NORTHSHORE GETTING READY FOR FIRE SEASON
Community preparedness event features evacuation info, CPR sessions and fire and safety awareness in anticipation of another dry season
LUCERNE >> With another dry summer just around the corner and ahead of Community Preparedness Day next week, the Northshore Fire Protection District partnered with the Northshore Fire Fund and a myriad of other agencies including the American Red Cross, Lake Family Resource Center and the regional California Water Service for a Northshore Ready Fest, a community preparedness event in Lucerne which featured “hands only” CPR sessions and educated the community on evacuation zone codes, Firewise communities and fuel mitigation, among other topics.
According to Shannon Stilwell, president and founder of the Northshore Fire Fund, the purpose of the event, which took place Saturday afternoon next to the Lucerne Euro Market & Bistro, was primarily to educate the community about fire and safety and awareness, home hardening and for residents to get to know some of their local Northshore firefighters and community nonprofits and organizations which offer a great deal of resources for emergency preparedness.
In addition to learning about how to assist family members and friends during times of emergency and during evacuations, those in attendance also received information on how to deal with potential PSPS events and were able to join multiple sessions training them on “hands only” CPR techniques with EMS staff and firefighters.
Established in 2019 following the failure of Measures E and N at the ballot box and prior to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northshore Fire Fund was established and incorporated into a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization with the vision to augment funding for the Northshore Fire
Protection District, to develop programs that engage the various communities encompassing the Northshore Fire District in Lake County including Lucerne, Clearlake Oaks, Glenhaven, Nice, Spring Valley, Long Valley, Upper Lake, Witter Springs and Blue Lakes (among a few others) and to provide education to residents for a more resilient region.
Replacement costs of equipment and gear can be taxing to local districts
Stilwell explained. For example, base replacement costs which would have been funded had Measure N passed include engines which range in price from $100,000 to $400,000, water tenders, utility trucks and other support units and equipment. The district budgets don't cover additional costs for extraction tools, aging equipment which hasn't been replaced in years and/or the rising cost of gas.
Stilwell noted that the geographic area that the NFPD protects with mutual assistance from CALFire stretches across 357 square miles (the equivalent of 228,480 acres) and is the largest local fire district in Lake County. Usually it is staffed each shift with six firefighters and EMS personnel and covers the entire 47-mile Highway 20 corridor extending from the Mendocino-Lake County to the Lake-Colusa County line.
Stilwell explained that a goal of the Northshore Fire Fund is to help fill the gap between the need for equipment, gear, and technology and the funding firefighting crews have to operate with, serving the approximately 12,400 residents who live within the boundaries of the district. She added that Saturday's event was in part designed to continue to promote and educate the Zonehaven interactive system for evacuation alerts rolled out by the county last year.
Sitting on the volunteer organization's board of directors are Pam Kicenski, vice president and Firewise Leader for the Clearlake Oaks Keys Firewise community, Mike Ciancio, fire chief of the Northshore Fire Protection District, Lisa Morrow, executive director of Lake Family Resource Center, Susan Wilson, coordinator for the district's support team, and Pat Bristianos, lead co-coordinator for the district's support team.
Another aspect of the weekend event aimed to promote Firewise communities in the region. Although there were only two when the Northshore Fire Fund first started, Stilwell said there are now four, with additional communities now established in Clearlake Oaks and in Upper Lake.
During the Hands-only CPR demonstration sessions conducted by Northshore Fire Protection District personnel, music blared out of speakers because as explained by firefighters and staff, music can save lives and people tend to feel more confident performing Hands-Only CPR and are more likely to remember the correct rate when trained to the beat of a familiar and catchy tune such as “Stayin' Alive” by the Bee Gees or “Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash.
Also on hand were representatives from the California Water Service's local offices who assisted residents with applications to their Customer Assistance Program designed to help qualifying customers receive a fixed monthly discount equal to 50 percent of their metered service charge. Those who qualify or would like to learn more about the program are urged to email CAP@calwater.com or call their toll-free line at 877-419-1701 to speak to a representative for assistance.
The Northshore Fire Fest was held a week in advance of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day scheduled for May 7. More information on the NFF can be found at their website www. northshorefirefund.org, where concerned residents can also pay it forward and donate to the NFF or contribute at their fundraising events.
“This was a marvelous event today,” stated Patricia Stokely, a resident who attended the event Saturday afternoon. “I really learned a lot about the resources available to us in Lake County, with so many of us having endured through these horrific mega fires year after year, it is good to know that these people are here to protect us and help us prepare. We owe them a big debt of gratitude.”