LVFPD News

Surviving the Winter Chill

Contact: Olivia Rahman, U.S. Forest Service, (530) 543-2600

                               

South Lake Tahoe, CA. - With winter upon us at Lake Tahoe, here are some tips for getting through a nasty stretch of cold weather.

Personal Winter Safety:

• Stay indoors during storms. If you      go outside, be careful on snowy and icy walkways.
• Avoid overexertion when shoveling      snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in      the winter. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.
• Keep dry. Wet clothing loses its      insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.
• Watch for signs of frostbite: If      you experience loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities,      seek medical help immediately.
• Watch for signs of hypothermia      including uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation,      incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. Get      hypothermia victims to a warm location, remove wet clothing, warm the      center of the body first and give warm, non-alcoholic beverages if the      victim is conscious. Seek medical help immediately.

Home Winter Safety:

• Clean out gutters, disconnect and      drain all outside hoses. If possible, shut off outside water valves. If      your house will be unattended during cold periods, consider draining the      water system.
• Insulate walls and attics and      caulk and weather-strip doors and windows. Consider an insulated blanket      for your hot water heater
• Repair roof leaks and remove tree      branches that could become weighted down with ice or snow and fall on your      house or your neighbor's house. Have a contractor check your roof to see      if it would sustain the weight of a heavy snowfall.
• Wrap water pipes in your basement or      crawl spaces with insulation sleeves to slow heat transfer.
• If you have a fireplace, keep the      flue closed when you're not using it.
• Make sure your furniture isn't      blocking your home’s heating vents.
• During cold spells, keep cabinet      doors open to allow warm air to circulate around pipes, particularly those      in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Keep a slow trickle of water      flowing through faucets connected to pipes that run through unheated or      unprotected spaces. To thaw a frozen pipe, first check the pipe in the area      of the freeze. Some plastic or copper pipes will split and flood the area      when thawed. If the pipe looks broken or has a slit in it, call a plumber.     
• It is far better to heat the area      around the frozen part with an electric space heater, a hand-held hair      dryer, or a heat lamp in a reflector to prevent a fire.
• Avoid ice dams by keeping water      from melted snow from refreezing in the gutters and seeping under the roof      and soaking interior walls. Here’s how:
  • Ventilate your attic. The colder       it is the less melting and refreezing on the roof.
  • Insulate the attic floor well to       minimize the amount of heat rising through the attic from within the       house.
  • Consider having a water-repellent       membrane installed under your roof covering.

Winter Driving

Some 70 percent of winter storm deaths are auto-related. One in four of these deaths are the result of people caught in severe weather, so be prepared! Drive only if necessary, travel during the day, and don’t travel alone. Keep others informed of your schedule, stay on main roads, and avoid back road shortcuts. Top off the antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, gasoline, oil, and other fluids and make sure your tires have enough tread. Consider snow tires. Clear the snow from the top of the car, headlights and windows. Keep bagged salt or sand in the trunk for extra traction and to melt ice. Program your auto club, insurance agent, and towing service phone numbers into your cell phone. In your trunk, keep a cold-weather kit containing a blanket or sleeping bag, gloves, hard candy, bottled water, folding shovel, first aid kit, flashlight, and car cell phone charger.

If you find yourself snowbound and trapped in your vehicle:

Keep calm and remain inside your vehicle. Rescuers are more likely to find you there. Run the engine and heater about 10 minutes every hour and make sure you clear any snow from the exhaust pipe to reduce the chances of carbon monoxide poisoning. Keep moving around to maintain heat and use what you have in your car to create insulation. It’s always a good idea to travel with food, water, and a warm sleeping bag in the winter. Take turns sleeping. Someone should always be awake to alert rescuers. Turn on the inside light at night so rescue crews can find you. If you’re stranded in a remote area, stomp "SOS" or "HELP" in the snow so rescuers may easily find you.

PRESS RELEASE
Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

January 19, 2016 For Immediate Release


Federal Funds Aiding Wildfire Preparedness at Tahoe

Contact:

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The latest round of funding through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) includes more than $3 million for projects to help reduce wildfire risk in Lake Tahoe communities.

The funding award for Lake Tahoe is part of nearly $40 million going to projects around Nevada to reduce wildfire risk, conserve landscapes, restore wildlife habitat, and improve public recreation. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the funding awards this January.

Lake Tahoe fire districts and land management agencies are receiving the funding for projects to remove hazardous fuels from the Tahoe Basin’s extensive forested lands. Projects will reduce wildfire risk for communities, watersheds, and natural resources, improve forest health, and educate people about Fire Adapted Communities and the need to create defensible space on their properties.

“This funding represents an important investment in the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, and will help protect our homes, businesses, and our recreation-based economy from devastating wildfire,” said Chief Michael D. Brown, of the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District.

