Butte Valley Fire Protection District

04/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/100067826799316/posts/1275828921354656/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

12/22/2025

Please be careful in this week’s weather. Stay alert, be safe! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from your BVFPD Board and Volunteers. https://www.facebook.com/100067826799316/posts/1191593833111499/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

🚨 Important Alert 🚨. Severe weather is currently impacting our area, resulting in widespread flooding and hazardous road conditions. We strongly advise against all non-essential travel to ensure your safety. Please refrain from driving through flooded streets and stay informed about the latest weather updates. Your well-being is our top priority. Stay safe and take necessary precautions.

12/12/2025

Upcoming wildland firefighter training in the spring to prep our Siskiyou County
Volunteer Firefighters for the upcoming 2026 Fire Season. State Fire Training certified course FC6 Wildland Fire Essentials presented by BVFPD’s own Assistant Fire Chief of Training and Administration Wayne Eder. This course is offered at no cost to Siskiyou County volunteers but you must register in advance. Mark your calendars!

This course provides information, methods, and techniques for the utilization of the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Plan, Incident Command System, wildland fire fighting strategy and tactics, structure triage, terminology, survival skills and operating safely in a wildland fire-fighting incid...

12/06/2025

BVFPD operates a Support Water Tender for incidents both within and outside of our fire district. What is a Water Tender? Here is some great information. Have a safe day!

https://www.facebook.com/61571329861070/posts/122149237016710995/

WATER TENDERS ON WILDFIRES

What they are & why they matter

WHAT IS A WATER TENDER?

A Water Tender (also called a tanker in wildland fire terms) is a specialized vehicle designed to haul large volumes of water to remote or hard-to-reach wildfire locations. Because many fires occur far from hydrants or municipal systems, tenders are critical for keeping engines, crews, and aircraft supplied.

On incidents, tenders are typed based on their capacity and capability:
• Type 1 Tender: 4,000+ gallons
• Type 2 Tender: 2,500+ gallons
• Type 3 Tender: 1,000+ gallons
• Tactical Tenders: Pump-and-roll, higher mobility, used directly on the fireline

WHAT DO WE USE THEM FOR?

1. Supplying Engines & Crews

Tenders set up water points along roads or divisions so engines don’t have to return miles to refill. This keeps engines on the line and increases suppression efficiency.

2. Supporting Hand Crews

Hand crews rely heavily on tenders to refill:
• bladder bags
• Mark-3 or Portable Pump setups
• hose lays
• pumpkin tanks

A tender can feed an entire hose lay operation.

3. Structure Protection in the WUI

Water tenders are heavily used in interface (WUI) operations for:
• filling engines, Type 6s, and Type 3s
• supplying portable tanks around homes
• backing up sprinkler systems
• supporting firing operations near structures

WUI work often requires large volumes fast — tenders make it possible.

4. Feeding Helicopter Dip Sites

Many helibases or dip sites use:
• pump-fed drafting setups, or
• portable heliwells / pumpkin tanks

Tenders keep these tanks topped off, especially during high ops tempo.

5. Dust Abatement & Roadway Safety

Tenders apply water to:
• reduce dust on access roads
• improve visibility for engines, dozers, and crew carriers
• firm up roads for heavy equipment using foam/re-wetting agents

This greatly improves logistics during long-duration incidents.

6. Direct Fireline Support (Tactical Tenders)

Tactical tenders can:
• pump-and-roll
• lay hose
• support firing ops
• extinguish hotspots along dozer lines

They’re especially valuable on grass, sage, and fast-moving initial attack fires where mobility matters.

WHY THEY’RE ESSENTIAL ON EVERY INCIDENT

Water = Time

On a wildfire, having water close by buys time, slows fire spread, and keeps resources working without interruption.

Mobility = Access

Tenders reach places standard municipal engines cannot.

Support = Capacity

With tenders in place, a division can run multiple engines, pumps, and hose lays without running dry.

12/03/2025

Happy Holidays! The BVFPD Board and Staff wish each of you a safe, happy, and prosperous holiday season. This time of year is hazardous, with the threat of structural fires ever-present. Please review the attached holiday safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association. Stay safe!

10/29/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100064499567961/posts/1263739215786052/

10/14/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100067826799316/posts/1135201918750691/

🔥Siskiyou County Burn Permit Suspension Lifted MONDAY OCTOBER 13,2025!

CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit Chief Greg Roath is lifting the burn permit suspension in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) starting Monday, October 13, 2025.

✅ Residents with a valid residential burn permit can resume burning on approved burn days.

🌿 Dooryard Burn Rules:
• Burn only natural vegetation from your property (leaves, pine needles, tree trimmings). ❌ No trash
• Piles ≤ 4 ft diameter with 10 ft clearance
• Responsible adult present at all times 👀
• Have water ready (hose or 5-gallon extinguisher) 💧
• Check burn day status: 530-842-8123 📞
• No burning on windy days 🌬️

🖨️ Burn Permit Required: Get yours online at CAL FIRE Burn Permit
and print & sign before burning. Permit must be on-site.

🌟 Stay safe, burn smart!
🔥🌲💧

09/28/2025

Breaking News: Fire in W**d, CA Today 9/28/25 Evacuation in progress. Remain out of the area.

250 Block of Main St, W**d, CA 96094, USA

09/11/2025

It's official! We were awarded and accepted the California Fire Foundation Grant and were listed in their press release today! A BIG thank you to the California Fire Foundation for the Wildland Protective Clothing and Equipment Grant of $24,600. This will go a long way to keeping our community and your firefighters safe.

Return to News For Immediate Release: Contact: PG&E Communications | 415-973-5930 California Fire Foundation | DeeDee Garcia | [email protected] Sep 09, 2025 The PG&E Corporation Foundation and California Fire Foundation Announce Wildfire Safety Grants for Eighth Consecutive Year 63 Grants Totaling $9...

08/26/2025

An exciting day for the Butte Valley FPD! We received word today that we were awarded a grant from the California Fire Foundation for $24,600 to purchase NEW Wildland Protective Clothing (PPE) for ALL of our personnel and new wildland firefighting tools for E-1810. This is an incredible blessing for our department, as some of our personnel are wearing 20+ year-old hand-me-down equipment. Thank you, California Fire Foundation!

Our Board of Directors will be holding a special board meeting next week to accept this grant and discuss this expenditure.