ANCHORAGE (Your Alaska Link) – JBER Fire and Emergency Services and the Anchorage Fire Department are training to get the certification and the wildland fire chainsaw class to better protect and assist with wildfires across the state.
This year, Southwest Alaska has a higher risk of wildfires due to less snowfall. However, classes a session for firefighters preparing to learn how to safely use chainsaws to remove dead trees during a wildfire.
These skills can be essential during a wildfire to help save lives.
“Benefits everyone. So we’ve met each other. We know each other’s faces. So when we meet out there in a fire line, we know each other’s capabilities. And as far as for Anchorage, you know, it’s any additional training we can get to serve the community better is a plus and just being more prepared for whatever might come,” Joey Casey, a firefighter from Station 6 in Anchorage.
Emergency personnel will create a barrier around the fire during an active wildfire to contain it.
“We try and cut a trail around the fire and that may be the access with pumps and hoses and different ways of getting there. And so you’re either cutting a trail so you can get there or you’re removing problem fuels. And we’ve had a big issue with bug kill. So there’s dead trees kind of everywhere. And the fire tends to to really like to to burn those,” Matthew Allen, from U.S. Air Force Wildland Fire Managment, said.
Knowing what a dead tree looks like is vital to helping prevent a wildfire.
“At the base of a tree, especially in the wintertime. You see a lot of the brown needles that usually indicates a dead tree. If the bark starts falling off due to the beetle kill, that’s usually a good indicator. Birch trees, if the top of it is black or the top is as broken off, usually that can indicate that that birch tree has also started to die and can catch fire a lot easier,” Daniel Gerome, a firefighter and EMT at JBER, said.
Visit https://www.muni.org for more information on getting your home inspected for wildfire safety.