Since 2008, fire protection districts and land management agencies at Lake Tahoe have reduced hazardous fuels on nearly 40,000 acres of land. Funding is critical for this important work to reduce wildfire risk.

“Improving forest health while reducing the risk of wildfire to our community is essential. This funding will build on our past efforts to reduce fuels throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin,” said Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais, of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. “In addition, the funding for urban lot treatments will allow us to continue to address the fuels on some of the 3,400 neighborhood parcels the Forest Service manages.”

Funding awards from this round of SNPLMA include:

U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is receiving $1.094 million to reduce hazardous fuels on 2,300 acres of land between Crystal Bay and Incline Village, south to Spooner Summit and Zephyr Cove, and another $470,000 to prepare a plan to remove hazardous fuels from urban lots it manages

Lake Valley Fire Protection District is receiving $290,490 to reduce hazardous fuels on 93 acres of land in its service area.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District is receiving $308,760 to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 100 acres of land around Kingsbury Grade communities so its firefighters can more safely protect life, property, and the environment in the event of a wildland fire.

The State of Nevada is receiving $120,500 to reduce hazardous fuels on approximately 70 acres of urban lots and open space in communities on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe.

California State Parks is receiving $261,940 to reduce hazardous fuels on 107 acres of land and restore and improve forest and watershed resources at D.L. Bliss State Park.

North Tahoe and Meeks Bay fire protection districts are receiving $450,000 to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 514 acres of private and local government-owned land in Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, and Meeks Bay. The two fire protection districts will also host educational workshops with local students and community members about the importance of fuel reduction projects and creating Fire Adapted Communities.

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District is receiving $200,000 to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 544 acres of local government owned land in Incline Village. The fire protection district will also host educational workshops for community members to learn more about the importance of fuel reduction projects and creating Fire Adapted Communities.

Since becoming law in 1998, SNPLMA has raised money from public land sales in the Las Vegas Valley. Through SNPLMA, the Bureau of Land Management has provided $300 million in federal funding for projects at Lake Tahoe. The funding has paid for water quality projects, bike paths, habitat restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, aquatic invasive species prevention, public recreation enhancements, planning, and scientific research.

About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, University of California and Nevada Cooperative Extensions, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property and the environment within the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and engaging the public in becoming a Fire Adapted Community.

For more information, visit www.tahoefft.org.

             

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team would like to remind all travelers that extra precautions need to be taken while driving in Northern Nevada and California mountain areas with snow and ice. Along with potential hazardous road conditions, motorists can expect extreme delays due to snow conditions or accidents. We recommend following these tips to ensure a safe trip to your destination.

● Ensure your vehicle is stocked with extra warm clothing, food, water, medications, cell phone, a shovel, and other survival supplies in the event you become stuck on a mountain road. Check your vehicle’s battery, tire tread, windshield wipers, and anti-freeze. Tires should be properly inflated. Keep windows clear and put no-freeze fluid in the window washer reservoir. Carry snow melt, kitty litter, or sand in the event you become stuck in the snow.

● Make sure your vehicle’s gas tank is full before leaving on any trip. Keep the tank at least half full to avoid gas tank freeze-up.

● If your vehicle has on-demand four-wheel drive, make certain all drivers are familiar with engaging the four-wheel drive function.

● Practice cold weather driving. During the daylight, rehearse maneuvers slowly on ice or snow in an empty lot. Steer into a skid. Know what your brakes will do. Use steady constant pressure on ABS equipped vehicles and pump non-anti-lock brakes.

● Check road conditions before leaving. For California road conditions, visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi or call 1-800-427ROAD(7623). For Nevada road conditions, visit http://www.nevadadot.com/traveler/roads or call 1-877-NV-ROADS (1-877-687-6237).

● Plan your route and leave early if necessary for weather conditions. Be familiar with maps and directions and let others know your route and arrival time.

● Leave headlights on while driving in snowy conditions to increase your vehicle’s visibility. Drive carefully. Even when the roads appear dry, patches of ice tend to accumulate on curves and bridges even when the rest of the roadway appears clear. Increase distance between your vehicle and those ahead for safe stopping.

● If you are driving slower than the traffic around you, use turnouts so others may pass.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND THOSE IN YOUR VEHICLE:

 

● Buckle up and use child safety seats properly.

● Never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of an air bag.

● Children 12 and under are much safer in the back seat.

PREVENT CRASHES:

 

● Drugs and alcohol never mix with driving.

● Slow down and increase distances between cars.

● Be alert for pedestrians walking in the road.

● Avoid fatigue – Get plenty of rest before the trip, stop at least every 3 hours and rotate drivers if possible.

● If you plan to drink alcohol, designate a sober driver.

