Reno, NV. September 7, 2023 – Our region is prone to the potential of disasters including wildfires, floods, and earthquakes.  September is National Preparedness Month, and Washoe County, City of Reno, City of Sparks, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, and REMSA Health remind residents to be prepared in case a disaster strikes.  We all have a role to play when it comes to an emergency incident.   

STAY INFORMED

Local public and first responder agencies encourage residents to sign up for Code Red, a reverse 9-1-1 system that will notify citizens of emergency and evacuation information. Recently, Washoe County Emergency Management enhanced emergency notifications with Perimeter, a new mapping software that allows first responders to enter incident locations and draw a perimeter around evacuation zones or map road closures, and instantly share with the public.  

Traditional means of notification remain important today such as the Emergency Alert System (EAS), a national warning system allowing authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and both AM/FM and satellite radio. 

Additionally, public agencies rely on our local media partners to report timely emergency information. Check all types of media – internet, newspapers, radio, TV – for local information and updates.  Regional governments and first responder organizations in the Truckee Meadows have made it a priority to disseminate timely and important emergency information through social media and other digital means.

If conditions warrant and are safe, as a last resort, first responders may travel through neighborhoods with sirens and may go door to door to notify residents of imminent evacuations and other important messages.

EVACUATIONS

Citizens have responsibilities in an emergency.  It is important to remember that if you are asked to evacuate, you have minutes, not hours.  You must heed the calls of first responders and go!  First responders often have little time to follow up and ensure nearby residents evacuate once announcements are made to leave their homes and neighborhoods. 

Know your escape route(s) and all options available to exit your community. Prepare ahead of time a plan of how you will leave, and where you will go, and practice.

It is important to prepare for a power outage. Know how to open your automatic garage door or entry gate should the power fail.  Have flashlights with fresh batteries on hand.  Stay calm.   

Prepare to be self-sufficient for at least three days. This may mean providing for your own shelter, first aid, food, water, and sanitation.  It is also critical to ensure you have prescription medications on hand. Make plans with your family and friends in case you’re not together during an emergency. Discuss how you’ll contact each other, where you’ll meet, and what you’ll do in different situations. Participate in practice drills with loved ones.

If you have neighbors with disabilities or elderly, hard of hearing, or sight impaired, reach out and help them become informed and prepared.

Have a plan in place for pets. If local officials ask you to evacuate, that means your pet should evacuate too. If you leave your pets behind, they may end up lost, injured, or worse.

Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that accompany disasters. Communities, families, and individuals should know what to do in the event of a wildfire, powerful storm or other catastrophic events that disrupt our daily lives. They should be ready to evacuate their homes, take refuge in public shelters or have other accommodations planned, and know how to care for their basic medical needs.

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Reno, NV. March 8, 2023 – Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue (TMFR) has announced two locations for the spring green waste disposal, accommodating residents that live in the south and north of the greater Reno-Sparks area.

Green Waste Collection Days offer the best alternative to creating defensible space and offer Washoe County residents to dispose of their dry and dead vegetation, shrubs, tree branches, and other wildland fuels to encourage the creation of defensible space to protect homes and property from wildfires.  This is a free event sponsored by the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District for all Washoe County residents, with support from NV Energy, Nevada Division of Forestry, Living With Fire (UNR Cooperative Extension), and Fire Adapted Nevada.

Green Waste Collection will take place beginning at 9am until 4pm, weather permitting at the following locations (check this website prior to the event to ensure it has not been canceled due to weather conditions or a Red Flag Warning): 

April 8 & 9                   Washoe Valley

Nevada Division of Forestry Fire Station, 885 Eastlake Blvd, Washoe Valley

April 22 & 23               Lemmon Valley

Lemmon Valley Station, 130 Nectar Street, Reno

Examples of accepted items include junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush, and other woody vegetation.

ONLY natural vegetation, please.  Items we will NOT accept include household garbage and trash, lumber/treated wood, hazardous materials, grass clippings, vegetation mixed with dirt and gravel, and stumps with root balls.  Tree stumps more than 8 inches in diameter will not be accepted.  Additionally, we cannot accept items in bags.  Bags must be emptied on-site and removed.  No commercial waste will be accepted from contractors or landscape companies.

Please do not dispose of waste outside of assigned hours.  Discarding waste outside of operating hours will be considered illegal dumping.  Please dispose of items only during the Green Waste Collection hours.

