By Stephen Smoot
“The flame consume my dwelling place
And when I could no longer look
I blest His name that gave and took”
Anne Bradstreet
As the residents in the South Branch watershed hunker down in the bitter cold and snow, fellow citizens in Los Angeles and surrounding areas fear the continual raging of fires relentlessly consuming large districts in the city.
Last year, this area faced the same grim potential scenario.
From Cherry Grove to Ridgeley, from Capon Bridge to Mount Storm, and everywhere in between, residents of the Potomac Highlands in one stretch over the summer faced the same sustained, but abnormally high winds, more severe drought conditions, and much higher temperatures.
On the first day, Pendleton County saw four fires start in widely separated areas in the space of an hour. As the day wore on, fires sparked in all of the region’s counties, spreading quickly with the wind and tinder-dry conditions.
Many of these fires started in areas almost completely inaccessible to conventional vehicles.
Each county saw its volunteer and professional fire fighting and other first response units quickly spark into action. Volunteers left day jobs and families behind to aggressively attack the blazes before they could threaten life and property.
Sheriffs’ deputies, State Troopers, ambulance and rescue crews all worked to back up the fire containment effort, joined eventually by National Guard and United States Forest Service personnel. County emergency management officials coordinated efforts with the State and each other. Telecommunicators with 911 remained at their posts to help in coordination while fielding calls for unrelated emergencies.
The danger of losing control remained all too close. Weary crews stayed in the battle, going through several hour stretches without food and water. Hardy County responded to support the guardians and heroes protecting life and property. Citizens loaded pickup trucks and all-terrain vehicles with cases of water and food to take wherever needed.
Fire fighting units go through an intricate dance when responding to major and developing wildfire events. On site commanders must keep track of all danger spots and resources, moving men and equipment where needed – then back again if a previously extinguished spot flares up. There is no set plan at this point, just the experience and good sense of those in charge of the scene, applying what they have learned and sometimes what gut instinct tells them.
And, unlike major metropolitan areas shown on television, in this area, time has taken its toll. The average volunteer first responder has reached his or her middle age. Equipment has grown prohibitively expensive to replace so, barring grant assistance, maintenance of what each department has remains a priority.
Seneca Rocks Volunteer Fire Department, for example, had an apparatus deployed in the wildfires that dates back to the Nixon Administration.
Crews in some parts of Pendleton County also faced communications challenges posed by National Radio Quiet Zone restrictions.
When it comes to protecting entire communities from disaster, only deeds matter. That includes not only the efforts made to contain and kill the fire, but also prevention. Local Emergency Planning Committee meetings, regular trainings, the Firewise program to protect residential and commercial property, and much more go into not just fighting, but preventing and/or limiting wildfire blazes. Forest management programs also help to limit the amount of ready resources that fires crave to survive and thrive, cutting off what they need to fuel their appetite for destruction
The system works so seamlessly most of the time that it’s easy for those outside of that world to understand all that goes into fire protection and response.
With their backs against the wall, with no reserves of personnel left, but with dedication and purpose, last summer their collective doughty spirit manned the ramparts, took all the enemy could throw at them – and in the end, their skill, experience, dedication, and pure grit prevailed.
None of this is meant to disparage those courageous firefighters and other first responders forced to retreat from the fires in Southern California. They lack water. They lack some of the vital equipment taken for granted in this area. They have seen residents not help them, but actually start new fires. They withstood steep budget cuts at the same time in which West Virginia worked to provide more aid to strapped local entities. Yet they face the same dangers, the same exhaustion, and have the same dedication to get the job done.
All here, in light of the developing disaster in Los Angeles, should remain mindful of what it takes to defeat a major wildfire and what many in the community had to do to protect all else.
And what it will take to continue these efforts going forward.
