Regional collaboration brings over $3M to South Shore for fuels reduction

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A collaboration between Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) departments has brought over $3M to the south shore to provide capacity planning for fuels reduction work. Both departments are part of the basin-wide Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) and have been meeting with agencies on the south shore for the last 18 months to look at fire protection as a regional effort, and not separated by boundaries.

The $3,302,500 grant was awarded by the California Tahoe Conservancy to be split between LVFPD and SLTFR and will cover projects from Echo Summit to Stateline. SLTFR Fire Chief Jim Drennan said that what can be done with the funds will affect much more than just that region.

Fire prevention was the top priority when the community was asked during the recent South Lake Tahoe TOT survey, and it is always one of the top priorities during the City Council's annual objectives.

The grant will fund projects located within the south shore directly helping to reduce fuels and planning future fuels reduction projects, and the role of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) will be to provide professional services and the administration of the grant funds. SLTFR plans to create a new division chief position that will be responsible for planning and coordinating all projects - approval of the position comes before the Council in March.

"It is great to see this partnership," said Mayor Cody Bass.

Last year, SLTFR purchased new chipper equipment and hired a crew to perform chipping services from Echo Summit to Stateline thanks to the collaboration between Lake Valley Fire Protection District, SLTFR, and the Conservancy.

It was a lot of work to bring this plan together, said Drennan. The collaboration and work will pay off for the community through the plans and projects that can be completed.