Incident: West Fork Complex Wildfire
Released: 3 hrs. ago
Horse Evacuation Plan Press Release
June 20, 2012 By admin
Archuleta County is located in one of the most beautiful natural areas in western Colorado. Having thousands of acres of public lands in our backyard coupled with an ecosystem that thrives on natural fire, the fire danger here in Archuleta County is high. Being prepared to move your horses in the event of a major fire or other disaster will only be successful if you are fully prepared beforehand. Those who wait until the danger is upon them will have little chance of evacuating successfully. Archuleta County and the town of Pagosa Springs do not have a large animal evacuation plan or a location where large animals can be evacuated. Many mistakenly believe they can take their animals to the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds are privately owned and will not be set up to provide shelter for large animals. Many are also mistaken that they could take their horses to the Humane Society shelter. The shelter is only set up for small animals.
High Country Horse Council (HCHC) started by Dr. Hooton, a veterinarian here in town has developed a self evacuation plan for horses in Archuelta County. The plan was developed using some of the best horse evacuation plans from around the country. The plan is a simple to use list of what needs to be done now and what needs to be done in the event of an evacuation. A copy of the plan is available at High County Horse Councils website http://www.highcountryhorsecouncil.com for $4.99.
Dr. Hooton believes that planning now and having what needs to be in place to evacuate could save your horse. The work and equipment needed is easy. Determining where you will take your horse in the case of an evacuation is critical says Dr. Hooton. If you do need to evacuate your horses, you will need to know beforehand where you will be taking your horses. That location may be across town or if the disaster is large enough, completely out of the area. The driest months of the year are May and June and we already have a head start on the warm weather with many fires around the state and locally. You need to prepare now.
Nationwide, buddying up with your neighbor to help both you and them evacuate all of your horses has proven to be very effective. Doing so is simple; the results have been proven to be extremely effective. The HCHC self evacuation plan for horses is based on preparing now what you will need to evacuate and a list of what that includes and what to do in the event you do need to move your horses. This list of what to do to evacuate is meaningless unless youve done the work of preparing beforehand.
The plan includes an overview of how to successfully evacuate your horses, what you will need to have already in place to move your horses and stay, possibly long term somewhere else that is safe. The plan includes checklists for your horse, trailer, truck and items needed once you arrive at your evacuation location. What to do if you cannot leave do not have a horse trailer to move your horses or your exit route is blocked. This evacuation plan also includes tips on trailer loading (practiced to perfection beforehand) and an equine first aid list. Knowing your evacuation routes beforehand and assessing your situation is critical the day you have to evacuate.
There are several ways to find out about a local disaster. Sign up for Archuelta Countys emergency notification system (reverse 911 calls to your home or cell phone) through Archuleta Countys website. Listen to KWUF & KUST for information specific to the emergency faced. Go to www.acemergency.org to read about the emergency and call 970-731-5211 for recorded information.
Many believe that turning a horse loose is the best way to deal with a natural fire or other disasters. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Horses have no way of knowing where to go, which way is safe and will panic and injure or possibly kill themselves and risk the lives of others. Do not turn your horse loose. They need your help to survive. Evacuation takes longer than you think. To ensure the safety of you, your family and your horses, you need to be prepared beforehand. Know where you will take your horses before the disaster happens.
Some of the challenges in evacuating horses are the ability to take enough food and water for your horses. If you cannot, the location you are taking your horses to would need to have all the food and water your horses need. If you cannot evacuate you need to have at least 5 days of water and food for your horses. All horses need identification and your will need a contact list of who you will want and need to call in the event of an evacuation. This horse evacuation plan includes what you will need to do when its time to evacuate and what to do if you cannot. Your horses life depends on it. To purchase a copy of this horse self evacuation plan go to here – http://www.highcountryhorsecouncil.com/products/
###
Released: 3 hrs. ago
West Fork Complex Fire Update
- Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team- Pete Blume, Incident Commander
- Phoenix National Incident Management Organization- Curtis Heaton, Incident Commander
- Joint Information Center: 719-569-4149 or 719-657-3279
- Hours of operation: 8:00 am 9:00 pm
- West Zone Email: westforkfire@gmail.com
- East Zone Email: WestForkFire.EastZone@gmail.com
June 29, 2013
8:00 pm
Special Message: Due to the high demand for information about the West Fork Complex, a blog has been created to facilitate posting current and timely fire information. Visit the blog at http://westforkfirecomplex.blogspot.com/.
Current Situation:
East Zone of the West Fork Complex (Includes Papoose and Eastern Part of West Fork Fires)
Rain fell over portions of the zone today. Accumulations ranged from 0.02 0.20 inches. Although some areas experienced wetting rain, firefighters were cautioned that in the heavy timber the moisture was not reaching the ground. Single and group tree torching could still occur in areas that received rainfall today. In addition, many areas received enough precipitation that roads and dozer lines could be slick.
