Nevada Wildland Fire Awareness Week 2008 Summary Report Submitted by: Ed Smith, Natural Resource Specialist Sonya Sistare, Wildfire Project Coordinator Event Summary Report The third annual Nevada Wildland Fire Awareness Week (NWFAW) was held May 17 - 24, 2008. Assisted by grant funds from BLM, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension coordinated this multi-agency effort. Through those collaborative efforts, additional funding sources, public service contributions by corporate sponsors, and in- kind contributions (see page 8), we were able to reach a large and varied audience. Partners in this endeavor included: Bureau of Land Management Nevada Division of Forestry Capitol Insurance Group Nevada Fire Chiefs Association Carson City Fire Department Nevada Fire Safe Council Carson Valley Garden & Ranch Center Nevada Insurance Council Casino Fandango Nevada Magazine Clark County Fire Department Nevada State Firefighters’ Association Douglas County Nevada State Fire Marshal East Fork Fire Protection District North Lake Tahoe Fire Prot. District Elko County Red Lion Resort & Casino Eureka County Reno Fire Department Fire Prevention Association of Nevada Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Gold Dust West Hotel & Casino Rubbish Runners Waste Disposal Grand Sierra Resort Rye Patch Volunteer Fire Department Grass Valley Fire Department Sierra Fire Protection District John Ascuaga’s Nugget Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators Lander County Sierra Pacific Power Company Lakeside Inn and Casino Sparks Fire Department Lincoln County Spring Mountains Natl. Recreation Area Lyon County Spring Mountains Volunteer Association Mineral County Sturgeon’s Casino & Hotel Moana Nursery University of NV Cooperative Extension Nevada Association of Counties USDA Forest Service Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Washoe County Our focus this year was on preventing accidental fire starts from outdoor activities, including: tossing lit cigarettes, ATV and other recreational vehicle use, construction activities, target shooting, and illegal campfires. This was reflected by our theme - Wildfire…It Only Takes A Spark! This report summarizes the events and activities that occurred as part of NWFAW. 2 NWFAW Planning Committee Bureau of Land Management Steve Edgar Heather Emmons Ruta Glinski E. Butch Hayes Capital Insurance Group John Higbee Carson City Ann Bollinger Carson City Fire Department Lorelei Barr Clark County Fire Department Scott Allison Kurt Leavitt Steve McClintock Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources Bob Conrad Nevada Association of Counties Wes Henderson Nevada Division of Forestry Kelli Baratti Greg Beasley Mark Blankensop John Copeland Mike Dondero Nevada Fire Safe Council Jason Arnold Ann Grant Candace Lowery Pat Murphy Janice Roberts Terri Sumner Nevada State Firefighters Association Mike Heidemann Nevada State Fire Marshall Lori DeGristina Reno Fire Department Steve Frady Joan Presley Jennifer Trippett Reno-Sparks Indian Colony David Hunkup Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators Ronna Hubbard Sparks Fire Department James Recob Bill Finley University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Marilyn Ming Kim Otero Jay Paxson Sonya Sistare Joanne Skelly Ed Smith Claudene Wharton USDA Forest Service Patty Eder Christie Kalkowski Mike Wilde Washoe County Kurt Latipow 3 Key Results • 14 of Nevada’s 17 counties actively participated • 78 events or activities were held as part of NWFAW, which included promotional efforts and Proclamations/Resolutions (See list of event/activities by county - Attachment 1) • 1,581 people attended community events • 6,736 others received educational materials via direct mail • 46 partners collaborated on these efforts Key Events • A statewide kick-off event was held on Friday, May 16 at Washoe Lake State Park. Organized by Kelli Baratti, Nevada Division of Forestry, this event featured presentations, examples of sources of accidental fire starts, such as off road vehicle use, construction activities and target shooting, and an NDF helicopter water bucket drop demonstration. Presenting were representatives from BLM, Nevada Division of Forestry, Nevada Association of Counties, Nevada Fire Chief’s Association, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, Nevada State Firefighters’ Association, US Forest Service, and Governor Gibbons. (See photographs - Attachment 2) • The Junk the Junipers event was held at two locations in the Reno area to encourage homeowners to remove their ornamental junipers growing within the first 30 feet of their home. This project was a collaboration between Moana Nursery, Reno Fire Department, Rubbish Runners Waste Disposal, and UNCE. Participants received a free plant from a selection of good plant choices for high fire-hazard areas in exchange for their discarded