The Prescribed Burn Team conducts prescribed burning in the Fall. The burns are conducted under strict guidelines that follow a prescription. The district's goal is to burn approximately 100 acres every year. Our most productive year was in 2005 when we burned approximately 114 acres. Our burns are driven and guided by weather. We have to meet numerous weather and other parameters in order to conduct a burn. We also continuously strive to mitigate the effects of smoke in our community.
Mission Statement:
To Reduce our Community's Wildfire Risk and Improve Forest Health by Effective Fuels Management Practices.
We currently have a fuels reduction program in place that not only contributes to the reduction of wildfire risk in our community but also improves forest health. The program was started in the mid 1990's by our Fire Marshal Gerry Adams. Since its inception, we have treated over 1000 acres in the Incline Village/Crystal Bay area by different methods.
The term “fuels” is used in the fire service as something that burns in the environment. We deal with the problem of an overstocked forest with dense brush that has listed the Incline Village/Crystal Bay as an “Extreme Hazard” as defined in the Code Of Federal Registrars.
Manual fuel treatment consists of both brush and tree removal by hand to meet the above objectives. Prescribed burning is an additional step to manual treatment. In some areas we burn the ground fuels after manual treatment has taken place. The burning not only reduces wildfire risk but promotes forest regeneration.
Our fuels reduction work is mostly carried out by our three 20-person handcrews. These three handcrews, Slide Mountain handcrew, Rifle Peak handcrew and Incline handcrew are classified as Type II Initial Attack fire crews by National Wildfire Coordination Group (NWCG) standards.
Not only do our handcrews perform fuels reduction work, they respond to wildfires across the Sierra Front and the western states to learn and stay proficient in wildland firefighting. They play a key role in our preparedness to suppress a wildfire here in Incline/Crystal Bay and have responded to assist in flooding, rescues and any time strong hands are needed to serve our communities public safety needs.
Most work performed by this highly skilled crew is on property owned by other agencies and Districts. We have strong partnerships with the United States Forest Service (Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit), the Nevada Division of Forestry, Nevada State Lands, and the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID).
This unique program has been considered a leader in the today’s fire service. With full staffing of 60 members, we believe it is far better to remove hazardous fuels before the fire starts. We are concerned about the environment and the future of our community, and we do our best to balance the needs of both.
Our Division Chief Norbert Szczurek leads this program. Working in the wildland firefighting and hazardous fuels reduction fields since 1976, his extensive background in these areas offers a broad knowledge base for our Fire District's Fuels Management efforts.
For recommendation on Defensible Space and Fuels Reduction, please reference the "Living With Fire" website. Click on Publications tab at the top, then on Publications page, scroll down to "A Guide for the Homeowner - Lake Tahoe Basin Version".
To contact Division Chief Norbert Szczurek, please call 775/831-0351, ext. 8117.