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Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council
Crew 81 Fuel reduction West of Golden Hills.
(click for more pictures)
Poster Contest Winner
Hits the Big Time with a Billboard
On Monday, June 12th at 11:00 AM, the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council will applaud the creativity of a young artist - as they remind residents of the significant wildfire danger in Tehachapi area communities. The Press Conference will feature the posting an 8' x 24' "Fire Safe" billboard - at the intersection of Tehachapi Blvd and Pauley Streets in Tehachapi.
The billboard, designed by Anthony Dornay, a 4th grade student from Cummings Valley Elementary School, is an enlargement of the winning poster created by young Dornay. Nearly 350 elementary school-aged children entered the poster contest from Golden Hills, Tompkins and Cummings Valley Schools. All three schools produced winners.
Joining Dornay at the Press Event will be Supervisor Don Maben and representatives from the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council, the city of Tehachapi, the Golden Hills Community Services District and Lamar Advertising.
The contest was facilitated by Debbie Santiago, a Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist for the Bureau of Land Management, and was sponsored by the local council. Santiago is pleased with the winning entry. "More than 2200 local children met Smokey Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog and local fire personnel from the City of Tehachapi, County of Kern and the Bureau of Land Management. The creativity and thoughtfulness inspired by school presentations means we're having an impact."
The billboard is made possible through collaboration between the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council, the office of Kern County Supervisor Don Maben, the city of Tehachapi and the Golden Hills Community Services District. Supervisor Maben's office funded the production of the vinyl and the first month's posting; the Fire Safe Council, city of Tehachapi and Golden Hills CSD are funding subsequent postings ... allowing the billboard to stay up all the way through fire season.
"This is the first time the Council has done a poster contest in Tehachapi. We are thrilled with the results and even more excited about the billboard. Anthony's design will be posted for all residents to see - spreading our message to an even greater audience," continued Santiago.
The poster contest is just one of the community outreach projects of the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council. The organization has an active Speaker's Bureau; is designing a Fire Safe Garden at the new Golden Hills CSD location; is the driving force behind fire suppression water "Dip Sites"; and organizes local "Chipper Days" as a service to area residents.
For more information on the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council, or to
request a speaker for a club or organization, call (661) 821-4428. The
Council meets the second Wednesday of the month at the NEW Golden Hills
Community Services District building at 2:00 PM; interested residents are
welcome and encouraged to participate.
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PRESS RELEASE
Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council to Host Presentation
on the Tehachapi Area Wildfire Protection Action Plan
Tehachapi, CA – On Wednesday, January 11th at 1:00 PM in the Golden Hills Community Services District Board Room, the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council (GTFSC) will host a public informational forum outlining the “Greater Tehachapi Communities Wildfire Protection Plan”.
Designed and presented by Tim Walsh of HangFire Environmental, the Wildfire Protection Plan is the culmination of months of research, analysis and input from more than 600 local residents. The plan identifies the assets in the Tehachapi area, the risks from wildfire to those assets, and ways to mitigate the risks through public education and hazardous fuel reduction projects. According to GTFSC President Joe Fontaine, “The plan will serve as an action-oriented blueprint for wildfire mitigation and asset preservation for the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council. “
Funded by a grant from the Bureau of Land Management, the Fire Safe Plan is an essential tool for the local council and an invaluable asset for the Kern County Fire Department and the Tehachapi City Fire Department. “We were fortunate to work with HangFire Environmental on this project. They are an experienced contractor who worked easily with local Community Service Districts as well as the Kern County Fire Department, The Tehachapi City Fire Department and interested citizens to complete the plan,” continued Fontaine.
As a part of the project, surveys were sent to property owners throughout the area. The surveys were designed to determine the fire safe practices currently understood by the community. The results of the surveys have been included in the plan to identify areas for a stronger public education effort.
Also included in the plan is the calculation of fire behavior predictions for the entire Tehachapi valley. As a nationally certified Fire Behavior Analyst, Mr. Walsh was able to use FARSIGHT, a computer based fire modeling program, to prepare predictions of fire size and rates of spread using actual Tehachapi weather and fuel conditions.
The presentation will be on January 11, 2006, 1:00 PM at the Golden Hills Community Services District office 22209 Old Town Rd. All interested local residents are encouraged to attend. For more information contact Ken Stevens, KCFD Battalion Chief and Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council Board member at 330-0136.
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