'So what's the Co-op?'

Question of the Month: (August 2010)

I believe what this person truly was asking is, "What is the Kootenai County Fire Prevention Cooperative (KCFPC), and who makes up the Co-op." The question was asked during the recent North Idaho Fair and Rodeo where countless personnel from multiple agencies, were manning the "Safety Village" for the thousands of visitors who stopped by. Since 1987, fire agencies and supporting partners have joined forces to provide fire and injury prevention messages to area residents.

The Co-Op consists of all the fire departments within Kootenai County along with members from the Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, United States Forest Service and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. At times, we also partner with several volunteers, local police and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. We have joined forces to reach out to the residents of Kootenai County and beyond, to reduce injury or death from fire and other preventable causes.

The KCFPC just wrapped up another year at the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo with our "Safety Village" where visitors toured the fire safety house, ran through the junior firefighter obstacle course, played Fire Jeopardy, decorated and helped make their own fire safety message stickers or buttons, listened to the true story of Smokey Bear in a scene reminiscent of a camp from the 1910 fire era which burned more than three million acres of forests in Idaho and Montana.

Participants were given information about water safety from the Sheriff's Department, and learned ways to help protect their home from wildland fires at the Urban Interface Trailer. After children completed the activities of their choice, they were handed a bag of additional fire safety materials and fire or Smokey hat. But this is just one of the many events the KCFPC participates in each year.

As I was preparing for this article, I found myself learning of the birth of the Co-op. In 1987, Wally Huff, then the Fuels and Fire Manager for the U.S. Forest Service out of the Supervisor's Office in Coeur d'Alene, had recently attended a conference on fire prevention. Wally and some peers had learned of fire agencies in other counties and states, coming together to educate the public on ways they could protect their lives and property in the event of a wildland fire.

Residents living in the wildland - urban interface (WUI) were the target group. WUI is the area's located against, or actually within forested land. Wally sought help from the Shoshone Fire Prevention Cooperative for ideas and with their help, was able to sell the idea to the fire chiefs of Kootenai County along with the Idaho Department of Lands, and of course the Forest Service.

With little money to move forward, a grant was written and awarded which provided the funding to begin Fire Prevention Cooperatives in all five counties of North Idaho. This included funding to publish written materials, public service announcements and a safety video promoting activities to keep homes and people safe from wildfires.

The range of safety messages has grown from the primary focus of urban interface issues, to education on smoke detectors, home fire escape planning, safety messages about water activities, fireworks, juvenile fire setters, camping and campfires, and ongoing efforts at preventing property loss, injury or death due to wildfires.

One has to only listen to recent news of wildfires in Colorado, California, Washington and Southern Idaho, then look in our own backyard here in Kootenai County, to realize our efforts are just as important, if not more important than when the KCFPC began more than 20 years ago.

Parents who have had young children in Shoshone and Kootenai County within the past 20 years, have heard their child share about Smokey Bear visiting their school and the skit put on by puppets, clowns and performers. Each year, during spring, the fire prevention cooperatives from both Shoshone and Kootenai Counties join forces to develop a skit, design and build stage sets, and perform to the thousands of young children in every public and many private elementary schools in both counties.

Most recently, a grant of $50,000 was written by and awarded to the cooperative to replace the original safety trailer, more commonly known to children as "The Smoke House." The original trailer was built more than 16 years ago by volunteers and had thousands, upon thousands of children learn the importance of crawling low under smoke, kitchen safety, when and how to call 9-1-1 in emergencies and that matches are for adults - NOT children.

The new trailer, scheduled to arrive by the time this article goes to print, is designed to teach similar lessons but is much larger allowing even more people to learn about fire safety. It includes a door which actually heats up to simulate fire on the other side and teaches "students" to find an alternate escape route; through a window and down a ladder. The new trailer is fully ADA compliant which will allow all residents of the area to participate, including those with mobility challenges.

So, "What's the Co-Op?" We're just a bunch of very dedicated people from each fire department and fire agency within Kootenai County trying to do whatever it takes to keep residents and their property safe from fire and injury.

If you would like to learn more about the Kootenai County Fire Prevention Cooperative please contact the current president, Shane O'Shea of the Idaho Department of Lands at: 769-1577 or send an e-mail to soshea@IDL.Idaho.gov.

Stay safe out there!

Jim Lyon is the public education specialist/information officer with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue (KCFR). If you have a question about emergency services in your area, please submit your question to "Ask Firefighter Jim" at askffjim@kootenaifire.com. Visit our Web page at www.kootenaifire.com for additional information and to read archives of previously answered questions under the link, "Prevention."

Did you know...

If you live in the wild land - urban interface, there are many things you can do to provide "survivable/defensible space" around your home to protect it in the event of wild fires. Perhaps one of the best resources is through the Idaho Department of Lands "Fire Wise" website at: www.idahofirewise.org/. Viewers will see an entire section on "Homeowners Information."