Big Bear Mountain Resorts Teams Up with U.S. Forest Service under Healthy Forest Initiative
Ski Areas in Unique Position to Help Reduce Spread of Wildfires
Big Bear Lake, Calif – Southern California’s Big Bear Mountain Resorts has been working with the U.S. Forest Service to employ state-of-the-art fire prevention and suppression techniques in an effort called “The Healthy Forest Initiative.”
Now in its third year, the Initiative involves a $600,000 program to reduce vegetation fuels within and around the ski areas – all part of a “prescription” created by the U.S. Forest Service to reduce the spread of potentially devastating wildfires. The program is a 50/50 cost sharing agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and Big Bear Mountain Resorts, which not only serves to defend the resort’s assets by creating firefighting defensible space involving the removal of dead and some live trees and the thinning of brush, it also in a healthier forest.
Under the Healthy Forest Initiative, BBMR crews partially clear 50 to 300-ft areas within and around the resort boundaries. These treated areas can slow the spread of a wildfire.
In addition to the Healthy Forest Initiative, BBMR has undergone a series of significant steps to fight wildfires to protect its buildings, chairlifts and other assets. One huge advantage the ski resorts have in battling wildfires is their snowmaking systems. BBMR operates two of the largest snowmaking systems in the world, which on short notice may be employed to battle on-site or approaching wildfires. BBMR has invested in fire hoses and nozzles, which are adapted to the snowmaking water hydrants. The snowmaking systems at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are each capable of pumping 6,000 gallons of water a minute. Compare this to the 1,000 – 1,500 gallons of water a fire truck can hold and the benefit of employing the snowmaking system to fight fires is clear.
BBMR has outfitted several of its vehicles with water tanks, pumps and hose systems that may be used as first response fire engines. One of the greatest benefits ski areas have in fighting fires is the ability to provide access to firefighting agencies. The crew has also installed external sprinkler systems on its buildings and lifts, which once turned on, provide a constant stream of water from the snowmaking systems to douse flames.
In addition, about 30 of BBMR’s employees have been trained as “first responders” and have undergone fire safety and training courses, which they will use to support firefighting crews in case of a wildfire. In the case of a wildfire near the resorts, BBMR can serve as the staging area for the Forest Service logistical support, as it did in the 2003 “Old Fire,” which burned tens of thousands of acres and forced evacuations in the Big Bear valley.
BBMR’s first response program also includes the placement of 16 fire caches (containing fire extinguishers, backpacks, hose, masks and shovels) throughout the ski areas that may be easily accessed in case of a fire starting in or near the resorts.
BBMR’s expenditures in fire prevention measures will total nearly $1 million by 2010.
“Big Bear Mountain Resorts has been practicing fire prevention techniques for the last 50 years,” said Big Bear Mountain Resorts Owner Dick Kun. “Because of our experience and our proactive work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, we’ve been able to take big steps in protecting our ski resorts, forests and should we face a large wildfire, we’ll be ready.”
For more information on the Healthy Forest Initiative, please contact Brendi Rawlin at 619-549-3066. Information on Big Bear Mountain Resorts may be found online at bigbearmountainresorts.com.