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SUNNY Temp: 71 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, August 1, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 24, 2003 Fire plan put to test Seven Basins Council works out kinks in response to wildfire By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — A six-acre wildfire on Foots Creek that threatened homes gave Seven Basins Watershed Council community leaders an unexpected test of their communication system Tuesday. State, federal, local and private agencies responded to the blaze that began at 4:53 p.m. and flared up again on Wednesday morning. Responsible for notifying neighbors of fire danger were residents Shayne Maxwell and Teresa Rippey, leaders in the council’s Foots Creek Fire Plan. Maxwell and Rippey said they quickly worked the phone trees, but getting up-to-the-minute fire line information from officials and coordinating traffic control was not as successful as hoped. Advertisement Seven Basins is a year-old citizens council serving residents of a 265,000-acre area in northwestern Jackson County. Members have been working on a comprehensive fire plan that includes evacuation routes, access roads, lists of water sources, generators and livestock and a mobile information center. Rippey said the fire came so close to her home she and her husband decided to evacuate their miniature horses. "I called everyone on my list and left messages, but not everyone has signed up" for the plan, said Rippey. Rippey, recovering from leg surgery, said she was trying to get the word out, protect property and evacuate her horses to White City all Tuesday afternoon and evening. She said she wants to see more people join the council, cooperate with their neighbors and have an evacuation plan for their animals. "The system is good, but it needs to be expanded," she said. "But there are people who moved to the country for privacy and they don’t want to give out their information." Maxwell said more people need to see Tuesday’s fire as a wake-up call. She also said it was an opportunity to work out some kinks in the current system. "This was a great trial run without a lot of devastation," said Maxwell, who lives a mile from the fire. "But by the time the sheriff got here, there were traffic problems." Maxwell said concerned residents and "lookie-loos" jammed the roadways and caused difficulties for responding fire vehicles. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said his department generally waits to respond until requested by fire officials. However, Winters said those "lookie-loos" can be a big problem in fire zones. "Some of them aren’t just rubber-necking. Some are thieves," said Winters. "Once we’ve established the lines, I don’t let anyone through unless they have valid IDs." Maxwell said the group is raising money for a Mobile Information Center, a trailer that would serve as an informational rallying point and provide residents with vital news about the fire. Rogue River Fire District Chief Greg Winfrey said the MIC would be helpful to firefighters as well. Winfrey said firefighters are often too busy assessing dangers and coordinating an effective firefighting plan to do much talking to concerned residents. "We know people are starved for information," said Winfrey. "But we can either sit back from the fire line and try and answer questions or we can get a line around the fire." The Foots Creek Fire District will hold a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. July 31 at the Foots Creek Chapel, 913 Foots Creek Road. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times