From fair to fire camp…

First and foremost, we want to thank all those who came to the beautiful foothills of Auburn, CA. to enjoy the 2022 Gold Country Fair! Despite the unpredictable circumstances including the high temperatures and the less than desirable air quality, many of us were able to enjoy the diversion while we prayed for a quick end to the fire that was rapidly spreading in our neighboring city. First responders from far and near reacted swiftly, worked diligently, and continue to work to control the fire completely and protect our community from the fire base camp that relocated to the Gold Country Fairgrounds and Event Center immediately after the fair. 

I wanted to take a moment and share how impressed we are with the leadership and all the cooperating agencies at our 2022 Mosquito Fire Camp. The professionalism and attention to detail of everyone involved is amazing! My team and I met with Team 5 of the National Incident Fire Command (NIFC) at the beginning of this journey when they informed us that they would be serving their first meal in the next 48 hours. As we walked the Gold Country Fairgrounds & Event Center and listened to the rest of the staging plan, the Incident Manager of Team 5 mentioned to us that leading a fire camp felt like being the mayor of a newly developed city that needed to make sure all infrastructure was in place within 48 hours. She had mentioned to us that her mission was to smoothly transition the next incident management team in order to accomplish their shared goal of protecting and rebuilding the community.

As we watched it unfold, I still don’t think we as a community really understood the depth of incidents like this one. Terms like weather event, POI, apportionment, interagency, and containment became a part of our new vocabulary. Public briefings also quickly became part of our daily routine. 

Responders were quickly able to obtain containment of the fire-lines but the work behind the scenes continues on. Roads must be repaired, power lines must be restored, fallen trees and debris must be removed. All of this to make sure the affected area is safe for the displaced residents to return home and ensure they receive the support they require to continue on. Trees will need to be replanted, forests rebuilt, and families reconnected.

Every 10 days a new NIFC team arrives and the transition is incredibly seamless. Tents fill the ballfield, barns, McCann Stadium, Farrell Wren Park and any open area that can support a structure. Everything you can think of to make this fire camp function is here; there is laundry service, showers, potable water, grey water removed, full meals served, first aid and medical station, finance department, incident command, maps, meteorologist, media updates, even a recycling station and more in the parking lot.

Here is a list of the cooperating agencies:

 

·         Sierra Pacific Industries

·         Georgetown DIVIDE PUD

·         PG&E

·         Placer County Water Agency

·         Foresthill PU

·         CalTrans

·         Placer County Road Department

·         California Highway Patrol

·         El Dorado County Sheriff

·         Placer County Sheriff

·         American Red Cross

·         CALFIRE AEU

·         CAL FIRE NEU

·         Placer County Fire Department

 

We as a community are blessed to have these selfless men and women protecting our lives and property and we are honored to have helped them in whatever small measure we gave as a location for them to stage, meet, prepare, and maybe catch a small nap along the way and do it all over again the next day.

Ultimately, this means we have had to postpone or even cancel events at the Gold Country Fairgrounds and Event Center. On behalf of my team and I, we apologize for any inconvenience or hardship that may have or has caused. However, when our community needs us we must all remember that the ability to serve our community outweighs any individual obligation. In closing, I ask that you all remain respectful to our team and those that serve. The true test of our integrity is how we react to adversity and how we treat each other.

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Don Ales

CEO