Fire fighting in Lake Tahoe: We're not alone with mutual aid and pre-positioning

The following is the third in a series of stories on being a community that is prepared for wildfire.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Fire knows no boundaries, no city, county, or state lines, so why should those fighting the fires be limited by an unseen line? Fire chiefs across the country manage their fire departments based on need and available staff, but what happens when their resources aren't enough to fight a fire in their own backyard?

They call in their neighbors to either assist with fighting the fire or put them into the community to cover the jurisdiction as the fire is suppressed. This is called "mutual aid."

This goes on all the time in the Lake Tahoe Basin. And with wildfires devastating the west at record rates, working together is more important now than it ever was.

During the recent Community Wildfire Preparedness and Evacuation Planning meeting in South Lake Tahoe, fire and law enforcement officials said there is a robust mutual aid system with all agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Each is aware of the landscape, conditions, and resources.

Mutual aid isn't just in force during a fire, it is also utilized as pre-attack planning during situations such as Red Flag Days. Former South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston worked on a statewide mutual aid system through the California Office of Emergency Management (Cal-OES).

What they found were that all fire departments didn't always use the same terms or react the same way in fire, so when they were called into an area they were unfamiliar with, all didn't speak the same language, nor did their radio systems work well with each other.

Those things have changed.

Now anyone responding is unified and first responders will know what to do, and where to go, both those from the area and coming into Lake Tahoe to help, if needed.

Something initiated in 2018 by the Cal-OES was "Red Flag Pre-Positioning," where a fire crew, or crews, would be dispatched to an area that was prime for a large fire with warm air, high winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation.

The first time the emergency pre-positioning was employed was in early summer of that year in Santa Barbara. In that case, a fire did break out and the resources were used.

The second pre-positioning occurred in August 2018, engines from Rough and Ready, Clarksburg, Hughson and Copperopolis Fire were in Lake Tahoe along with a Department of Corrections engine during one such warning. They were in Lake Tahoe for about 32 hours, during the highest period of threat for a fire. No fire broke out but crews were prepared.

The California Highway Patrol is also prepared with mutual aid and, in a moment's notice, can get multiple jurisdictions across the state headed to an area that is in need of help during an emergency. They also have quick access to help from the air, on the ground to help with traffic control and evacuations.

Previous stories in this series:

Some town will be affected by wildfire this summer, who's next?

Not All Fire is Bad

The remaining stories will address the following:

Evacuation Areas and Routes - The lake isn't necessarily the safest place to be during a fire

Defensible Space - How to prepare your home and neighborhood. El Dorado County vegetation management ordinance.

Be Prepared - The Go Bag. Role of Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

Alert Systems - Code Red and effective communication

Fire Camera Alert System