Fire

It’s Spring: Remember To ‘Create Defensible Space’

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LAFD News:

The Los Alamos Fire Department would like to remind residents of the urgent need to keep “defensible space” concepts in mind when working outside to clean up property around homes and structures this Spring.

Creating defensible space can give firefighters their best possible chance of protecting property if another wildfire ever occurs in the County.

The County’s defensible space guidelines were developed in a unique program funded through the Cerro Grande Fire Recovery Act in 2000, following that devastating wildfire, which destroyed hundreds of homes in Los Alamos.

Many of Read More

International Accreditation Assessment Process Underway At Los Alamos Fire Department

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An International Accreditation Assessment Team is in town this week to assess the Los Alamos Fire Department for International Accreditation status. LAFD first earned International Accreditation in 1997 under Fire Chief Doug MacDonald and most recently in 2010. The assessment team sat down today with the Los Alamos Daily Post to discuss the process. Team members from left, Russell Knick, Barry Shughart, Gerald Kay and Team Leader Gary Aleshire. Read the full story in Thursday’s edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More

Prescribed Burn In Santa Fe Watershed Postponed

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SFNF News:

Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest cancelled plans to conduct a prescribed burn in the lower portion of the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed next week based on the wind forecast and concerns for firefighter and public safety. 

According to the National Weather Service, winds may range from 10 to 40 miles per hour next week, significantly increasing the likelihood of area Red Flag Warnings, which alert firefighting and land management agencies to short-term weather conditions that may result in extreme fire behavior. 

Prescribed fire is part of the collaborative Read More

Valles Caldera Trust Plans Prescribed Burn For Valle Grande

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JEMEZ SPRINGS – The Valles Caldera Trust is looking for an opportunity to conduct a prescribed burn project on the Valles Caldera National Preserve in April or early May. 

The project will last for 1-3 days. The prescribed burn will target up to 1,471 acres of grassland in the Valle Grande, adjacent to N.M. 4 near mile marker 39.2. If conditions are suitable to implement the burn, some traffic delays may occur during the ignition phases of the burn but road closures are not expected.

If conditions permit, burn operations will occur during mid day in order to minimize impacts to morning and afternoon Read More

Northern New Mexico Fire Academy Hosts First Classes

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NMFI News:

SANTA FE – A total of 181 wildland firefighters from five states representing 36 different federal, state, local and non-governmental jurisdictions are attending the inaugural session of the new Northern New Mexico Fire Academy in multiple locations centered around Santa Fe this week. 

The Academy is offering nine classes based on a training needs analysis that identified the Incident Command System (ICS) and wildland firefighting courses in highest demand in the region. In addition to specific skills required on the fire line, such as ignitions operations and the tactical Read More

New Mexico Receives Nearly $2.5 Million In Federal Disaster Assistance For Tres Lagunas Fire

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STATE News:

DENTON, Texas – The state of New Mexico has been awarded nearly $2.5 million in federal disaster assistance in the aftermath of the Tres Lagunas Fire that happened in late May, early June 2013.

The funding, which is made possible by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, serves as reimbursement for firefighting costs incurred while fighting the fire.

In 2013, the Tres Lagunas Fire threatened hundreds of homes, as well as roads and bridges, and burned thousands of acres of land in San Miguel County. The Fire Management Assistance Read More

Gov. Susana Martinez, Firefighters Urge New Mexicans To Prepare For 2015 Fire Season

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STATE News:

  • New Mexico Recognizes Wildfire Awareness Week

ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Susana Martinez joined with firefighters Thursday to talk about the dangers of wildfires and urged New Mexicans to prepare for the upcoming season.

The Governor has proclaimed March 29 through April 4 as Wildfire Awareness Week.

“As we continue to face serious drought, it is more important than ever that we work together to prevent fires,” Martinez said. “Through continued education, prevention and awareness, we can make a difference together to save lives, property and valuable natural resources throughout Read More

Community Capacity Building Meeting April 2

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By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
LAPS

Community capacity building may be a running theme for an April 2 meeting on resiliency, sponsored by Los Alamos Public Schools and Los Alamos County.

“Los Alamos Public Schools, in collaboration with Los Alamos County, is proud to be a joint sponsor for this event,” LAPS Superintendent Dr. Gene Schmidt said. “Building our community’s resilience is important to the mental and physical health of our residents. It is my hope that this meeting will build on the good work that has been done and set the stage for even greater services in the future.”

The event was designed Read More