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Reno, NV (March 7, 2023) – Details for tomorrow’s (Wednesday, March 8) memorial procession for the Crew of Care Flight Fixed-Wing 56 for members of the public to pay their respects along the route. 

The procession will start at Walton’s Funeral Home located at Vine and 2^nd Street and will end at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, 4590 South Virginia Street.

The procession will start at 12:45 pm and will arrive no later than 1:15 pm.

Procession Route Segment:

• Starting from Walton’s travel EB on 2^nd Street to Greater Nevada Field. Veer right and follow 2^nd Street EB towards Kietzke Lane

• Follow E 2^nd Street past Renown Medical Center turning right (SB) on Kietzke Lane.

• Travel SB on Kietzke Lane for 4 miles passing through the intersections of Mill Street, Plumb Lane, Moana Lane, and East Peckham Lane.

• Follow Kietzke Lane to South Virginia Street turning right and proceeding NB on South Virginia Street.

• Arrive at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center

Minimal traffic disruptions will occur along the route. There will be no formal departure procession following the ceremony.

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Reno, NV, Nov. 18, 2022 – We want our Washoe County families to have a safe Thanksgiving and holiday season.  Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment.

Here are some tips to follow that will assure the safety of you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
• Deep Frying turkey – Make sure the turkey is completely thawed before it is placed in a fryer.
• Never leave the fryer unattended because, without thermostat controls, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire. 
• Never use a fryer on a wooden deck, under a patio cover, in a garage or enclosed space.
• Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
• Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
• Keep knives out of the reach of children.
• Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
• Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
• Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
• Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving Day had more than three times as many fires when compared to a typical day in the U.S., according to the NFPA.

In 2019, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,400 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the peak day for such fires.  Unattended cooking is by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.  Cooking equipment was involved in almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths.

On behalf of the firefighters and staff at Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, we wish our residents a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. We are thankful to serve you!

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By Fire Chief Charles Moore, Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue

Wildfires are dangerous and chaotic, especially when they occur in residential areas as we have witnessed in the last few fire seasons.

Viewing an attack on a wildfire is no doubt a fascinating visual. The intricate coordination that air tankers and helicopters perform from the air can be an amazing experience to watch up close.  And observing fire engines maneuver into place gives residents comfort that firefighters are on the scene.  However, the longer our residents delay evacuation after an order is given, the greater are the complications for the firefighting effort.   

Conflicts between fire equipment and citizens leaving at the same time is what we want to avoid.   For instance, fire hoses, once pressurized cannot be driven over. Vehicles break the hose which compromises the suppression effort as well as puts firefighters in a dangerous position. Multiple fire engines may also block roadways.

Firefighters must make rapid decisions on where to deploy apparatus and fire hose, along with identifying structures to protect.  Our fire crews are focused on coordinating resources in the air, and on the ground.  First responders often have little time to follow-up and ensure nearby residents evacuate once announcements are made to leave their homes and neighborhoods. 

If we can protect you in place, we will, but the strategy behind fighting wildland fires is much like playing chess. We try to anticipate what is going to happen a few moves down the chess board based on terrain and weather conditions. At times, we may order evacuations that are more extensive than might have been required.

As sometimes happens, if we order evacuations that are greater than might have been necessary, residents may question the necessity of the order.  However, if we underestimate and people get trapped by fire, we may have to count foundations, or worse. Therefore, we will always err on the side of safety. 

When you receive notification to evacuate, we respectfully ask our residents to follow the order and leave the neighborhood. We recognize the stress and uncertainty that an evacuation can cause our citizens, and we do everything we can to minimize the inconvenience.  In most cases, residents can return in a matter of a few hours. Law enforcement will also provide a significant presence to safeguard your homes.

Citizens should know how to respond to wildfire or any disaster that could occur in your area – weather events, flooding, or man-made disasters.  Prepare to be self-sufficient for at least three days. This may mean providing for your own shelter, first aid, food, water, and sanitation. Make plans with your family and friends in case you’re not together during an emergency. Discuss how you’ll contact each other, where you’ll meet, and what you’ll do in different situations.  Check all types of media – internet, newspapers, radio, TV – for local information and updates.

The fall is especially a critical time to prepare because fuels are drying out and wind events can be intense. Be safe!