News from Rapid City Survivable Space Initiative

Rapid City Veteran Training and Wildfire Mitigation

The Rapid City Survivable Space Initiative and the BLM team up to train Veterans.

Monthly Newsletter

July 2013

Program Announcement near Kingswood Subdivision. Back row Jim, Dave, Jarod, Taylor. Front row L to R Travis Lipp - BLM, Chief Mike Maltaverne - RCFD, LT. Tim Weaver - RCFD

Rapid City Announces new Veteran Assistance Program

The Rapid City Fire and Parks Departments announced a new program June 14th that will be part of the city's successful Survivable Space Initiative, which focuses on the removal of hazardous fuels associated with wildfires. Wildfire is a constant threat every year in the Black Hills, and, programs like these help communities like Rapid City reduce the threat of a catastrophic fire event in areas where neighborhoods are mixed with natural vegetative fuels. Our veteran crew will assist the city of Rapid City with wildfire preparedness in hazardous fuel removal, and will receive training in areas of fire fighting, emergency preparedness, equipment operation, forestry, parks, and public education. Under the city's Urban Interface Management Plan, the Fire Department and Parks Department work together to battle mountain pine beetle infestations in the city and tackle hazardous fuel reduction for wildfire. An every growing problem, and one where manpower and funds are a premium, the BLM Community Assistance Program will greatly assist in this effort.

First Project Area

The first project area is near Kingswood, a neighborhood community in NW Rapid City adjacent to the Pennington County boundary. This area has varying terrain with ponderosa pine and cedar being the dominant vegetative cover type. The area is a 20 acre parcel owned the city which is currently overgrown and in the current state, a catastrophic fire event is likely in the event of a wild land fire. There is also a pine beetle outbreak in this timber stand, further increasing the wildfire threat this property poses to the Kingswood

neighborhood.

Heavy Overgrowth of Hazardous Fuel

Several property owners in Kingswood have done fuel mitigation in preparation for wildfire through the Initiative and the Urban Interface Management Plan, and have expressed great concern over this adjacent property to the neighborhood. This grant gives Rapid City the ability to help make one of its neighborhood communities safer from wildfire while helping to train some of our transitioning veterans for a future career.

Jarod and Jim talk with a Kingswood resident.

Kingswood Project Update

The Kingswood project area has undergone a major change since the project inception in June. Currently the Veteran crew has managed to cut a 300 ft buffer zone of mitigated timber extending from the property lines of adjoining private property owners! We are super excited that they have been able to get that much cut in such a short amount of time, and just as we are going into out hottest and driest months. The total area of the buffer zone is approximately 10 acres, and extends along the entire southern border of the Kingswood neighborhood. The Veteran crews' efforts will undoubtedly make a huge difference in the event of a wildfire in the area, and will greatly reduce the severity at which the fire will impact the neighboring property owners. Great job!

Dave Ferrier fells a tree on the Kingswood Project

Jim and Taylor remove hazardous brush

Veteran Crew helps with Firewise Day!

Jim and Taylor assist homeowners in the Chapel Valley subdivision with their Firewise Day recently in Rapid City. Part of the Survivable Space Initiative, the veteran crew assists neighborhoods with fuel reduction events. Shirley Frederick, who lives in the subdivision, commented that this program "Helps bring veterans back into the community doing work for people who really appreciate what they do."

Grinding cedars from Shirley Fredericks yard

Update:

Veteran Crew Helps Pinedale Heights with Fire Mitigation

Recently the Crew helped out in parts of the Pinedale Heights neighborhood with brush clearing on properties bordering the main egress routes. These parcels were severly overgrown, and in their current state would have contributed to severe fire behavior along the main exit routes from the neighborhood. The Veteran crew was able to drastically minimize the amount of heavy fuel loading on these parcels. The Pinedale Heights area is excited about the progress, and has decided to persue becoming a Firewise Community! Many property owners in Pinedale Heights have followed our lead in making their own properties more fire resistant.

Jarod and Dave work on clearing brush alonside the roadway.

Jarod Lewis-Veteran Crew Member

Jarod formerly served as a Corporal in the Marine Corps infantry with 1/4 Bravo Company. He spent two years as a rifleman and then cross trained as and assault man for the last two years. He served as a squad leader in charge of 12 Marines, and then took over an assault squad. He did two deployments to the South Pacific and the Middle East.

James Reichert-Veteran Crew Member

Jim is Rapid City born and raised, and has 14 years of military service in the United States Air Force, 4 years of experience as a volunteer fire fighter, and 6 years working in the lumber industry. He is also the 3rd generation of his family to work for the Rapid City Fire Department and Rapid City while part of this program.

Dave Ferrier-Veteran Crew Member

Dave is also Rapid City born and raised, and served as a Corporal in the Marine Corps. He did all 4 years of his enlistment in the infantry as a rifleman, and was a team leader. He went on 2 deployments with 1/4 Charlie Company to the South Pacific and the Middle East.

Taylor Bowling-Veteran Crew Member

Taylor is originally from North Carolina and served 3 1/2 years in the Air Force doing HVAC work. He was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base as a member of the 28th Civil Engineering Squadron, and deployed overseas once to the Middle East for 6 months.