Saturday September 16

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Three Days, Many Fires; BVFD responds to Garberville Lightning Complex

With hundreds of lightning strikes recently in the area, mostly to east of Briceland, local fire agencies responded to dozens of reported fires over the last few days. Fortunately there were significant amounts of rain associated with these thunderstorms and many of the fires did not get a chance to grow much before they were put out. However, there were several that did grow in size and required extended efforts to contain. Water Tender 5466, Engines 5436 and 5446, as well as BVFD command staff assisted on multiple fires.

  

 

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One Day, Two Fires

Just before 6 AM this Wednesday (8/9) BVFD responded to a structure fire adjacent to Briceland Thorne Rd, 2 miles west of Redway. With mutual aid assistance from Redway and Garberville VFDs, as well as from CalFire, the fire was quickly knocked down. Ignition of the surrounding unmaintained vegetation was prevented and, although the home sustained major interior damage, the fire did not reach the exterior of the building. After hours of work to secure that all embers had been put out completely, our crew returned to station to recoup our equipment. Just before 7PM we were called to 2nd fire, originally reported as a another structure fire, located on Alapok Ln, not a quarter mile from the mornings fire. It turned out to be a vegetation fire in grass and brush. Fortunately, this fire was also stopped quickly, contained at less than a quarter of an acre. BVFD is very grateful for the help from our partners Redway Fire and Garberville Fire. Recent multi-departmental trainings in both structural and wildland fire, as well as medical first aid, has helped to provide an increased cohesion in our emergency responses.

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Briceland Fire Protection District Meeting 8/2/23

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Briceland Fire Protection District

Notice of Public Meeting

Wednesday, July 19  

5:30-6:30 pm at the Briceland Fire Station

The Briceland Fire Protection District will host a public meeting on Wednesday, July 19 5:30-6:30 pm at the Briceland Fire Station to answer District residents’ questions regarding a fire protection parcel tax increase due to rising costs.

The parcel tax, which was approved by 85% of the District voters in August 2021, included pre-approval of a cost of living increase tied to the Consumer Price Index, but no greater than 5% per year.

The District proposes to increase the parcel tax by 2.4% in fiscal year 2023-2024, from $95.88 to $98.18.  This increase is based on the rate of inflation at the end of the second quarter of FY 2022-2023 from the California State Department of Finance, Industrial Relations Office of Research.

More Information on the Consumer Price Index can be found at:  http://www.dof.ca.gov/forecasting/economics/indicators/inflation

 

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2023 Wildland Fire Academy and RT-130

Briceland VFD would like to thank everyone who collaborated with us to make the 2023 Southern Humboldt Wildland Fire Academy and the annual RT-130 a great success. Following guidelines defined by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, 47 students completed the Academy to become newly certified Type 2 Fire Fighters. Among the graduates were 8 teenagers (the next generation of our local fire service!), 13 members of the group Native Health in Native Hands, a Native led non-profit focused on restoring traditional knowledge, and several members from the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association (HCPBA).
 
Sunday’s RT-130 was the Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher that is required for all active fire service members. Years ago Briceland VFD started holding this training for our own members to meet the certification requirements necessary to provide fire fighting services when called upon for local and statewide emergencies. Later, we began hosting members of our neighboring volunteer fire depts. and the event grew. In 2023 we held our largest training to date, and moved from Briceland to the Southern Humboldt Community Park to accommodate the 123 participants from 16 different fire departments and organizations, plus invited instructors and support staff. This training provides a critical opportunity to work together with our larger community, building camaraderie and refining skills, while focusing on safety.
 
Special thanks to CalFire, who assisted with Copter 909 from the Kneeland Helitack Base, coordinating with volunteer crews on the ground to make bucket drops on a mock fire and landing to discuss aviation safety with our crew, and to the crew of Engine 1271, stationed in Garberville. Thanks also for sponsorship from the Humboldt County Prescribed Fire Association, and the University of California Cooperative Extension.
Also, thanks to the KMUD radio news team for sharing the photos they took!
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On Sunday June 11th, there will be a large gathering of fire service personnel and equipment at the Southern Humboldt Community Park near Garberville. Expect a large number of vehicles to be arriving in the early morning and departing in the afternoon. Live fire may be used in this training exercise, which would create some smoke, and we hope to have the participation of a CalFire helicopter as well. This “RT-130” training is the completion for NWCG (Nat’l Wildfire Coordinating Group) certification of new Type 2 fire fighters from the Southern Humboldt Wildland Fire Academy, and also is an annual skills and safety refresher for all fire service members. We expect approximately 120 people from across the county to be attending. Public access to some areas of the park will be limited for the duration of the training.

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First Weekend of Southern Humboldt Wildland Fire Academy

     The first three days of the Southern Humboldt Wildland Fire Academy wrapped up this afternoon; we’ll be back at it next weekend to complete the training.
     Thanks again for financial support from the Humboldt Co Prescribed Burn Association, University of California Cooperative Extension and CalFire and for the participation of all the trainees .
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Address number signs are available at Briceland Fire Station

Road name signs are going up on the dirt roads in the fire district.  And residents are asked to post their address numbers to assist emergency responders locate callers.

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Briceland Fire Protection District Meeting Agenda

May 31, 2023  3:00 pm at Briceland Fire Station

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