees (Colorado Spruce for the most part) are way overgrown and contain a lot of dead branches and needles which become flying embers when ignited. In fact those old spruce are known to go up like torches in fires. They are not native to this area, they are in inappropriate locations for their size, they destroy the character of Ketchum by blocking the views we all came here for, they pull a lot of water out of the water table, and they are fire hazards. We shouldn't be requiring that they be saved, we should be encouraging people to replace them.
I think overall we could do a much better job of educating people about fireproof building materials and techniques, and defensive zones. Surprising that even new houses don't have to submit any plans to address fire resistance. Because it's never just about your home, it affects your neighbors and potentially the whole town.
Thank you for starting the conversation. Common sense tells me we should be Prepared 🙏
I disagree w the theory that "no changes are needed because we got away with it once."
Back in the day we referred to the Sawtooth Valley and Ketchum RD as the "asbestos forest." Sounds like a pretty farfetched nickname these days, doesn't it?
The climate has changed since 2007, there are more dead and dying trees than there were then, fuels become drier than ever, we have much more flammable cheatgrass than ever, and there is more chances of ignition because of the population growth and the increase in summer visitors to our area. We have a LOT more value to protect than we ever did.
I was a federal wildland firefighter serving on Hotshot Crews including the Chilao Hot Shots (Angeles NF) just above Altadena/Pasadena CA and the Sawtooth Hotshots. I was also an Engine Capt and Battalion Chief as well working in Tahoe, OR, and NV. I have a BS in Forestry from UI.
The simplest, cheapest thing that could be implemented quickly is an as-needed contract for several bulldozers and USFS qualified operators.
I think we all need to review our planning in order to avoid the current LA fiasco. It's easy to see the City Council focused on growth, but not considering the potential pifalls. For example, consider our water souce capacity and the continuing pressure put on it by the massive new structures and exploding human impact. Our water is limited by snowpack and we already see the Magic Reservoir periodically going dry. The water usage by farmers and the resort area has outstriped the ability to keep the reservoir - a vital sorurce of water for fire control - full. Idaho's arcane water rights laws are part of the problem here. The bigger problem is where will the water come from for all these new demands? Where will the water come from to fight the inevitable fires to come? Has the City Council considered these factors?