The Carson Valley Ukelele Club was serenading visitors to the first Tahoe Douglas Fire & Family Day on June 27 at Kahle Community Center in Stateline.
“We are trying to spread awareness about wildfire safety and things people can do to prepare for wildfire and bring families together,” said University of Nevada Extension Living With Fire Manager Megan Kay as children were getting their faces painted.
The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District hosted the event.
Kay said one of the Extension’s key goals is to promote Firewise USA.
While there are 100 Firewise communities around the Tahoe Basin, and a few in Carson Valley, there isn’t one at Stateline.
“We’re really hoping to spread the word,” she said. “These events sometimes are not as family focused as they could be. We want to reach those folks with children, young homeowners and we designed an event where hopefully people will want to bring their families.”
Representing the Washoe Tribe were Environmental Specialist Kyle Tabor-Cooper and Environmental Manager Eliza Fitzgerald at the event promoting the Good Neighbor agreements they have with the Forest Service and other agencies.
“Kyle, and other folks with our department and with the Washoe Preparedness Resource Department, have been working with the Forest Service on this good neighbor agreement to help with boots on the ground with fuels reduction and conifer removal,” FitzGerald said. “We’re just trying to pick up a lot of those land management pieces from the Forest Service.”
Not all fires are bad. Some are part of Native American culture.
“We’ll be out there with the fires and the youngsters and challenging them,” he said. “We come out and there are still embers. Maybe don’t bring the drip torches out, and let’s just see if we can start it the way your ancestors did in the morning.”
Douglas County Emergency Manager Kara Easton was touting the Reverse 911 system and the Citizens Emergency Response Team.
“Our big push is to get folks signed up for Reverse 911. That’s the best and easiest way to get emergency information from us. If anyone is interested in volunteering for CERT, we’ll take folks from up at the Lake and in the Valley because we want to help everyone,” Easton said.
