OCR Text |
Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume III, Issue XI Page 3 April 1, 2001 Guest Commentary Firefighter Responds to Huntsville Helipad Article This letter is in response to Shanna Francis’ March 1, 2001 article entitled “Controversy Generated Over Proposed Helipad Sites in Huntsville.” I would first like to say that even though I do not currently reside in the Ogden Valley, I have lived in both Eden and Huntsville, so I am familiar with the serenity and beauty the Valley has to offer. I also know that when the U.S. Forest Service is willing to make a substantial investment to help insure the safety of an increasing population, the community should welcome it. I base my opinion on the proposed fire facility in Huntsville from twelve years as a U.S. Forest Service fire fighter, ten of which were spent as a smokejumper. I know how difficult fire suppression efforts can be. To have a place of operation for rapid deployment of personnel and equipment can literally save lives and property. I have seen and helped fight fires around the Ogden Valley. Our biggest set back has always been getting help fast enough. The article mentioned several legitimate issues brought up during the public meeting, but failed to record any facts the Forest Service might have had to offer. The primary concern seems to be the helicopter and its resulting noise. Any community should feel fortunate to have, at a time of emergency, a machine capable of bringing water to extinguish your neighborhood brush fire, and to airlift personnel and support equipment to accessibly difficult areas, not to mention the occasional medical evacuation or search and rescue capabilities. The eight to ten people, called Helirappellers, employed and housed in the new bunkhouse need ongoing training to efficiently and safely carry out their duties. Don’t you agree? The rappel tower is an integral part of their initial and ongoing training. These specially trained fire suppression personnel have the capability of rappelling to the ground from a hovering helicopter in order to stop a fire before it becomes a multimillion-dollar disaster. Working around aircraft, as both a firefighter and a helicopter ski guide, I am very aware of the noise that they produce. The comment that a Forest Service helicopter, always contracted from a private company, makes more noise than a “typical helicopter, such as Air-Med” makes no sense. The rotorcrafts the Forest Service typically uses for everyday fire fighting, like all air ambulances used in the United States, are turbine powered. The noise only varies with the size of the aircraft and not with whom uses it. Noise pollution is always difficult to tolerate, but chances are, the frequency in which a helicopter will actually be flying over the Valley will be minimized. This type of resource is shared throughout the region and will be routinely used other places. The potential for “disruption of the sensitive habitat in the area” is much less than the disruption caused by a typical winter snowmobile weekend up at Monte Cristo. Your choice of photographs depict- Ken ing Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons resting in a tree along the proposed site is a bit insulting. I cannot prove they are not birds of prey, any more than you can prove that they are. The best I could come up with, talking to informed people, were turkeys, a tree full of turkeys. Better luck next time. Environmental concerns these days are at the forefront of any Forest Service project. The storage and transfer of jet fuel is closely controlled by state and federal regulations. To name a few these controls: containment ponds; above ground, state of the art storage tanks; and contingency plans in case of a spill. If you would like to see a possible runoff potential, visit the local state or county road shed. Having an initial attack fire suppression team within minutes of your wild land urban home can only increase the resale value and decrease your homeowners insurance. Fire in the area can move extremely fast, and a five-minute response, verses a fifteen-minute response, can make the difference between having an exciting story to tell and losing everything you own. Proximity to residential areas is sometimes unavoidable and difficult to mitigate. Safety should always be the key issue. Whenever a helicopter is routinely landed in the same area, a flight path is established and strictly adhered to. These pilots are very good at what they do, and safety of on-board personnel, people on the ground and the aircraft itself is always the primary con- cern. Nobody wants a noisy, stinky machine that defies the laws of gravity in their backyard, but I also do not know a single person that would turn down the opportunity for a helicopter and its trained crew to assist in a time of need. It is a few months out of the year and a few weeks out of the month, at worst. This community has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Michael Quinones Firefighter/Paramedic Park City, Utah Corrections In the March 1, 2001 issue of the OGDEN VALLEY NEWS, an article entitled “Wolf Creek Proposing to Enlarge Commercial Acreage” erroneously conveyed that Wolf Creek Resort’s newly proposed master plan enlarges the commercial acreage in the resort from 7.7 acres to 13.4 acres. This information was taken from renderings and plans prepared and distributed by the Jack Johnson consulting firm that has been hired to update the Wolf Creek Master Plan. Please note that, according to Weber County Planning Department, Wolf Creek’s new master plan actually decreases the amount of commercial property allowed in the development from approximately 33.5 acres to 13 acres. Electric Service, Inc. “A T RADI T I ON O F E X CELLEN CE” ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR LICENSED INSURED NEW CONSTRUCTION REWIRING ELECTRIC HEAT NEW HOME WIRING SPECIALISTS 30 MINUTE SERVICE CALLS COMMERCIAL & DRYER OUTLETS & SWITCHES REWIRING ALUMINUM WIRING UPGRADE REPAIRS SECURITY SYSTEMS INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL RANGE SECURITY TELEPHONE OUTLETS SNOW-MELT TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE LIGHTING CABLE TROUBLESHOOTING 220 V & 3 PHASE WIRING CEILING FANS INSTALLED SERVICE & PANEL UPGRADES INTEGRITY JACKS & LINES COMPUTER POWER SYSTEMS CABLE & OUTLETS HOT TUBS & SPAS HOME WIRING INSPECTIONS T.V. RELIABILITY REASONABLE RATES QUALITY WORK NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE CELLULAR DISPATCHED SERVICE FLEET 3 9 9 -5 1 0 0 EDEN HUNTSVILLE LIBERTY OFFICE 801-399-5100 www.kenwinward.com FAX# 801-399-5104 AFTER HOURS CALL 399-5100 2913 GRANT AVE. - OGDEN |