4.1 Municipality-wide Risk and Hazard Assessment Overview

During May of 2004, the RCI Project Team evaluated the four communities listed below. The inventory of community design aspects (access, signage, utility infrastructure), defensible space conditions, construction materials, architectural features, wildland-urban interface characteristics, fuel type, and fuel density resulted in an overall hazard rating for each community. The key components of these assessments are summarized in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1. Assessment Results Summary

Community	Interface Condition	Interface Fuel Hazard Condition	Ignition Risk Rating	Community Hazard Rating
Carson City	Classic/Intermix	Low to High	High	Moderate
Carson Indian Colony	Classic	Low to High	High	Moderate
Clear Creek	Intermix	Extreme	High	High
Stewart	Classic	Moderate	High	Low

4.1.1 Wildfire Protection Resources

The Carson City Fire Department (CCFD) and the Nevada Division of Forestry Sierra Forest Fire Protection Districts are the primary agencies responsible for wildfire protection in the private land areas of the Municipality. The CCFD is a 63-member career department that works closely with the ten-member Warren Engine Company No. 1 Volunteer Fire Department. The Sierra Forest Fire Protection District was established according to NRS 473 to provide wildfire suppression services and procure federal aid for wildfire suppression within the District boundary. The District includes the Sierra front portions of the Municipality, Douglas County, and Washoe County. The Sierra Forest Fire Protection District has one fire station in Carson City that is staffed with up to eleven seasonal Nevada Division of Forestry personnel from May through October. Three Nevada Division of Forestry career personnel are staffed through the Sierra Forest Fire Protection District in offices in Carson City and Washoe County year round and are available to respond to wildfires.

The BLM Carson City Field Office is the primary agency responsible for wildland fire suppression on BLM administered lands (41,000-acres) within the Municipality and has an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to provide suppression on BIA lands (480) acres in the Municipality. The USFS Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is the primary agency responsible for wildland fire suppression on the 10,000-acres of USFS lands within the Municipality. The USFS usually provides three seasonal positions in the municipality annually. The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada dispatches both BLM and USFS suppression resources through a computer-aided dispatch system.

Wildfire suppression resources are also available to private land portions of Carson City through mutual aid agreements with the Bureau of Land Management Carson City Field Office, USFS Carson Ranger District, East Fork Fire and Paramedic District, Reno Fire Department, Central Lyon County Fire Protection District, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chief’s Association. Carson City Fire Department is also a member of the Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators. See the glossary of wildfire terms in Appendix A for more information on the Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chief’s Association and the Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators. Tables 4-2 and 4-3 summarize the types of wildfire suppression resources, cooperating partners, and equipment available for first alarm and initial attack of wildland-urban interface fires in the Carson City Consolidated Municipality.

The availability of the listed resources varies depending on time of year and whether resources have been previously dispatched to other incidents. The Carson City Fire Department reduces the response listed in Tables 4-2 and 4-3 to a single Type III brush truck for the months excluded from the fire season.

Table 4-2. Carson City Fire Department Wildfire Resources and Equipment Available for First-Alarm Response to a Wildland-Urban Interface Fire

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Type I Engine Type III Brush Truck Battalion Chief Rescue Ambulance	1 1 1 1	Carson City Fire Department (Carson City)
Source:Personal Communication with Stacey Giomi Carson City Fire Department Battalion Chief.

Table 4-3. Carson City Consolidated Municipality Wildfire Resources, Cooperating Partners, and Equipment Available for Initial Attack Response to a Wildland-Urban Interface Fire (during a high hazard day)

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Type III Engine Battalion Chief/Duty Officer Water Tender Dozer Hand Crew Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) or Air Tanker and Lead Plane Air Attack Helicopter	5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1	Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch, Minden - closest available resources from the following agencies: Sierra Forest Fire Protection District (NDF) BLM USFS (Air suppression response only if smoke is visible)
Source:Personal Communication with Rich Riolo Nevada Division of Forestry Fire Prevention Chief, Leonard Wehking BLM Carson City Field Office Fire Management Officer, Steve Heinrich BIA Hot Shot Crew Superintendent, and Mike Polovina Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center Manager.

4.1.2 Water Sources and Infrastructure

Water availability for fire suppression resources for Carson City include:

• Community wells;
• 500 gpm hydrants within 500 feet of structures for about 70 percent of residences;
• Helicopter dip spots;
• 14 water storage tanks:
  • (1) 4 million gallons
  • (4) 3 million gallons
  • (1) 2.6 million gallons
  • (1) 2 million gallons
  • (1) 400,000 gallons
  • (2) 300,000 gallons
  • (4) 250,000 gallons

The water system is pressurized by a gravity system, except in two areas where pressure is generated by pumps. None of the pressure pumps or wells have emergency back-up generators. The City does have two portable generators for use during power outages. The existing infrastructure for the water delivery system meets the 1997 Uniform Fire Code standards.

