OCR Text |
Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, February 23-26, 2019 The Park Record Coloradoans urged to prep for fires Drier climates in the West worsen wildfire season DEEPAN DUTTA Summit Daily “Be prepared” isn’t just a platitude. For those living in Summit County, Colorado’s wildland-urban interface, it has to become a way of life. That message was drilled home at February’s meeting of the Forest Health Task Force. Dan Schroeder of the county’s Colorado State University Extension office opened with a presentation on how residents can help first responders with preparation if and when a disaster strikes. Schroeder emphasized that locals should note the reality of where they live. For one thing, the county and most of the West is running at a decade-long drought, which is turning the forests more and more arid. Schroeder emphasized the difference between weather and climate, and how the current healthy snowpack won’t make up for years of deficits. “We haven’t received the average amount of precipitation in January for 15 years,” Schroeder said. “That turns it from a weather story to a climate story. We are drying out. The West is drying out.” The mountain pine beetle epidemic has also killed at least half of the trees in Summit, significantly raising fire danger. But Schroeder said it’s partly a good thing they have, as it is nature’s way of naturally cleaning out dead trees and detritus on the forest floor as well as creating the “disturbance” needed for new growth. Schroeder asked the public to encourage practical forest management from humans as well, including cutting and thinning, to make Summit a safer place. That goes hand-in-hand with people taking measures themselves by doing fire mitigation work on their own land. On that point — the human factor involved in wildfire preparedness — Schroeder wants residents to take some of the responsibility themselves. Aside from mitigation work, a community’s best friend is planning in advance of an emergency. Whether it’s pre-emptively registering pets and addresses with Summit County Animal Control to ensure their rescue in the event of a rapid evacuation, mapping out evacuation routes or creating five-minute “bug-out bags” with essentials, every act of preparation helps. Schroeder also wanted residents to go a step further with self and environmental awareness and ask themselves practical questions for the worst “What if?” scenarios. Does your house have visible and contrasting address number signage that makes it easy to identify? Do you have a communication and evacuation in place for your own family and a pre-set meeting place? And as grim as it is to think about, if the worst-case scenario arises and you lose your home and all of your possessions, do you know how you’ll survive? Are you mentally and emotionally prepared for an entirely different life? Will you have anywhere else to go, any family elsewhere who would be able to help? This question was one many residents of Paradise, California, did not have an answer to before a deadly wildfire leveled the town and killed over 80 residents. HUGH CAREY/SUMMIT DAILY Residents rush to evacuate as the Buffalo Mountain Fire threatens to engulf their neighborhood on June 12, 2018, in Silverthorne, Colorado. Officials are urging residents to take steps and prepare in advance for wildfire season. “There are people still living there in the Walmart parking lot with nowhere else to go,” Schroeder said. “When it comes to homelessness, one of the overriding factors is bad luck. One thing can go wrong, and that can have cascading effects for the rest of your life.” Schroeder’s presentation ended with a clear message to residents: In the mountains, it is your responsibility to be prepared. “Don’t wait for that responsibility,” Schroeder said. “Let first responders do their job, and expect a big event every year.” Summit Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Berino then gave his own presentation explaining how the Smokey the Bear fire danger sign works and how fire danger is evaluated. He made a callback to Schroeder’s theme about not getting comfortable with current conditions when predicting future problems. “The good news: fire danger is very low today,” Berino quipped. “Enjoy it, because it’s not going to last.” To help dispel complacency, Berino showed a slideshow of significant Summit County wildfires in the past, emphasizing how most of them occurred when fire danger was merely “moderate.” Berino explained that these fire danger levels change according a wide variety of factors, such as how many points of ignition are in the environment, how fast a fire can spread in current conditions, fuel moisture, energy release, winds, topography and other measurable factors that determine how “angry” a fire will be and how hard it will be to fight. But as much as that data helps, wildfires do not operate like many other natural disasters because of how unpredictable they are when it comes to location, timing and direction. You can have the best guess that turns out to be totally wrong because of circumstances completely out of your control. Preparation might not always work, but lowering the risk of personal disaster can mean everything when there are only minutes to spare. Some of the petS at NuzzleS & Co. lookiNg for love These animals are available to be seen at the Nuzzles & Co. Adoption Center and Rescue Ranch. Our Adoption Center is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is located in the Tanger Outlets in Kimball Junction. Our