On fire for readiness
LOREN BENOIT/Press Kjell Truesdell, an Idaho Department of Lands fire warden, speaks to a group of Post Falls Middle School eighth-graders about the use of fire retardant on wildland fires.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Eighth-grader Jose Laguna fills out a worksheet as he listens to Idaho Department of Lands’ Kjell Truesdell speak about fire safety Monday afternoon at Post Falls Middle School.
Kjell Truesdell, an Idaho Department of Lands fire warden for the Cataldo district, holds a rock with fire retardant as he speaks to a group of eighth-graders about wildland fire safety and procedures Monday afternoon at Post Falls Middle School. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
POST FALLS — After seeing and hearing about the wildfires that devastated California last month, eighth-grader Hunter Nelson appreciated the opportunity to hear from firefighters on Monday.
Hunter was among the Post Falls Middle School students who, as part of their English class, learned from Idaho Department of Lands employees about how Post Falls and other local cities are not immune to such chaos.
They could face a similar scenario as what unfolded in Paradise, Calif., last month, the 1910 fire in the Silver Valley, or what they read about in class with Jack London's "The Story of an Eyewitness" on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires.
"Fire can make its own wind, so it will do whatever it wants," Hunter said, referring to the take-home message he received from the presentation. "Fire can jump seven houses, go uphill and cross a river."
After students read London's account, English teacher Ryan Heasty said they researched fire suppression, evacuation processes and multi-agency responses to fires and developed their own plans of attack.
One student, McKenna Martin, even called a large local business to see what its capacity is and if it could be a possible evacuation center for residents.
Others developed transport plans for animals to reach safe areas in case of a catastrophic fire.
"We wanted to bring our students through a scenario that is similar to the Camp Fire (in Paradise)," Heasty said.
Heasty said the Paradise fire also hit close to home as Debbi Davis, former PFMS principal, is now a principal in Paradise and had to evacuate her school.
By hearing from IDL representatives, students then could compare their plans to those of fire professionals.
"It was great for the students to hear from the professionals on real-life situations," said Heasty, who works as a wildland fire inspector during the summer. "We should bring real-life scenarios into the classroom as much as possible."
Kjell Truesdell, IDL's fire warden for the Cataldo district, said it's critical that students have an awareness about evacuations and being prepared.
"Fire can strike at any time," he said. "Even with spring flooding, it's important to have a family preparedness plan. Disasters can happen out our own back door."
Truesdell told students that he's surprised North Idaho hasn't had a wildfire the magnitude of Paradise or 1910 in its recent history.
"When we travel to other parts of the country (to assist with fires), we can tell it's only a matter of time," he said. "We've been very lucky."
The students learned about various resources, including specialized crews and equipment, used to attack fires. They also heard about the chain of command used during major emergencies and first priorities such as evacuations.
"Firefighter and the public's safety override suppression," Truesdell said.
Videos shown included structure fires in Kellogg and the wildland Alpine Fire north of Sandpoint.
Truesdell told the students that most fires here are human-caused, prompting one student to ask about the penalty for arson. Truesdell cited one recent local case in which an arsonist was sentenced to a maximum of 55 years in prison.
Truesdell said he hopes the students' fire awareness spreads to the homefront.
"We hope that they can take home messages about prevention and preparedness to their families," he said.