south lake tahoe fire

A community blood drive is being held by the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department on Friday, May 15 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Fire Station Three.

Those interested in donating blood can call Kim George at 530-307-9596 for an appointment, log onto www.bloodhero.com or stop by the station located at 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

It took South Lake Tahoe firefighters just 15 minutes to put out an early morning fire in the Sierra Tract neighborhood that caused one minor injury and claimed the lives of two dogs that lived in the house.

The emergency call came into dispatch at 1:32 a.m. Thursday, April 30. Nine units responded from the South Lake Tahoe, Cal Fire, Lake Valley Fire and Tahoe Douglas Fire departments with a total of 16 personnel. Once the fire was under control, Tahoe Douglas units were released to cover the city while others stayed on scene for over two hours to clean up the scene.

While the Tahoe Douglas Rotary's annual St. Patrick's Day fundraiser has always been a local's favorite, this year's event created such a buzz around town that it actually sold out a month ago.

On Friday, March 13, 650 people filled Harrah's Convention Center for an evening of first responder honorees, an inaugural digital silent auction, a wine and beer bar with televisions to watch the bidding from as well as a red carpet with "paparazzi" to record the evening.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.

This week, South Tahoe Now has been highlighting each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.
During the week, South Tahoe Now will highlight each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.

During the week, South Tahoe Now will highlight each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

South Lake Tahoe locals have the opportunity to help out the community in the time of disaster by taking part in STAT, South Tahoe Action Teams.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department will be hosting the second session of STAT: South Tahoe Action Teams from April 2 to April 23.

STAT is designed to incorporate trained citizens in the field with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and other first responders during times of crisis. This is the second session for this innovative programs, the first of its kind in the Tahoe Basin.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has been unable to keep up with completing the duties of fire inspections due to reduced staff and an increased work load for the busiest fire department in the basin.

When the position of Fire Marshall was eliminated during 2011 budget cuts the tasks fell upon the fire department. SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston said that his department currently lacks the expertise to complete the fire inspection duties.

A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against Mark McLeod Wygant, 44, resident of Chico and former South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain, charging him with Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of Minors, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston gave a detailed explanation of the 14-year old California Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (Cal Tahoe) during Tuesday's City Council meeting. At the end of it one message was clear: El Dorado County needs to pay up.

A Chico man who works as a captain for the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has been arrested on suspicion of child pornography.

Mark McLeod Wygant, 44, appeared in federal court Friday and is scheduled for preliminary examination Feb. 13, unless he is indicted earlier, which would change the appearance to arraignment, said Lauren Horwood, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bond was not offered and he remains in custody at Sacramento County Jail.

The 47th Annual Tahoe Douglas Rotary's St. Patrick's Day Celebration has some added extras this year to make this time honored tradition even more fun than usual.

On March 13, 2015, the Rotarians will open the doors at Harrah's Tahoe to the public who will be treated to the first ever First Responders Recognition evening tied into the traditional St. Patrick's Day event.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department is looking for locals who'd like to help out during the time of large scale emergencies from winds, heavy snow, flooding, wildfire and avalanches.

STAT has been formed and that stands for South Tahoe Action Teams.

Teams of citizens will be given eight hours of training so they can help out when local resources are overwhelmed. After training they will be incorporated in the field with the SLTFD and other first responders during times of crisis.

This is the first program of its kind in the Tahoe Basin.

Ten people had to find other accommodations Monday night after a suspicious fire started at the Tahoe Pines Lodge and destroyed three units.

The lodge in South Lake Tahoe is located behind the Sno-Flake Drive Inn and is used primarily as a residential motel. The American Red Cross gave the displaced residents rooms at the Howard Johnson Express Inn for three days.

Sallie from the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has these tips to make your Christmas fire safe:

Select a fresh tree with good color and firm, flexible needles that do not easily pull from the branches.

Place the tree in plain water immediately after re-cutting the trunk at least ½” above the old cut. The container you use for your tree should hold 2 to 4 quarts of water. The longer you wait to place your tree in water, the greater the chances are that it will lose the required moisture content to keep it fresh through the holiday season. NEVER place your tree on a wooden stand.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District's Wildfire Prevention Program has organized a FREE chipping day for City of South Lake Tahoe residents on October 18. With the help of the California Conservation Corp and cooperation from South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, residents can get help with defensible space and slash removal.

In order to participate in the chipping service, homeowners must follow these guidelines:
• Place slash and brush piles adjacent to a driveway or street so the chipper crew can readily have access.

As part of National Fire Prevention Week, the South Lake Tahoe fire stations will open their doors to the public for a day of information, activities, contests and gifts.

Air show officials have decided to drop the $10 entrance fee and offer free admission to all attendees for the 25th Annual Lake in the Sky Air Show this Saturday, September 20th from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Tahoe Valley Airport in South Lake Tahoe.

Last year's air show was canceled due to heavy smoke from the Rim Fire. Officials are monitoring the King Fire's smoke and movement, but at this time there are no flight closures and the aerial performances and all on ground activities are still going to occur.

This year’s show which will includes:

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

With the major forest fires burning throughout California, Oregon and Washington, it's a good time to remind everyone that there are fire restrictions in place in South Lake Tahoe.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the U.S. Forest Service both have fire bans in place. Campfires and charcoal barbecues have been restricted to designated forest service recreation sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin since June 26, even if campers and back country hikers have a fire permit.

A large scale disaster is about to hit South Lake Tahoe. Sirens are blaring, emergency personnel are responding to the airport, screaming people are seriously injured while others cannot be saved, a triage is set up and an incident command center has been set up in the City Council chambers. A large airplane has just crashed with hazardous cargo on board at the Tahoe Valley airport.

Premonition? No. It's a planned emergency drill that will take place on Monday, August 25.

7:45 pm update: According to Eric Guevin, Tahoe Douglas Fire District's Fire Marshall, the cause of the fire by Kingsbury Middle School was human caused and is under investigation. Due to quick response by the Zephyr Fire Crew and Tahoe Douglas Firefighters, along with favorable weather, the fire only burned a 50' x 50' area. A resident in the area, Dr. Jeff Behar, rode his bike to the scene when he saw the smoke and found the crews distinguishing the fire and provided South Tahoe Now with photos.

In order to create defensible apace from wildfires, members of Temple Bat Yam, Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department held a community clean-up day for the property around the synagogue on May 18, 2014.

The collaborative effort is an example of working together to produce Fire Adapted Communities, which are communities located in fire-prone areas that require little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire.

If you're interested in scheduling a Wildfire Prevention effort in your neighborhood, call the SLTFD at 530-542-6160.