firefighters

It has been about 18 months since the Cal Tahoe JPA voted to spend $192,000 on badly needed EKG monitors for the nine ambulances that serve the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers area. As of March 31, not a dime has been spent due to a division between the two fire departments that are part of the JPA.

"I don't want public safety to get in the way of politics," said SLT City Councilman Tom Davis at Thursday's emergency JPA meeting. Davis is one of two Council representatives on the JPA board. The other is Mayor Wendy David.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) has received the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Blue Seal of Excellence Certification. This makes their maintenance shop one of only two facilities in the Tahoe Basin to receive this distinguished honor. ASE promotes excellence in automotive repair in every part of the automotive service industry.

Chief Jeff Meston and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) held their annual awards ceremony on Friday January 29, 2016 to celebrate the department's teams members and accomplishments for the past year.

During the ceremony, the following people were honored:

Firefighter of the Year – Mike Mileski
Paramedic of the Year – Sophie Tetlow
Dispatcher of the Year – Linda Clark
STAT Volunteer of the Year – Leonard Smith

Fire Chief’s Meritorious Awards were presented to Marty Creel, Kim George, Jody Benavidez, and Brenen Davis for their work on special projects.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is hosting a “Coats for Kids Drive” during the month of January and they are looking for donations from the community.

Be a hero and help children of the South Lake Tahoe community stay warm this winter by donating gently used coats. All donations will be distributed to children in need within South Lake Tahoe.

Drop donations at any of the three fire stations at:
Fire Station #1, 1252 Ski Run Blvd.
Fire Station #2, 2951 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
Fire Station #3, 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

It has been and will remain the mission of the Lake Valley Fire Protection District to provide the highest level of public safety services for our community, its people, and the environment. As our motto states, it is “Because We Care “. Driven by these guiding principles, in 2001 the LVFPD entered into a partnership with the City of South Lake Tahoe to provide fire based ambulance transportation and advanced life support paramedic services throughout the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

Some have jobs. Some have families. Some are recent high school graduates. Some are retired military. Some are college graduates. They are all future firefighters.

One month into the new school year, 33 men and women are part of the tenth class of firefighters being trained at the Lake Tahoe Community College's program, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy. This year's class started with 36 students, but some find out early on how physically demanding the program is and they find it isn't for them.

The Butte Fire near Jackson, CA continues to burn but is now 74% contained. So far, 70,760 acres have burned. The destructive and deadly fire destroyed 545 homes and 356 outbuildings, as well as damaging another 42 structures. Two civilians have died in the fire.

Cal Fire is holding two community information meetings, one in each affected county. (Amador County) Monday, September 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. The Call Church; 18400 Ridge Road, Pine Grove, CA 95665.

Early in 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), as well as our partners at the National Weather Service, predicted 2015 to be a significant year for wildland fires throughout the Western States. A combination of a sustained period of drought, coupled with weather that is conducive to nearly perfect burning conditions, have challenged local firefighting resources. Those predictions have rang very true as we continue to hear about new fires occurring almost daily all over the Western States. This year will go down as one of the most hazardous years for wildland fire.

Dozens of runners and walkers, including Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, took to the streets of the capital city early Sunday for a remembrance run to recognize the victims of the Sept. 6, 2011 shooting at the IHOP in Carson City.

Four years ago Sunday, Nevada Guardsmen Lt. Col. Heath Kelly, 35, Master Sgt. Christian Riege, 38, Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney, 31, and civilian Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67, of South Lake Tahoe, were killed in the shooting rampage, in which the mentally ill gunman took his own life. Two other soldiers and seven patrons suffered injuries.

8 p.m. update 8/18/15:

The Walker Fire has now burned 3,715 acres and is now 35% contained. It has been determined that the fire is human caused and is under investigation.

There are 484 firefighters working on the fire along with 4 helicopters, 2 Air tankers, 34 Engines, 10 Crews, 6 Water Tenders, and 4 Dozers.

235 structures remain threatened but none have burned so far.

8:00 p.m. update 8/9/15

The 21 year-old firefighter who died in Saturday evening as he was working on the Sierra Fire has been identified as Michael Hallenbeck of Shingle Springs, CA.

Hallenbeck was a member of Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Organized Crew 36.

Responding to continued drone interference in fighting wildfires, Senator Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado) today announced plans to introduce legislation to help protect emergency responders engaged in their life-saving work. Senate Bill 168, co-authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), grants immunity to any emergency responder who damages an unmanned aircraft in the course of firefighting, air ambulance, or search-and-rescue operations.

