Fire

NACo: Omnibus Bill Amendment Provides Valuable Flexibility, Resources For Counties

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NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase

NACo News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Counties (NACo) Friday applauded the passage of the bipartisan State, Local Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill.

The amendment also makes significant investments in local governments that will help counties improve communities and residents’ lives.

Championed by Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the amendment will grant additional Read More

Santa Claus Visits Los Alamos County Fire Station 4

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Santa Claus and his small snow elf visited Los Alamos County Fire Station 4 recently at 4401 Diamond Dr. The station was constructed in 1964 in the County’s North Community. Through Los Alamos County and the New Mexico Fire Protection Distribution Funds, this station was upgraded in 2002, and a separate structure was constructed near the station to house additional apparatus operated by LAFD. Fire Station 4 contains five bays with sleeping and living areas on the north side and work and storage areas on south side. The Annex contains four additional bays and provides additional storage for reserve Read More

Prescribed Burning At Glorieta Camps This Winter

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GLORIETA CAMPS News:

SANTA FE — Glorieta Camps, The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund and the Forest Stewards Guild plan to take advantage of favorable conditions, including moisture levels, air quality, wind direction and weather forecasts, and initiate prescribed burning at Glorieta Camps as early as Jan. 3, 2023.

Glorieta Camps is west of the village of Pecos. The burning will occur throughout the winter as conditions allow. This burn will be implemented by the All Hands All Lands Burn Team’s Pile Squad, a program of the Forest Stewards Guild, which is a fully qualified team designed Read More

Valles Caldera Plans 2022-23 Winter Prescribed Burns

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VCNP News:

JEMEZ SPRINGS — The National Park Service plans to implement prescribed burn projects in Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) between December 2022 and the end of the 2022-23 winter season when conditions allow.

The prescribed burns will occur in previously thinned areas where materials have been piled for burning. The burn operations will be completed in phases over several days depending on weather and fuel conditions.

The purpose of these burns is to reduce hazardous fuels and the chance for future high-intensity wildfires. The planned pile burn projects are located within Read More

Santa Fe National Forest Reinitiates 45-Day Objection Period For Santa Fe Mountains Project

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SFNF News:

SANTA FE — The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) Friday reinitiated a 45-day objection period for the final environmental assessment (EA) and draft decision notice on a proposed forest restoration project in the mountains near Santa Fe.

Publication of a legal notice in the Albuquerque Journal this morning officially starts the clock on the objection period.

In July, the SFNF withdrew the draft decision notice and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the Santa Fe Mountains Landscape Resiliency Project (SFMLRP) during suppression of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire.

The Read More

Balderas Requests U.S. DHS Secretary Intervene For New Mexicans, Communities Recovering From Wildfire Disaster

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Attorney General Hector Balderas

AG News:

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas sent a letter to United States Department of  Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting assistance for New Mexico families struggling to access disaster relief funding in their efforts to recover from the Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak wildfire disaster, and stressed the need for flexible, localized regulation in the post-disaster recovery effort.

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Secretary Mayorkas,

As New Mexico’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, I am, like you, primarily Read More

House Passes Bill To Protect Firefighters From Exposure To Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’

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EWG News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Working Group applauds the House for passing a bill to help protect firefighters from exposure to the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS widely used in their tools and equipment.

The bipartisan legislation, the Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act, has already cleared the Senate and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. It directs the Department of Homeland Security to offer guidance to federal, state and local firefighters about training and the best ways to reduce exposure to PFAS.

Firefighters are exposed Read More

LAPSA Meeting Focuses On Emergency Use Of Naloxone

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LAPSA President Alice Bodelson receives a 2-dose box of Narcan® from trainer Matthew Martinez after he gave a presentation on the emergency use of naloxone by laypersons. Photo by Jenn Bartram   

LAPSA News:

Matthew Martinez, certified instructor with the State of New Mexico and Law Enforcement Training International met recently with the Los Alamos Public Safety Association (LAPSA) to discuss regional trends in opioid overdoses and instruct the group in the use of Narcan® to treat an opioid overdose. 

Opioids, both prescription and illicit, are the primary driver of drug overdose deaths. Read More

EMNRD Issues Enforcement Action With DCP Operating Company For Unauthorized Release, Reporting Violations

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EMNRD News:

SANTA FE — The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) issued a notice of violation (NOV) to DCP Operating Company, LP (DCP) for an unauthorized release, failure to comply with initial response requirements, failure to notify the Oil Conservation Division within 24 hours of discovery of a major release and for failure to file a complete and accurate remediation plan (Form C-141) within 15 days.

DCP has been assessed a civil penalty of $66,800 and ordered to take actions to prevent the violations from occurring again.

The NOV alleged that Oct. 2 an unauthorized Read More

All Together NM Opens Cash Assistance Fund For New Mexicans Impacted By Wildfires & Flooding

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SFCF President/CEO Christopher Goett

SFCF News:

The New Mexico Coalition of Community Foundations and the All Together NM Fund are partnering with UpTogether.

This partnership will provide one-time cash assistance to New Mexicans, with priority to those who have been adversely impacted by the Calf Canyon and Hermit’s Peak wildfires, the largest fires in New Mexico history.

The New Mexico Cash Assistance Fund application opened Nov. 14 and closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Applications will be randomized for approval once the application window closes. Eligible households will each Read More