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Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire
Company
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13502 Roland Dr.
Montague, CA 96064
Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire
Company |
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If you live in, own property in, or have other interest in the safety of the area served by Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire Company, it is vital that you understand the risk of wildfire in our community, what you can do to reduce that risk, and how you can help your community be prepared for the inescapable reality of wildfire. As you read this article, you may click on the underlined text for maps or detailed information. Risk of wildfire spreading quickly is extremely high in Juniper Flat. Most - about 84 percent - of the 36 square mile area is privately owned. About 90 percent of private properties are absentee-owned and fuels on most have never been treated. The remaining area is owned by the United States Forest Service and by the Bureau of Land Management. Seven separate blocks of federal lands are scattered throughout the district. All of the private property is ranked as “Very High” on fire hazard severity zone maps by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fuels are ember-throwing brush and juniper that result in fire behavior similar to headline-grabbing Southern California chaparral fires. Vegetation has reached what fire scientists call "maximum fuel load" because seventy-seven percent of the area has not burned since fire records began being kept in the early 1900s. Less than three percent of the area has burned since 1980. The area is subject to a high rate of lightning strikes, including dry lightning, and experiences wind speeds three times or more that of surrounding areas. Fires are started by control burns that escape control, use of mechanical equipment such as mowers or welding equipment, careless motorists throwing cigarettes from car window, camp fires, arson and home fires that spread to the surrounding area. Water resources are nearly non-existent, consisting mainly of an aging water tank and low-volume well at a local firehouse. Two local residents have installed fire hose-compatible valves on their properties. The nearest fire hydrant is located in Grenada, about 25 miles away. Fewer than one third of the 354 inventoried roads, trails and extended driveways are named and virtually all are non-paved roads. The only significant paved roads are a 10 mile stretch of county road A12 and a five mile stretch of Harry Cash Road. Response times are 20-25 minutes for local, state and federal agencies, due to vastness of the district and the narrow, winding, sometimes steep and often confusing roads that traverse it. Volcanic features such as lava tubes, rock formations and alluvial soils further hinder fire suppression efforts. Many residents are a mile or more from a paved road, some must travel five miles or more on narrow cinder roads to reach the relative safety of a paved highway. There are some roads which are so narrow that a fire truck could not pass a vehicle; many of the roads have poor visibility even in clear weather, due to steep inclines. There are risks everywhere: coastal areas are visited by hurricanes and tsunamis, Midwestern states are ripped by tornadoes, city dwellers must deal with smog and crime. While we face unique risks here, there are many steps each of us can take to prevent fires and to prepare for them. Please click here to find out the many steps you can take to make our community a safer place to live. |
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Mt. Shasta Vista
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