Two fires, starting within minutes of each other on Saturday, are currently burning out of control in the Sierra Nevada.

9:30 p.m. update 7/26/15:

The Lowell Fire burning near the town of Alta off of I-80 in the Sierras has burned 1,500 acres and is now 15% contained.

Early this evening, two CAL FIRE and two U.S. Forest Service firefighters suffered burn injuries while battling the Lowell Fire in Nevada County. The firefighters were airlifted from the fire and transported to UC Davis Burn Center in Sacramento.

Fire crews are mopping up after responding to a small brush fire in Rabe Meadow on Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters from Tahoe Douglas Fire Department (TDFD) and the U.S. Forest Service got early control of the fire which was burning in dry brush on Forest Service land just northeast of the bike bath.

The fire is under investigation according to Fire Marshal Eric Guevin. "Anyone with information is to call the Forest Service or TDFD via 911," said Guevin.

Heavy rains over the past 48 hours have given firefighters the help they needed to contain the Washington Fire burning south of Markleeville.

As of 5 p.m. on July 4, the lightning caused fire was 99% contained after burning 17,790 acres.

Fire crews will continue to construct the remaining fire line and mop up hot spots along the perimeter. A smaller contingency of firefighters and equipment will remain on the incident with the type 3 management organization while still meeting incident objectives as outlined in the transfer of command.

Cooler temperatures and an increase in humidity have allowed firefighters working on the Washington Fire to make good progress, getting a line around 66% of the fire area.

Burning since June 19 in the hilly terrain south of Markleville, the lightning caused fire has burned 17,790 acres.

There are nine small lightning caused fires currently burning in or around the Lake Tahoe Basin, the largest one is one-half acre in size.

Staff from the U.S. Forest Service is at each scene with firefighters from the Tahoe-Douglas and North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection Districts, working to extinguish them. Most of the fires are single-tree fires with some ground fire.

Winds are calm, and the Lake Tahoe Basin received substantial rainfall in the area of the fire starts, so the rate of spread is low.

A very strong storm cell is moving across the east side of Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley this evening, causing some small fires.

The National Weather Service in Reno issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for western Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville, the Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe. The warning is through at least 6:15 p.m. and extends through the Carson Range.

It is expected to impact the east side of Lake Tahoe and into Carson City and Carson Valley. Wind gusts to 60 mph, penny sized hail and heavy rain are possible with this storm, according to the weather service.

6:00 p.m. update 6/29/15

Firefighters made a lot of progress on the fire lines at the Washington Fire south of Markleeville on Monday, gaining containment of 56% of the perimeter. So far, 17,787 acres have burned.

The lightning caused fire grew quickly a week ago, from 30 acres on June 19 to 6,500 acres by June 21.

At one time, over 1,100 fire personnel were working on suppression of the fire. Those numbers were reduced today to 860 as containment grew.

CrossFit Lake Tahoe will celebrate 10 years in business this weekend with a grand re-opening and ribbon cutting on Friday, June 26. The celebration continues on Saturday, June 27 with a special 'Open Gym Play and Learn' event for those interested in better understanding CrossFit.

Winds hampered firefighting efforts at the lightening caused Saddle Fire on Saturday. As of 6 p.m., the fire has burned 1,480 acres in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, halfway between Redding and Eureka, California.

866 personnel are fighting the fire which is now 15% contained.

Firefighters have been protecting the homes along County Road 311, and as of June 13, no structures have been burned.

Challenges to firefighters include a heavy component of dead and down vegetation (from previous fires), hot, dry conditions, steep terrain, and ongoing drought.

A lightning-sparked wildfire has grown to 1,000 acres and led to a handful of evacuations in rural Northern California.

The blaze is burning for the third day Thursday in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest about halfway between Eureka and Redding.

The U.S. Forest Service says 17 helicopter and two air tankers are helping 160 firefighters take on the wildfire.

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Every year, South Lake Tahoe fire agencies prepare to fight fires around the basin but they rarely get to practice evacuations of residents.

That opportunity came on Monday when the Tahoe Douglas Fire District and Skyland Fire Adapted Community executed an inter-agency wildfire evacuation drill in the Skyland neighborhood.

The drill simulated a real evacuation event to give residents the opportunity to practice evacuating from their homes and getting to the designated safe zone.

Families can visit with their Local Superheroes at South Lake Tahoe Library. Superheroes will include SLT Fire Department, SLT Police Department, South Tahoe Refuse, and US Forest Service Wildland Firefighters.

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