Hydrants are not available for three homes in Ash Canyon and in the areas of Pinyon Hills, Mexican Dam, Rabe Way, Clear Creek, and Kings Canyon. There are several helicopter dip spots located around the municipality including the Carson River and ponds near Stewart and Ash Canyon. The Silver Oak and Empire Ranch golf courses also have water hazards that could be used for dip sites. Homeowner pools may also be used as dip sites when permission is obtained.

4.1.3 Detection and Communication

Fires are reported in the municipality through 911 calls and calls directly to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. Fires are communicated to Carson City Fire Department fire response personnel through Carson City Sheriff’s Office emergency dispatch, radios, pagers, and telephones. Carson City uses a computer-aided dispatch system and assumes communication and dispatch responsibilities for all fires within the municipality or involving Carson City Fire Department Equipment. The Sierra Forest Fire Protection District (NDF), Bureau of Land Management, and US Forest Service fire personnel and equipment are dispatched through the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Carson City Fire Department, and Sierra Forest Fire Protection District have access to the state mutual aid frequencies. The radio system is compatible with neighboring agencies. The radio coverage does not include the areas around Spooner Lake, Clear Creek, and Pinyon Hills.

4.1.4 Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

The Carson City Fire Department firefighters have been trained to National Fire Protection Association Firefighter II standards. Entry-level wildland firefighter training is scheduled annually with BLM or USFS instructors. A Red Card certification is used for all management level positions with the CCFD. The Red Card certification is part of a fire qualifications management system used by many state and all federal wildland fire management agencies that indicates an individual’s qualifications to fight wildland fires. NDF Sierra Forest Fire Protection District personnel are trained to State Fire Marshal Firefighter I and II standards and have completed the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Wildland Firefighter Qualifications (310-1). A Red Card certification is required for all seasonal and career personnel.

4.1.5 Work Load

The Carson City Fire Department reported the annual number of wildland fires they respond to within the municipality as 175 fires. The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center, which dispatches for the USFS, BLM, and NDF in Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, and Washoe Counties, reported responding to 234 wildfires in 2004 (Polovina pers. comm.). The Nevada Division of Forestry estimated that on average they respond to approximately six wildfires each year within the municipality (Riolo pers. comm.).

4.1.6 Financial Support

Funding for the Carson City Fire Department is provided primarily from the Carson City General Fund. The Fire Department also pursues grant funding when available for fuel reduction projects around the community. Funding for the Sierra Forest Fire Protection District is provided through ad valorem property tax and CTX sales tax revenue.

4.1.7 Community Preparedness

The Carson City Municipality has an active Local Emergency Planning Committee and has adopted an emergency plan, a disaster plan, and an emergency evacuation plan. The emergency plan is updated annually. The Carson City Federal Emergency Management Agency plan covers wildland fires, earthquakes, and floods. The Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators has a pre-attack plan that is updated annually prior to the start of each fire season and primarily covers dispatch run cards for initial attack. A pre-attack plan was developed for Carson City in the 1980’s that provided travel maps, topography maps, facility locations for incident command posts, water supply locations, basic fuel maps, and aerial photos. The pre-attack plan was designed to be used by incident management teams after initial attack and was originally intended to be stored at the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. It is unknown where the plan is currently located and when it was last updated.

New development plans for the Municipality are reviewed by the Carson City Fire Department. The Municipality has also adopted an ordinance for homes in the wildland-urban interface that addresses access, water supply, construction materials, defensible space, spark arrestors, placement and storage of propane tanks, and storage of firewood and other combustible material.

The BLM Carson City Field Office has sponsored and provided the Carson City Fire Department with a Student Conservation Association - Fire Education Corp team during the summers of 2002 through 2004. These teams evaluated over 300 individual properties for defensible space implementation; they also educated homeowners about defensible space, and provided recommendations on how to improve structure survivability. These assessments were conducted in seven areas of the Municipality: Pinyon Hills, Mexican Dam, Carson Indian Colony, north of Arrowhead Drive, Clear Creek, Kings Canyon, and Timberline. The 2003 team, in conjunction with the Warren Engine Company, completed a fuel reduction project on one property in the Kings Canyon area, which subsequently survived the 2004 Waterfall Fire.

Both the Carson City Street Department and the Nevada Department of Transportation perform right-of-way clearance on public streets in the Municipality. The Carson City Fire Department also holds activities regarding fire safety during the annual Fire Prevention Week. The Carson City Street Department also conducts noxious weed abatement.

