Barrie Mann
Special to the Sun

On the heels of the recent rash of disastrous fires in Southern California, most residents of the Kern River Valley are aware of the valuable contributions and hard work performed by Kern County Firefighters. Yet many of us don’t think too much about them when they are not on the front line of a fire protecting our interests. In fact, some people are naive enough to assume that all a firefighter does when he or she is not fighting fires is to stay in the fire house cleaning equipment and resting. Well nothing is further from the truth.

In reality, firefighters are constantly training and honing their skills in order to be fully prepared when called on to fight a fire. But there are other tasks, often unseen by the public, the firefighter also performs. An important one in the Kern River Valley is helping the community safeguard their property with “defensible space,” which consists of the following: Eliminate all flammable materials (potential fuels) within 10 feet of the house; remove dead debris from decks, wooden walkways, rain gutters and roofs; keep tree limbs 10 feet away from the house. Inside the defensible space create breaks in the vegetation to prevent “ladder” fuels; reduce or eliminate surface fuels for a radius of 100 feet around the house and prune lower limbs of trees at least 10 feet above the ground; remove fuels from around propane tanks; close-in elevated decks to protect from flying embers; remove dead trees and other highly flammable vegetation; store firewood at least 30 feet away from the house; clear brush around your driveway and roadway to allow fire truck ingress of 13.5 feet high and 13.5 feet wide. Make sure your street address is clearly marked with reflective number at least 3 inches high on a contrasting background; staple metal window screening over any openings or gaps in the eaves including low decks, walkways and crawl spaces.

Kern County Fire Department Engine #87 team clears brush and feeds it into a wood chipper during a November Chipper Day near Keyesville.

Creating a defensible space gives firefighters a better chance of controlling a fire and saving the dwelling. It’s a big job and it’s easy to procratinate, this is where the Kern River Valley Fire Safe Council comes into play.

The council, made up of volunteers from local communities, the Kern County Fire Department, the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management is a major factor in the “education of preparedness” for fire disaster. They work diligently to make sure that the Kern River Valley communities are as prepared as possible should a fire start in their neighborhoods.

One of the many services the council offers is the availability of a “Chipper” that will chip and shred any accumulated brush into very small chunks that can then be used as mulch around plants and shrubs. In fact, this is such an important part of clearing a defensible space that the council solicits communities and encourages them to take advantage of this service known as a “Chipper Day.”

In November, the council along with a representative of the Fire Department, visited the community of Keyesville, and met with property owners to review the process of a “Chipper Day” and to estimate the work required to clear a very large accumulated brush pile. After a very interesting presentation and the determination that the brush pile could be consumed in one work day, a date was set for a crew to do the job.

On the day selected, four trucks rolled up to the site of the brush pile with a “Chipper” attached to one of the trucks. Twelve young fire fighters from Kern County Fire Department Engine #87 emerged from the trucks and started to work. There wasn’t the typical milling around of people waiting to be told what to do; they are professionals and they knew exactly what was expected of them. They got to work and before long the chips were flying. It was truly amazing to see this team work. Teamwork is key and these young men worked extremely well as a team. They worked hard and fast but were very aware of their teammates and safety was practiced as a matter of course. The team was led by an experienced firefighter Jim Phillips. His management style was to be there with the guys he leads, working shoulder to shoulder and the respect he has from his team was obvious.

They break for a short lunch and then are back at it. Eventually the pile of brush is consumed and they move on to the next pile and the process starts over. At the end of the day the team has moved and chipped a brush pile estimated to be more than 700 cubic yards. That’s a lot of brush and it is dirty and sweaty work but these young men have handled it with smiling faces and a professionalism that makes you realize should a fire break out we are in good hands because these firefighters are the best at what they do. At the end of the day, Lloyd Smith, President of the Fire Safe Council, is there to thank the team for their hard work. The property owners also thank the team. With the efforts of the council and the Fire Department the brush pile is diminished to a few piles of wood chips and no longer a huge fire hazard. The task was completed and the property is a little safer from fire. A great example of teamwork by all involved.