Category: Archived Blogs
“Don’t Panic” Lessons Learned During a Wildfire Evacuation
This Fire Year 2020 has been a challenging one. As I’m writing this from my home in Reno, I’m looking out my window. I used to have a nice view of Peavine Peak, but today it’s hidden under a blanket of dense smoke from the Loyalton Fire. So far this year, thousands of Nevadans have […]
Read More ►Fire Whirls
Image Source: Wikipedia Did you know that I grew up in Illinois? Yup… the good ol’ Midwest. We don’t live with the threat of wildfire in that neck of the woods – our “gift” from Mother Nature comes in the form of a mighty whirlwind called a tornado. When I moved to Reno, I thought […]
Read More ►Emergency Notification Systems
Washoe County’s CodeRED logo In July’s post (which you can read here), I talked about the importance of creating a Family Emergency Plan in order to prepare for wildfire. Since I really had no clue what I would do in a real-life evacuation, I decided to do a little research. I inquired about evacuation routes […]
Read More ►Goat Grazing for Fuel Reduction
Hey Living With Fire friends, welcome back to our blog! I’m still working on my defensible space and evacuation plan from previous weeks (you can check those posts out here and here). Today we have something new for you: our very first video blog! In it, we share what happened on my walk a few […]
Read More ►In Case of Emergency – Notify Me!
Courtesy of Nevada Appeal Last week a brush fire burned near one of my favorite campgrounds. Fire crews were able to quickly contain the blaze and campers were only evacuated for a short time. I thought getting rained out of my July camping trip was a bummer… yikes! What stuck with me was how close […]
Read More ►From Smoke to Response: The Dispatcher’s Side of the Story
With fire season in full swing and more acres of Nevada vegetation burning by the day, I recently began to wonder what happens when a 911 call is placed to report smoke or flames. If Hollywood gives any indication, the call is placed and a fire engine lights up immediately, with firefighters rushing into it […]
Read More ►Fuel Breaks Can Save the Day
Last July’s Carpenter 1 Fire made national headlines and filled the skies of Las Vegas with smoke. A recent YouTube search turned up a video, posted by the U.S. Forest Service, about the role fuels reduction projects played in saving many homes in the Mt. Charleston area from wildfire. You might be wondering “What is […]
Read More ►Leave it to the Experts on the Fourth
The 4th of July and a local fireworks show has always been a fixture of my upbringing in Nevada. My family would always pack cold drinks and desserts in a cooler and find a cozy patch of grass or a great spot to set up camping chairs in a parking lot to watch one of […]
Read More ►Ready for a Red Flag Warning
Late spring is a precarious time for weather in Nevada. Temperatures can drop and soar, the sun can be shining one moment and rain can be pounding the roof of a car the next. So I wasn’t surprised when this week’s weather forecast called for highs that meant shorts and sandals. With summer just around […]
Read More ►Let’s Lend Firefighters a Hand, Huh?
As a member of a community located in the wildland-urban interface where a beautiful hike is moments from my door, there’s always wildlife to study, and the stars seem to burn a little brighter at night, I take pride in my community. I also take comfort in the multiple fire stations close by, for as […]
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