4.2 Municipality-wide Recommendations

The Carson City risk and hazard reduction recommendations address the primary concern regarding protection of existing and future development in the wildland-urban interface areas within the municipality. Other recommendations pertain to community coordination and public education efforts that could be undertaken to enhance fire safety in Carson City communities.

4.2.1 Fire Suppression Capability

Proper maintenance, storage, and acquisition of fire suppression equipment along with regular and appropriate firefighter training increases fire suppression capability for those areas where fire protection is available.

Carson City Fire Department

• Train and certify Carson City Fire Department engine captains to the level of Engine Boss as defined in the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s publication 310-1.
• Train and certify Chief officers to the level of Strike Team Leader and Incident Commander Type 3.

4.2.2 Fuel Reduction Treatments

In conducting the risk and hazard assessment for the Carson City communities, the RCI Project Team Fire Specialists reviewed the fuelbreaks proposed and previously implemented by Carson City Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Nevada Division of Forestry and Dynamac, Inc. RCI concurs with the need for the planned and scheduled fuelbreaks in both the Carson City and Clear Creek communities. These planned fuelbreaks will reduce fire spread rates and increase firefighter safety in the event of a wildland-urban interface fire.

Carson City Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Division of Forestry, US Forest Service, and Washoe Tribe Responsibilities

• Pursue funding for and implement the planned and scheduled fuelbreaks and fuel reduction treatments for the Carson City and Clear Creek communities (see Figures 5-1, 5-4, 5-5, 7-1, and 7-4).

Nevada Department of Transportation and Carson City Street Department

• Reduce vegetation in wildland-urban-interface areas of the municipality and continue vegetation maintenance along road shoulders for a distance of twenty feet from the edge of the roadway on both sides. Vegetation should be mowed to a height of no more than four inches. The biomass should be removed and disposed of at an appropriate site.

Utility Company Responsibilities

• Clear all shrubs and maintain a minimum clearance distance of thirty feet from the fence around transformer stations in the municipality. Reduce vegetation to maintain a minimum clearance distance of fifteen feet from all utility poles.

4.2.3 Public Education

Increased public education on fire safety is also critical in communities that have rapidly growing populations, especially when many of the areas being developed are on larger lots scattered throughout wildland fuels. People moving into the area may be unaware of fire prone environments and the inherent threats associated with them.

Carson City Fire Department Responsibilities

• Coordinate with the Bureau of Land Management, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, and Nevada Division of Forestry to conduct public education and fire awareness programs.
• Incorporate wildland fire awareness and defensible space education into the annual Fire Prevention Week activities.
• Distribute copies of the publication “Living with Fire” to all property owners who live in wildland-urban interface subdivisions in the municipality. This publication is free of charge and copies can be requested from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

4.2.4 Fire Safe Community Enforcement

Property Owner Responsibilities

• Form local chapters of the Nevada Fire Safe Council in areas of the Municipality such as Timberline, Lakeview, Pinyon Hills, Mexican Dam, North Carson, Carson Indian Colony, and Stewart. The Nevada Fire Safe Council proposes to work on solutions that reduce the risk of loss of lives and property from wildfires in Nevada’s communities. Through establishment of a local Chapter, communities become part of a large information-sharing network that receives notifications of programs and funding opportunities for fire mitigation projects such as those listed in this report. The Nevada Fire Safe Council will accept and manage grants and contracts on the Chapter’s behalf through its non-profit status. The Nevada Fire Safe Council provides assistance and support to communities to complete fire safe plans, set priorities, educate and train community members, and promote success stories of its members. For more information on forming a chapter, contact:
  

  Nevada Fire Safe Council
  1187 Charles Drive
  Reno, Nevada 89509
  www.nvfsc.org

Carson City Supervisor Responsibilities

• Require all future development in the municipality to comply with 2003 International Fire Code standards with regards to structure construction, road construction, and water supply systems.
• Revise the local ordinance regarding fuel reduction and defensible space requirements for wildland-urban interface areas (Carson City Municipal Code Chapter 14.10). The revisions to the ordinance should provide the City authority to require defensible space implementation on all developed and undeveloped lots within interface areas. If landowners do not complete defensible space treatments within an allotted time frame, the landowner should be charged for defensible space services through property tax levies. The ordinance should also be expanded to include provisions requiring fuel reduction treatments prior to approval of new wildland-urban interface subdivisions and for continued maintenance of the fuel reduction treatments.

Carson City Fire Department

• Locate and update the Carson City pre-attack plan, or complete a new plan if the old one cannot be located. The pre-attack plan should be made available to mutual aid fire suppression resources when assisting local resources during an emergency.
• Continue to conduct annual defensible space inspections for homeowners to evaluate the adequacy of defensible space treatments and assure compliance with the defensible space requirements in the wildland-urban interface areas.