Fuelbreak work should begin in fall

The County Service Area 38 (Pine Cove) Advisory Committee was able, even briefly, to admire an accomplishment. The new Type 6 engine for Station 23 (Pine Cove) has arrived and is already in use.

Just a year ago, the committee agreed with the Riverside County Fire Department’s proposal to acquire the vehicle for Pine Cove. In November, Bautista Division Chief Bill Weiser assured the committee that its acquisition should occur before summer. (See accompanying photograph.)

Also, David Alvarez of the county’s Economic Development Agency confirmed that the acquisition of a chipper has been accomplished and it should shortly join the engine in Pine Cove.

The next major acquisition, a masticator, is now underway, Alvarez confirmed.

The recommendation of a budget for fiscal year 2017-18 was deferred a month until the committee receives the final cost figures for these purchases. The engine’s cost was about $240,000 and the chipper cost about $36,000.

“We need to have ‘hard’ figures and have the masticator cost, too,” Committee Chair Jerry Holldber told Alvarez, in order to propose a budget for next year.

The CSA 38 balance at the end of April was about $625,000. By the end of the fiscal year, another $25,000 of revenue should be credited to the CSA account, and the balance of engine and chipper costs will be deducted.

Beginning next year, the only revenue source for CSA 38 will be the portion of the county’s property tax since the parcel fee for emergency services ends.

Besides purchasing the masticator, which will show up next fiscal year, the committee discussed sharing some of the cost with the county Fire Department for maintenance of the Pine Cove Fuelbreak and several other projects for Station 23.

The work on the fuelbreak will benefit the entire Pine Cove community. It will be big and wide, about 500 feet, including a road in the middle, and eventually, when finished, tie into the State Park Fuelbreak near Dark Canyon, according to Weiser.

“The chipper will be used on the Red Hill Truck portion,” Weiser said. “That is why the chipper was essential to this project and future work on the fuelbreak.”

After the meeting, Holldber said, “I’m really pleased and excited about the Type 6 patrol truck. I believe it will do great work for Pine Cove and the surrounding area.”

In other business, the committee acknowledged the retirement last week of Capt. Mark Gilman.

Also, the ad-hoc committee reviewing the potential disposition of Squad 23 discussed its views, such as auctioning the unit and the proceeds returned to the CSA 38 coffers. As of last month, Riverside County had not expressed an interest in the vehicle, but the committee asked Weiser to verify the county’s position, such as donating to another local government. No action regarding the squad was taken at this meeting.

(The following is from a Caltrans press release.)

On Monday, June 12, the California Department of Transportation began repairing a sinkhole on other damaged areas to Highway 243 near Idyllwild-Pine Cove and Poppet Flats. Water runoff from snow and rain this past winter damaged a culvert and eroded slopes along the highway. Caltrans’ director issued a $1.5 million order to secure permits with local agencies to make repairs beginning earlier this year.

Work began between Franklin Drive and Alpine Way at milepost 6.2 (at the south end of the barrier around Dead Man’s Curve) to repair a sinkhole that developed in early June after the Caltrans director’s order already had been issued. The currently available schedule is as follows:

From 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 19, Caltrans had one-way traffic control (flagging) to saw-cut existing pavement, and mobilize equipment and material to the jobsite.

From 6 a.m. to midnight, Tuesday, June 20 to Friday, June 23, and Monday, June 26 to Thursday, June 29, Caltrans will have 24 hours/day continuous flagging for various work to repair the sinkhole at milepost 6.2 between Franklin Drive and Alpine Way.

Work will continue at several other locations on Highway 243 once the sinkhole repairs are completed, and Caltrans will provide further updates with those locations.

Caltrans will continue to monitor traffic queues to avoid any major impacts to the traveling public. Caltrans urges motorists to plan ahead and, if possible, adjust schedules to avoid traffic delays. Reduce your speed in the construction zones and follow any commands given by California Highway Patrol or the road workers.

Weather permitting, the Highway 243 project is expected to be completed by this coming September. Follow Caltrans on Twitter @caltrans8 or go to caltrans8.info for road work alerts. Monitor traffic with Caltrans Quickmap at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

Once standing-room-only for meetings, now no one is interested

Peter Lent, former deputy director of Riverside County’s Office of Emergency Services, once noted that people begin to prepare for disasters after they happen — and then, of course, it’s too late.

The Mountain Emergency Services Committee meets publicly in Idyllwild with one mission — to educate residents about real and present dangers confronting this community.

The challenges of living at the edge of a wilderness are far different from living in urban flatlands. Idyllwild is a wildland interface area with greater everyday risks new arrivals might not understand.

MEMSCOMM has historically brought together emergency responders, utility and water company representatives, volunteer disaster aid groups and the general public for interactive presentations and discussions.

There was a time when MEMSCOMM meetings were standing-room-only, as in 2011 when the community considered designating alternative Emergency Operations Centers because the present Idyllwild Fire Department building could suffer severe structural damage during a major quake. Also, when MEMSCOMM professional responders conducted real-time, table-top earthquake scenarios — where to go and what to do as the quake is happening, and after the quake — many people showed up.

Now, with the influx of many new residents with little or no knowledge of the unique demands of living on the Hill, the need for information about disaster readiness and post-disaster response is especially vital.

What would you do on a weekend crowded with tourists who do not know the Hill when a major earthquake hits or a major wildfire threatens evacuation routes?

If you don’t know, MEMSCOMM is a meeting that could be critically helpful in saving your life and the lives of your family.

Last Thursday’s MEMSCOMM meeting at the library had only one attendee — the press. Shane Reichardt, county emergency services coordinator, had made the trip up the Hill to coordinate the meeting. Said Reichardt, “With disaster readiness, people want to know, ‘What’s in it for me’? And people who are new to the Hill should be interested. It’s not like being in the city.”

The speaker, Idyllwild Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Mark LaMont, was prepared to discuss property abatement and fire readiness. With fire season year round, abatement becomes a year-round consideration. LaMont would have discussed latest regulations about defensible space and other protective measures for your home; protective measures for the forest to hinder the spread of wildfire (reduction of surface and ladder fuels); fire-fuel reduction projects (fuel-breaks and vegetation management).

Said LaMont, “Being a good steward of your property is your responsibility. In a city, with homeowner associations, much is taken care of for you. Here, that is not the case. There is no fire department on the planet that could mount a good defense to a fire if you have not been a good steward of your property.”

LaMont observed that people have short memories. “We have lessons but we don’t learn from them.” Reichardt agreed. “Preparation seems to fall off the further you are in time from the event,” he said. “It’s the ‘normalcy bias,’” said LaMont. “People can become numb to preparation because of the lack of incidents.”

The next MEMSCOMM meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Idyllwild Library Community Room.

For disaster preparation information, visit www.rivcoready.org or stop by the Idyllwild Fire Department offices to pick up helpful brochures.