Rescue Ranch is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sunday. The Rescue Ranch is located at 6466 N. Highview Road in Peoa. Carlotta Chuma Liesl Stanley Carlotta is a 6-year-old cattle dog mix. This sweet girl has just learned how to walk on a leash and is excited to go exploring! She is very sweet and loves to play with toys. Carlotta does well around cats and other dogs. Come and meet this sweet gal today! Meet Chuma, a 3-year-old cattle dog mix! This sweet girl started out very shy and timid, but she has now learned to trust people again. Once she trusts you, she will be your best friend forever! Chuma gets along well with other dogs and doesn’t mind cats. Liesl is a friendly 4-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who is looking for an active home where she can let loose and just have fun. She is a young, energetic girl who’s smart and loves to play. Liesl will need a confident owner who is willing to continue training with her. Stanley is a 4-year-old Coonhound mix. This handsome boy has a ton of energy and is super friendly. He needs a home without cats, but he does well with some dogs. A meet and greet would be necessary to see how he does in a home with another dog. Goliath Milo Miranda Priestly Pistol Annie Goliath is a quiet and reserved 2-year-old Domestic Shorthair. This handsome black cat enjoys laying in the sun and watching the birds fly by. Goliath is FeLV positive, so he will need a loving home where he is the only cat. This sweet boy likes to give kisses, too! Milo is a curious and outgoing short-haired tabby cat who is about a year old. He is a sweet boy who gets along well with other cats and likes to spend time with people. Milo is sure to be a loving and snuggly companion for his forever family! Miranda Priestly has been with Nuzzles & Co for a little over a year now. She’s twelve years old, and she is just as fabulous and sassy as her namesake! You can find Miranda basking in the window sill of Kitty Corner at our Adoption Center—lounging is what she’s best at! Pistol Annie is a 4-year-old tortoiseshell who needs a loving family to make her feel safe and boost her confidence. This shy girl has lots of love to give and just needs to find the right person with home to share it. A little TLC will help her sweet personality blossom! WaNted: voluNteerS These Organizations are looking for volunteers. If you would like to include your group in this section, please email information to copyeditor@parkrecord.com. Please limit your entry to no more than 75 words Holy Cross Ministries Holy Cross Ministries has openings for volunteers in both the School Readiness Program (3 to 5-year-olds at St. Mary’s White Pine Canyon, Mondays-Thursdays, 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m.) and in after-school homework help sessions at Parleys Park, Jeremy Ranch and McPolin Elementary programs which run 3-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. School Readiness will benefit from persons willing to read and work at small group centers. Please contact Miriam Garcia (mgarcia@hcmutah.org) for more information on the School Readiness Program. Contact Franz Montalvo (fmontalvo@hcmutah.org) for information on the After-School Program. The Hope Alliance The Hope Alliance is looking for volunteers to process eyeglasses for the vision program. These eyeglasses will be distributed to some of the poorest communities throughout Peru, Guatemala, and other impoverished areas, supporting multiple vision campaigns. Volunteers can work at The Hope Alliance’s Park City office, Monday through Saturday, during office hours. For more information, please call 435-333-3334 or email info@thehopealliance.org. Kimball Art Center The Kimball Art Center seeks dedicated volunteers in a variety of areas at its largest fundraiser of the year, the 49th Annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Historic Main Street Friday, Aug. 3 – Sunday, Aug. 5. Volunteers will have the chance to give back to the community while enjoying an environment of art, cuisine and music. For more information about available positions, responsibilities and benefits, please visit our website at ParkCityKimballArtsFestival.org/volunteer or contact volunteers@kimballartcenter.org. Mega Genius Supply Store & IQ HQ Ready to make a difference in the lives of local students? The Mega Genius Supply Store & IQ HQ is looking for a few interested (and interesting) adult volunteers to support students in grades 2-12 with homework at our quirky, free after-school tutoring program. Hours are flexible. Tutoring happens Mon-Thurs after school until 5pm at 435 Swede Alley. Learn more by calling Stacey at 435-655-8252 or emailing ssayers@parkcityinstitute.org. Orientation and training required. Join us in this fun and fulfilling work. Find us on Facebook. The Mega Genius Supply Store & IQ HQ is a project of the Park City Institute. National Ability Center The National Ability Center is seeking volunteers for the Summit Challenge, Utah’s largest ride for cyclists of all abilities, which will take place Saturday, Aug. 27. The Summit Challenge is a fully supported road ride of 16, 52 or 102 miles through the scenic mountains and valleys of Summit and Wasatch counties. To sign up, visit: SummitChallenge100.org/volunteer. Volunteers interested in cycling, bike maintenance, archery, water sports, climbing and more are always needed, Mondays-Saturdays. Email volunteer@discovernac.org to get started. For a full list of volunteer opportunities, visit parkrecord.com/volunteers B-7 |