TEXAS FIRE SERVICE REPS RECENTLY COMPLETED IN-DEPTH SURVEY OF WHAT HELPED AND DIDN'T HELP STRUCTURES SURVIVE RECENT N. TEXAS WILDFIRES

Our training session Saturday, June 13, was the first of a two-part presentation that is designed to help us better understand, defend against and provide support at Urban/Wildland Interface Fires."

The second will take place on our regular training date of Saturday, July 11 at the VFW Annex. Jan Fulkerson and CERT member Paul Elliott, both of the Texas Forest Service will be our instructors.

Both highly experienced in wildland fires found they learned valuable new information about defending structures against fires when they conducted a detailed survey of homes in North Texas which did - and did not - survive intense, wind-driven wildfires.

As we know, just about every fire scene we support in the County involves a wildland/urban structure interface. It's almost inescapable here. But, it was pointed out such fires can and do occur in every section of Texas - and frequently.

"Already this year," Fulkerson pointed out, "wildland fires have blackened 600,000 acres, taken 4 lives and destroyed 321 homes." The toll last year was 1.6 million acres and 250 homes with no loss of life.

Urban/Wildland Interface fires were defined as "any location where a fire can spread from vegitation (wildland fuels) to buildings (urban fuels) resulting in multiple house fires that overwhelm fire protection efforts.

While this month's training focused on a broad overview, myths, fire history and physics, the session next month will go into particulars what steps home owners can take to help save their homes in even the most extreme situations. You won't want to miss it.





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IMPORTANT TEAM NEWS & INFORMATION

Dr. Robert Pierce appointed Training Director... Robert Pierce has agreed to become our new Training Director, effective immediately.

He succeeds Darrel DeLong who has requested a "lighter load" so he can take care of other commitments. He'll remain an active member of Team North and assist when able with the SAR aerial (UAV) team which he was instrumental in helping establish.

Dr. Bob is using his PhD teaching English/English Lit at Catherine Anne Porter School in Wimberley, where he lives. You know he's "into CERT" with the first "CERT" license plates issued in Texas. He's been an active member of the West Team since joining in September 2007.

As CERT-related background, he's served in the Army Reserve as an MP; 10 yrs as a Walker Co. (TX) reserve deputy sheriff and on the County's SAR team, and was a reserve deputy constable in Montgomery Co. He's also a Hays Co. Sheriff's Citizens Academy grad.

Early morning turnout/turnaround Friday...We received a callout at 0600 Fri to support firefighters at a structure fire in Henley (fairly near Bob Sheldon's ranch) on Loop 165. We had a number of people on the way to the scene, including the Wimberley rehab trailer towed by Rodger Parker. Before most got there, however, we received a recall at about 0715. Those responding included Nicole and Tom Zinn, Bob Sheldon, Lana Rich and Karen Crowther from the N. Team; Kay Mayfield,Cathy Kubica and Ron Kondoff From the S. Team: Bob Flocke, Jim Martino and Bob Pierce from the W. Team; and director Paul Elliott.

Don't miss July training session... The regular session coming up July 11 could well help save your home, valuables and maybe even lives if an intense wild fire ever visits our county. These will be conducted by our local experts Jan Fulkerson and Paul Elliott of the Texas Forest Service.

They recently spent weeks studying the "lessons" of the charred remains of hundreds of structures which had either survived or been destroyed by devastating wild fires in North Texas.

What they found and the lessons learned are not "the same old thing" but new, novel and necessary for everyone to know.

It will begin (start) at 9 a.m. at the VFW Annex.

BP "vitals" to be part of rehab support New rehab procedures adoped by Hays Fire Chiefs now include checking vital signs of firefighters when they come in for rehab. We've acquired the proper equipment and many in CERT are already trained and experienced, but additional measures of each will be required, i.e., more BP cuffs in the rehab trailers and some new forms to keep track of the firefighters. Look for all of this to be put in place quickly.

FEMA Incident Command System courses required...All Hays Co. CERT members are expected to complete two on-line courses pertaining to the Incident Command System -- the system we will be working under at virtually all call-outs.
The many members who have completed the courses say each takes about 1-1/2 hours to complete. Access them at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/crslist.asp. That will take you to the Emergency Management Institute course list. Scroll down the course list to the first required course: IS-100 (Introduction to the Incident Command System), then take IS-700 (National Incident Management System). It's recommended you download the course outlines which you can use to complete the quiz which you can also download. Any questions... and once you've finished a course, please contact Lewis Smith at: LSranch@verizon.net. In addition, Team Leaders are required to complete IS-200.

Severe weather CERT advisories... The best place to stay up to date on what's happening in the County is to check the County web site (http://www.co.hays.tx.us)and click on the Office of Emergency Management tab on the home page. Call out standbys and actions will continue to be communicated through Team Leaders.

Volunteers are needed. For more information, please click here to email CERT.