Papoose Fire: Fire activity was minimal for most of the day. Around 4:00 pm the east side of the fire became active in the Trout Creek area near Baldy Mountain. Tonight firefighters will continue structure protection on the east in Trout Creek and the northwest in Crooked Creek.
Eastern Part of West Fork Fire: Today firefighters continued to structure protection on the north, east, and south flanks of the fire. The focus of their efforts is to use natural fuel breaks to minimize fire activity. Tonight firefighters will monitor the fire and provide structure protection.
West Zone of West Fork Complex (Includes Western Part of West Fork and Windy Pass Fires)
A change in wind direction and a brief rain today brought little relief on the West Fork Fire on the West Zone. Air attack has been grounded the last 2 days due to smoke, but will resume tomorrow if conditions allow. Fire continues to burn in timber that is dead due to Spruce Beetle kill.
Western Part of West Fork Fire: The West Zone of the West Fork fire is the portion of the fire burning south of the continental divide. Structure protection continued near the Born Lake cabins. Structure protection is still in place for Bruce Spruce Resort, which is still open, and hose lays and sprinkler system are in place and operational in the West Fork Campground that is also open.
Windy Pass Fire: Activity on the Windy Pass Fire today was minimal. Crews completed work around Lane Creek and continue to monitor fire activity there.
Weather: A series of thunderstorms passed over the complex today. Precipitation was localized with some areas of the fire receiving 0.02 inches to 0.20 inches and some not receiving any moisture at all. Thunderstorms are predicted for the next few days with rain, lightning and winds being the primary concerns. Winds tomorrow will be out of the Northwest 5-15 mph, with a 60% chance of rain actually hitting the ground.
Public Health and Safety: Smoke monitors are in place in Pagosa Springs, Del Norte, and Creede. For the official Colorado Smoke Outlook visit http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colo_advisory.aspx and http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx for further health advisory information.
Please use caution when traveling along Highways 149 and 160. Heavy fire traffic can be expected along the highways and within the communities of South Fork, Creede, and Del Norte. Please do not stop along the roads to take pictures of the fire or firefighters as doing so could impede fire operations.
Evacuations and Closures: Yesterday, most residents of South Fork were able to return home. Anyone west of Highway 149 or the Rio Grande River (whichever is closest to the fire) remain under mandatory evacuation. This includes Elk Creek and the portion of Masonic Park south and west of the river. All other evacuations remain in effect. Those residents who were able to return home were reminded that if fire activity increases, they may have to re-evacuate. Along Highway 149, traffic is being escorted between Wagon Wheel Gap and Highway 160.
For additional information on road and trail closures affecting the San Juan National Forest go to: http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sanjuan/alerts-notices.
Emergency closures in place due to the West Fork Fire Complex currently affect about 50 miles of the Colorado Trail on the Rio Grande National Forest and about 150 miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail on both the Rio Grande and San Juan national forests. These trail sections are closed to all public entry between San Luis Pass north of Creede, Stony Pass east of Silverton and Elwood Pass northeast of Pagosa Springs, as identified within the closure orders. For more information, contact the Rio Grande National Forest at 719-852-5941. For additional information on road and trail closures affecting the Rio Grande National Forest go to: West Fork Fire Closures.
Fire Information Meetings:
Del Norte: Daily briefing at the Red Cross Shelter in Del Norte at 9 am
Media Briefings: There are no scheduled media briefings. If media are interested in a briefing or interview, please contact the East Zone Information Office.
Fire Statistics:
Location: 14.5 miles north/northeast of Pagosa Springs, CO Start Date: 06/05/2013
Complex Size: 90,806 acres Percent Contained: 2%
Windy Pass: 1,411 acres Cause: Lightning
Papoose: 33,022 acres Total Personnel: 1502
West Fork: 56,373 acres
Resources Include: 8 Type 1 hand crews, 20 Type 2 hand crews, 109 engines, 5 dozers, 11 water tenders, and overhead personnel
Air Resources: 6 Type 1 helicopters, 3 Type 2 helicopters, 9 Type 3 helicopters, and 2 single engine airtankers (SEATS)
Places to get information:
Blog: http://westforkfirecomplex.blogspot.com/
Website: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3436/
Twitter: @rmt1pio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockyMtn.Type1.IMT.PIOs.
Information Boards: Information is posted at the Pagosa Springs Visitor Information Center, Freemons Ranch near Creede, the Forest Service office in Creede, and at the Red Cross Shelter in Del Norte.
Photos: http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/WestForkComplex/library/
Source: InciWeb
Reblogged: 6/29/13 0005 PDT
2013 The NW Fire Blog
NW Fire Blog 