UNR Extension and partners offer Northern Nevada wildfire, evacuation preparation sessions

RENO — Already this year, more than 25,000 wildfires in the U.S. have burned over 1.3 million acres, equating to 2,000-plus square miles. This month, 20 homes in Southern California’s coastal town of Laguna Niguel burned to the ground, and prompted hasty evacuations by residents of 900 homes.

To help Nevadans prepare for wildfire and evacuations, University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s Living With Fire Program and numerous partners are offering two “Preparing for Wildfire and Evacuation” sessions, both in person and online, as part of the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Campaign.

“We have to be realistic,” said Christina Restaino, assistant professor and Living With Fire Program director. “We know we are going to have wildfires in Nevada this summer, and that evacuations will be necessary. It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s just a matter of when and where.”

Recognizing the need for Nevadans to prepare, Gov. Steve Sisolak proclaimed May through October the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Campaign, and in his proclamation said, “By completing a wildfire evacuation checklist in advance, preparing a to-go bag, and by having an established family evacuation plan, residents can save precious time during a wildfire evacuation.”

The upcoming two events address these issues and are June 7 and June 16, with the first geared for residents of Douglas County’s Topaz Ranch Estates, and the second geared for Elko County’s Spring Creek community, both areas that face significant wildfire risk and challenges. While some information is specific for those communities, such as evacuation routes and receiving local alerts, other information, such as packing a go-bag and evacuating animals, can be applicable for other communities.

“There will be a lot of good information at these sessions that many Nevadans can tune into online and benefit from, but we really wanted to come in and do some presentations during this year’s Wildfire Awareness Campaign at some of the high fire hazard areas in the state,” said Jamie Roice-Gomes, Living With Fire Program manager. “There’s information specific to these communities that residents need to know, so we’ve partnered with local fire departments, sheriff’s offices and others, to try to make sure residents are as informed as possible to keep them safe when wildfires occur.”

History has shown Spring Creek and Topaz Ranch Estates to be at high risk for wildfires. Last summer’s Tamarack Fire burned 68,000 acres, prompting evacuations at Topaz Ranch Estates. And, Spring Creek residents also often contend with being on watch for evacuation orders.

“I live in Spring Creek,” said Jill Baker-Tingey, Extension educator in Elko County, who will give opening remarks at the Spring Creek presentation. “I know firsthand how scary it is for my family and neighbors when wildfires threaten our community. We have only limited ways to get in and out. But, if we all get informed and prepared before a wildfire threatens our community, I think we can keep everyone safe and avoid results that otherwise may be disastrous.”

Details of the events include:
Evacuation and Wildfire Preparation for Topaz Ranch Estates, June 7
When: June 7, doors open at 5:30 p.m., presentations run 6 – 8 p.m.

Attend in person: At the Topaz Ranch Estates Community Center, 3939 Carter Drive, Wellington. Admission is free but limited to the first 60 people who register.

Registration is required by going here. Appetizers will be provided.
Attend online: Via Zoom here.
For more information: Call the Extension office in Douglas County, 775-782-9960.

Presentations include:
— Opening Remarks – Jamie Roice-Gomes, Extension’s Living With Fire Program

— East Fork Fire Protection District’s Jurisdiction, Small Animal Evacuation Tips and Packing a Go-bag – Chief Todd Carlini and Deputy Fire Chief Amy Ray, East Fork Fire Protection District

— Evacuation in Douglas County – Undersheriff Ron Elges, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

— How to Register for Emergency Alerts and Where Residents Can Get Updates – Melissa Blosser, Douglas County Community Relations and Public Information

— Large Animal Evacuation Tips – Lindsay Chichester, University of Nevada, Reno Extension – Douglas County office

— Defensible Space and Home Hardening – Jamie Roice-Gomes and Christina Restaino, Extension’s Living With Fire Program

— Public Safety Outage Management and Fuels Reduction – Paul Washam, NV Energy

— What is Fire Adapted Nevada and How to Join the “FAN” Club as a Fire Adapted Community – Kelli Nevills, Nevada Division of Forestry – Fire Adapted Nevada

— Fuels Reduction and Shared Stewardship – Duncan Leo, U.S. Forest Service – Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest; Ryan Elliot, Bureau of Land Management

Evacuation and Wildfire Preparation for Spring Creek, June 16
When: June 16, doors open at 5:30 p.m., presentations run 6 – 8 p.m.

Attend in person: At Spring Creek High School, 14550 Lamoille Highway, Spring Creek. Admission is free but limited to the first 50 people who register. Registration is required by going here. Appetizers will be provided.

Attend online: Via Zoom by going here. For more information: Call the Extension office in Elko County, 775-738-7291.

Presentations include:
— Opening Remarks – Jill Baker Tingey, University of Nevada, Reno Extension – Elko County office

— What Evacuations Look Like for Residents, and Alternative Routes – Undersheriff Justin Ames, Elko County Sheriff’s Office

— Fuels Work, Infrastructure, and Community Protection and Defensible Space Inspections – Chief Matt Petersen, Elko County Fire Protection District

— Public Safety Outage Management and Fuels Reduction – Chief Mark Regan, NV Energy

— Defensible Space and Home Hardening – Jamie Roice-Gomes and Christina Restaino, Extension’s Living With Fire Program

— Fuels Reduction and Shared Stewardship – Rich Martinez, U.S. Forest Service – Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest; Clint Mothershead, Bureau of Land Management – Elko District; Marcus Lesbo, Nevada Division of Forestry

Besides the presentations, there will also be time for questions. Support for the events was provided by NV Energy; University of Nevada, Reno Extension; the Bureau of Land Management – Nevada State office; the Nevada Division of Forestry; and the U.S. Forest Service.

Extension and its Living With Fire Program partners will be holding more events during the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Campaign, which runs through October. In addition, Extension has worked with its partners to update the Wildfire Evacuation Checklist, which contains information on how to prepare ahead of time for evacuation, as well as what to do when actually leaving your home. Extension has also produced two new publications on coping with wildfire smoke: Living With Smoke, geared to helping Nevadans protect their own human health during wildfire smoke events; and, for those with animals that are not house pets, Best management practices for livestock and equine during wildfire smoke events.

For more information on events and how to reduce the wildfire threat, visit LivingWithFire.com or email Roice-Gomes at jamier@unr.edu. Persons in need of special accommodations or assistance should call or notify Paul Lessick, Extension civil rights and compliance coordinator, at plessick@unr.edu or 702-257-5577 at least three days prior to scheduled events.