juniper. Approximately 30 yards of discarded junipers were collected, and 36 good plants were distributed in exchange. Moana Nursery donated the plants, in-kind contribution $650.00, and Rubbish Runners donated the use of the dumpsters, in-kind contribution $900.00. (See photographs - Attachment 3) • The Spring Mountain National Recreation Area Spring Clean-up Day was held to remove litter and debris throughout the developed recreation areas in Kyle and Lee Canyons. Over 300 volunteers participated, including 87 homeowners living in the area. These efforts resulted in the disposal of 809 bags of pine needles and the chipping of 36 tons of slash. Homeowners were also given the option to sign up for a defensible space inspection, and 57 were scheduled. (See photographs - Attachment 4) • The Nevada Fire Safe Council and its statewide chapters were responsible for 37 of the events/activities, including the mailing of “How-to Hold an Event” packets to each of their 86 4 chapter leaders. These are noted on the list of events and activities by county, included here as attachment 1. • Public meetings were held in both Carson City and Reno to present the “Multi-jurisdictional Fuels Reduction and Wildfire Prevention Strategy” for the Carson Range. Proclamations & Resolutions • Governor Gibbons issued a Proclamation on April 10, which he read and presented to Pete Anderson, State Forester, at the kick-off event at Washoe Lake State Park. (See Proclamation - Attachment 5) • The Nevada Association of Counties issued a resolution in support of NWFAW on February 22. This was read and presented to Ed Smith and Sonya Sistare, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE), at the kick-off event. Additionally, NWFAW was promoted in three e-brief newsletters. (See photograph - Attachment 6) • County Proclamations were also issued in support of NWFAW by the following counties: Douglas, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral and Washoe. Promotional Efforts • Chief James Wright, Nevada State Fire Marshal, posted a letter on their website encouraging participation in NWFAW efforts. (See letter, Attachment 7) • 500 11” by 17” posters were distributed statewide. The design was created by Lorelei Barr, Carson City Fire Department and copies were printed courtesy of Reno Fire Department. In- kind contribution $219.00 (See poster - Attachment 8) • Postcard announcements were printed by UNCE - Southern Nevada Office and mailed to 250 firefighters statewide. BLM provided the postage. In-kind contribution $50.00 from UNCE, $85.00 from BLM. (See postcard sample - Attachment 9) • Sierra Pacific Power Company included our awareness message in their May bill inserts for their Southern Nevada, Northern Nevada, and California/Tahoe area customers. (See sample of insert - Attachment 10) • 2500 promotional lip balms were purchased, with 1630 distributed during this awareness week. They feature the slogan and website address. These were purchased by the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Office. In-kind contribution $ 2468.00. (See design sample - Attachment 11) • 1000 “banner” pens were purchased, featuring evacuation guidelines and website address. 675 were distributed during this awareness week. These were purchased by the Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators in cooperation with UNCE. In-kind contribution $1,690.00. (See design sample - Attachment 12) 5 • 226 stress-ball houses were distributed, featuring the website address. These were originally purchased by the Bureau of Land Management in 2006. • 5 hotel/casino properties, located in Carson City, Elko, Reno, and Sparks participated as a community service by placing our message on their electronic marquis (See photograph - Attachment 13). Two additional hotel/casino properties placed messages on their static signs and/or bulletin boards. • A 40-foot long banner was displayed over Main Street in Carson City during the week. This was a collaborative effort by BLM, Carson City Fire Department, and UNCE. The reusable banner was purchased by BLM. In-kind contribution $800.00. (See photograph - Attachment 14) • 4 newspaper ads were placed in Northern Nevada newspapers, using grant funds from BLM in cooperation with UNCE. (See ads - Attachment 15) o Reno Gazette-Journal, circulation 66,503 to Washoe, Carson City and Douglas Counties o Nevada Appeal, circulation 18,000 to Carson City o Elko Daily Free Press, circulation 11,450 to Elko, Lander, and Eureka Counties • A half-page ad was placed in the May edition of Sage Signals, sponsored by the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. Their circulation is 600. In-kind contribution $90.00. (See ad - Attachment 16) • The Nevada State Firefighters’ Association provided support by mailing a NWFAW announcement flyer to their 1680 members, plus featuring NWFAW on the cover of their spring edition