As a 2016 grand jury report noted, the 2008 recession hit small fire districts hard. Too Many Cash-Strapped Fire Protection Districtsĭoes that make any sense? Not to the El Dorado County grand jury, which had repeatedly advocated for consolidating all or at least some of the fire districts into a single agency. Cal Fire (aka the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) also provides fire protection throughout the county, and the Eldorado National Forest, where the Caldor Fire began, is under federal jurisdiction. The responsibility for protecting the county’s 193,000 residents and their property against these repeated fires is spread over 10 separate fire districts, as well as the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, many of them relying on volunteer firefighters. In 2019, there were also six including the Caples Fire. The previous year, the county saw six wildfires, the largest being the 36-acre Sophia Fire. In 2021, through the end of September, El Dorado County endured the Caldor Fire and four other, smaller fires, according to CAL Fire incident reports. But wildfires are nonetheless a regular feature of El Dorado County life. The 2019 Caples Fire burned 3,485 acres and the 2014 Sand Fire just 4,240, also crossing into Amador County. The Caldor blaze may have been the largest in years. The fire burned more than 220,000 acres in six weeks, by which time it was only 83 percent contained. Past Table Top Exercises GFFSC Table Top Drill Welcome letter 2019.doc GFFSC Table Top Wildfire Scenario - 2019.docx GFFSC Table Top Wildfire Evacuation Scenario - 2017.docx GFFSC Table Top Wildfire Evacuation Scenario - 2015.docx GFFSC Table Top Evacuation Scenario 2013.Igniting in mid-August, the Caldor Fire exploded across the El Dorado National Forest in El Dorado County, forcing more than 22,000 people to evacuate and destroying the small mountain community of Grizzly Flats. After it concludes, a “round-robin” critique is given and then everyone is served lunch. The entire “incident” lasts approximately 2 hours. The participants are encouraged to work together and use each other’s expertise in problem solving. Every five minutes or so, a different problem or situation with the incident is given to them and they have to solve it. The participants are then instructed to open their packets and the exercise begins. Upon arriving at the exercise, participants are handed a sealed packet that includes the theoretical fire scenario, writing materials and resource materials (such as information on available infrastructure in Grizzly Flats and area maps). Past participants include: Pioneer Fire Protection District, US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, El Dorado County Office of Emergency Services, El Dorado County Health and Human Services, El Dorado County Animal Services, Grizzly Flats Community Services District, El Dorado County Department of Transportation, Leoni Meadows Camp, El Dorado Transit, CALSTAR, California Highway Patrol, El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, Red Cross, PG&E, AT&T, Pioneer Unified School District, neighboring Fire Safe Councils, the Grizzly Flats Fire Safe Council and Bureau of Land Management. The purpose of the exercises has been to familiarize all participants with our community and its unique challenges. Starting in 2013, the Grizzly Flats Fire Safe Council has held biennial Wildland Fire Table Top Exercises.
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