Winter weather drivers must consider their personal needs, as well as making sure their automobile is ready to face unforeseen conditions. Avoid driving in known hazardous conditions if possible, but when driving is necessary, time spent in preparation is the best defense. Being prepared can help you make good choices if incidents occur.

For more information on safe winter driving visit www.nhtsa.gov

About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, University of California and Nevada Cooperative Extensions, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property and the environment withinthe Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and engaging the public in becoming a Fire Adapted Community.

For more information, visit www.tahoefft.org.

LAKE VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
CHRISTMAS ENGINE SCHEDULE
Happy holidays from Lake Valley FPD! Here is the schedule for our Christmas engine to drive through our community neighborhoods. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us!
December 11 – Echo View Estates, Tahoe Mountain Road, Mule Deer Circle
December 12 – Lake Tahoe Blvd from Boulder Mountain Drive to Grizzly Mountain Drive
December 13 – West side of North Upper Truckee from Zuni Street Highway 50, Chiapa Drive
December 14 – East side of North Upper Truckee from Grizzly Mountain to West San Bernardino Ave.
December 15 – Christmas Valley from Highway 50 to Grass Lake Road
December 16 –North side of Highway 50 in Meyers (lower Apache, Magnet School), behind Station 7 (Cornelian Drive, Navahoe Drive, Cheyenne Drive).
December 17 – North of Pioneer Trail from Highway 50 to Elks Club (Southern Pines Drive, Tionontati Street, Meadow Vale Drive), Player Drive
December 18 – Upper Apache Drive and Mandan Street
December 19 – Pioneer Trail from Busch Way to Washoan Blvd (Glen Eagles Drive, Hekpa Drive)
December 20 – Pioneer Trail from Washoan Blvd to Jicarilla Drive (Apalachee Drive, Nadowa Street, Susquehana Drive)
December 21 – Kokanee Estates (Marshall Trail, High Meadow Trail)
December 22 – Golden Bear Trail, Meadow View Estates (Plateau Circle, Cattleman’s Trail)
December 23 – Cold Creek Trail, Del Norte Street, Black Bart from Pioneer Trail to Meadow Crest Drive
Kileigh Labrado

Winter is here and that means more family and friend gatherings inside the home. Whether in the kitchen, near the fireplace or stove it’s always a good idea to brush up on home safety tips.  

Before we gather around the fireplace or stove, remember these important safety tips:

• Have a qualified professional install stoves, chimney connectors, and chimneys.
• Stoves should have the label of an independent testing laboratory.
• In wood stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood. In pellet stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood pellets.
• Have your chimney and stove inspected and cleaned by a certified chimney sweep every fall just before heating season.
• Clean the inside of your stove periodically using a wire brush.
• Keep a close eye on children whenever a wood or pellet stove is being used. Remind them to stay at least three feet away from the stove.
• Stoves need space. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from the stove.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms and smoke alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, interconnect the alarms. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Allow ashes to completely cool before disposing them. Place ashes in a covered metal container. Keep the container at least 10 feet away from the home and other buildings.

No matter what type of device you use to heat your home, making sure that your heating devices and systems are in good working order is important. Many things can go wrong with heating equipment. Verify that everything you need to keep your home warm throughout the fall and winter months is in good working order.

General Home Heating Safety Tips:

• Get your central heating system cleaned, inspected and serviced by a certified heating, venting and air conditioning contractor every year before using it. If you have a gas heater, make sure that you have a sufficient quantity of fully functioning carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home.
• Make sure space heaters have at least three feet of empty space all around. Never place clothing or any other objects on a space heater to dry. Do not place space heaters near furniture or drapes. Turn space heaters off when leaving the room, house or before going to bed.

Family Fire Safety Tips:

• Clear your roof and gutter of unnecessary buildup of debris, such as pine needles and leaves. Learn the outdoor burning regulations in your area, and do not engage in illegal burning of leaves and other outdoor debris.
• Teach your kids how to respond in the event of a fire. Establish and practice a fire escape plan with your family that includes a designated meeting area outside the home. Make sure young children know how to dial 911. Make sure that there is a sufficient quantity of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home, and that they are in working order. Do not leave lit candles unattended or place them where children can reach them. Do not leave cooking food unattended on the stove and make sure all flammable items are not near the stove.
• There is nothing more important than the safety of your family. Everyone in your home needs to know how to behave responsibly to reduce the likelihood of experiencing a fire. However, because fires can start at any time without warning, it is also very important that the members of your household know how to react in the event of a fire.

Holiday Safety Tips:

• Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
• Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini lights sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs. Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of LED strands to connect.
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
• Keep decorations away from windows and doors.

It’s a good idea to review fire prevention and safety tips with your family in the fall and throughout the year. Visit www.nfpa.org for more fire safety information.

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