Students Help to Make Kern Valley Fire Safe

By Valerie Cassity | Kern Valley Sun | Published Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns Mimi Jenkins, Doug Rock, and team leader Ashley Thrasher gave a presentation on the work they have been doing over the summer. SCA was founded in 1957 and works with various federal agencies and non profit organizations on nature-related projects throughout the nation. Rock gave an overview of fire ecology, stating that fire is necessary and a natural part of a forest ecosystem, and explained that the focus is now on reintroducing fire while ensuring that structures have a defensible space. The SCA interns have been doing education through festivals and a library day, as well as assisting with the informational aspect of the recent Clover and Piute fires. Most importantly, the students have been conducting home assessments in Kern Valley, Kennedy Meadows, and Tehachapi, teaching homeowners how to ensure that their homes are fire safe. The students do evaluations for home owners who request them, assessing access (fire routes for escape and emergency personnel), vegetation (fuel load, defensible space, vegetation near the roof), and construction (roofing, combustible structures, eaves, and propane tank). The students then create a report and give suggestions on how to improve fire safety. To request your free home fire safety evaluation, contact Ashley at (208) 608-6329 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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