Pliocene Ridge 2024 Fire Department Activity Summary

Emergency Response

The district had a total of 34 “tone-outs” in 2024.

Tone-outs by category:

Fire: 9 calls (26%) All mutual aid (outside of district).

Medical: 16 calls (47%)

Vehicle Accident: 2 calls (6%)

Good Intent: 7 calls (21%) This category includes public assistance, smoke checks and cancellations. Two in this category were for mutual aid requests outside of the district.

By response area: 23 calls (68%) within the district boundaries and 11 outside (32%).

By Fire Dept. Both Depts: 16 calls, Alleghany Fire Dept: 1 call, Pike City Fire Dept: 17 calls.

Note: All mutual aid calls were for the Pike City FD for the N. San Juan and Camptonville response areas.

Standby assignments and strike team assignments are not included in the tally above.

2024 Highlights

In addition to regular weekly training, a First Aid for First Responders Course was held at the Pike City Firehouse in March. Eleven Firefighters attended the class over a period of several days.

July through October the fire departments participated in ten CAL-OES Standby Assignments for high fire danger days. On two of those days, strike teams responded to incidents outside of the district. Water Tender 67 responded with two firefighters to the Park Fire in Butte County and was on scene for eleven days. Engine 7180 responded with three firefighters to the Bear Fire near Sierra Brooks and was on scene for 24 hours.

In addition to the assignments above, the Pike City Fire Dept. provided mutual aid for two out-of-district USFS assignments and three CDF assignments for nearby fires.

Firewise Communities

Both the Pike and Alleghany Firewise communities are in good standing for another year (through 2025). The new certificates are available on the district website. Follow the link below and click on the Firewise Community Document link for your community on the righthand side.

Some residents have been able to get fire insurance discounts by submitting the certificate to their carrier! Firewise resources can be found at the following page (also linked at top of homepage plioceneridge.org) https://www.plioceneridge.org/firewise if you do not have internet access you can leave a message at 530-288-0624 to have information mailed to you.

Fire Safe Sierra County is working to apply for planning grants to fund the development of vegetation clearance projects for residents. https://www.firesafesierracounty.org/hazardous-fuel-reduction

Both websites listed above include valuable information and resources for residents to both prevent and prepare for wildfire emergencies.

In Memoriam

2024 was a year of sad loss for the community.

On April 5th PRCSD President Larry Allen died unexpectedly at his home in Alleghany. Larry was a retired Sierra County D.A. He served on several other boards outside of the district. Parliamentary procedure was second nature to him. His presence and the efficiency with which he ran the meetings is missed.

On August 5th long-time Pike resident Roland Robertson came home from the hospital for Hospice Care. He died only a few days later. Roland was passionate about supporting his community and the Pike City Fire Department. He was the President of the Pike Community Support Foundation for many years. His absence has left a void that cannot be filled.

On November 9th. Pliocene Ridge CSD Fire Chief Chris Dorn was killed in a motorcycle accident. Chief Dorn was a collaborator and a “people person”. In the five-years that he served as our Fire Chief, he helped build a sense of comradery among our local and regional fire agencies. He successfully worked to upgrade the district’s aging Fire Apparatus. He held his firefighters in the highest esteem and would do anything for them. We miss his laugh and jovial nature.

Deepest condolences to the families of these three men. “Time is the only medicine.”

Capital Improvement Fund

On October 14, 2024, at what turned out to be Chief Dorn’s last PRCSD Board Meeting, he advocated for the formation of a Capital Improvement Fund. We are asking folks to make donations to the fund in his memory. Checks should be made out to PRCSD, with C.I.F. on the memo line. The fund will be used to improve and upgrade district buildings, vehicles and other long-term assets.