When school is a fire camp
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Submitted photography
Arcitle by Marcia Schlottman, Public Relations KSCD.
BONANZA, Ore. - Bonanza School is pulling double duty this week – holding summer school classes for students and serving as a fire camp and incident command center for the Cutoff Fire on Bly Mountain.
On Monday morning, colorful tents dotted the playground and baseball fields around the K-12 school buildings. At the high school, some classrooms and the cafeteria were set up as bases for operations, logistics, finance, and information for Oregon Department of Forestry's Incident Management Team.
In other high school classrooms and at the elementary school, summer school classes continued as scheduled. Late Monday morning, the Bonanza girls basketball team boarded a bus bound for the state playoffs in Glide. Food service workers set up for the free Grab-and-Go Meal program for youth.
Steve Johnson, KCSD’s risk management director, said the district often works in partnership with emergency agencies to provide resources and help communities. Last fall, Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School served as an incident command center and fire camp for the 242 Fire.
ODF has set up what Information Officer Jamie Knight described as a self-contained community on the Bonanza campus. The fire camp has on-site medical, a fire cache, and a specialized team that includes a meteorologist and a fire behavior analyst.
As of Monday afternoon, the fire camp at Bonanza served as base to about 250 fire personnel from various agencies. ODF is in charge of the fire. Day crews sleep in tents on school fields. Night crews, who must sleep during daytime 80- and 90-degree temperatures, are using the small gymnasium.
Community members often want to donate to firefighters, but Knight, ODF’s information officer, said though the thought is appreciated, fire camps are self-sufficient and not set up to take donations. She encouraged those wanting to help to contact the Red Cross or send monetary gifts to their local fire departments.
The Cutoff Fire was reported at around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, about six miles north of Bonanza. As of 2 p.m. Monday, more than half of the fire’s 1,150-acre perimeter had been lined. Containment was at about 10 percent. Level 3 (Go) evacuation levels were lifted around noon and reset to Level 2 (Get Set).
Fire officials still expect challenging conditions later today. A red-flag warning is in effect from 5 p.m. due to thunderstorms with associated shifting winds, with gusts possible up to 25 miles per hour. For live updates and information, go to https://www.facebook.com/CutoffFire2021
