I don’t actually remember the exact moment I met Sherry, she is just one of those people who are in your life, and you are happy for it. When I started my work at the District Attorney Office, I remember being excited to work with her, and during my time here, I can see my intuition was correct.

I love seeing Sherry every day and she always makes my day better. A good co-worker is reliable and dependable, has good communication skills and is honest and ethical – and that perfectly describes my “Sher-er-er-er-ieeeeeeee.”

Aside from the smile she brings me at work, I was also lucky enough to see her outside of work this past year during Best of Broadway.

If you saw the show, then you most certainly would have noticed her beautiful singing/solo. Downstairs, Sherrie was a huge savior. She brought so much energy and enthusiasm to rehearsals, always willing to offer her help to the directors or other cast members to truly make the show shine.

Anytime she saw my Peach downstairs she offered a hug and a quick word of encouragement. I was able to pick her brain in a non-judgmental way about so many things “Broadway” as I was a newbie to the production.

Sherrie also helped me this year for Holiday with a Hero. At the event, we started a new way of taking the children shopping, so it was a bit chaotic, and Sherrie just stepped in and filled a bunch of random different roles that I needed help with. (A lot of them involved a lot of walking, and back and forth from the college to the Walmart). But she did it!

When Sherrie isn’t performing or working, she is with her family. Sherrie is a very proud Military Momma, as well as a mother to her daughter who made Sherrie a grandma. No doubt about it, Sherrie loves being a grandma, always sharing videos and pictures of her grandson. It’s also no secret that little dude loves her so much.

Even though I don’t remember the exact moment I met her, I am very lucky to have Sherrie in my life. She is such a great listener and I always leave our conversations feeling heard and understood. She also has a very great sense of humor. Sometimes it’s tucked away behind a smile, but when she lets it out, it is amazing.

Thank you Sherrie, for being one of the reasons I love where we live.

“Prescribed fire is a cost-effective way to minimize the scope and severity of wildfires,” said

Senator Dodd, “It’s a tool that has been used for millennia by Native American tribes and one that will continue to play a big role in wildfire prevention. The rollout of this fund is a big step toward keeping California communities safe.”

The use of prescribed fire and cultural burning—sometimes collectively called “good” or “beneficial” fire —is a key component of wildfire risk management in California. These projects reduce hazardous fuels, help restore ecological and cultural values, and make our communities safer and our ecosystems more resilient to wildfire. However, lack of liability insurance for practitioners has been a major barrier to increasing the use of prescribed fire, even as firefighters, fire scientists, at-risk communities, and state, federal, and tribal leaders call for more.

“The Prescribed Fire Claims Fund pilot project removes a significant barrier to obtaining insurance for potential damages from a prescribed fire or cultural burn conducted by a certified prescribed fire burn boss or a cultural fire practitioner,” said Cal-FIRE Director/Chief Joe Tyler.

“As we continue to focus on increasing the resiliency of the state’s forests, creating a pathway for private burn bosses to have the significant protection this claims fund provides is a critical step toward reaching the goals of the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.”

The fund will provide up to $2 million in coverage for prescribed fire projects led by a qualified burn boss or cultural practitioner. The fund is meant to demonstrate that prescribed fire, when carefully planned, resourced, and implemented, is a low-risk land management tool that mitigates the larger, more damaging risks of high-severity wildfires. The fund is the first of its kind nationally and is the result of several years of collaboration by a diversity of partners working with Senator Dodd’s Office, including The Nature Conservancy, Cal-FIRE, the University of California Cooperative Extension, the California Department of Insurance, Tribal representatives, and many others.

“Launching this program is a key step in scaling ecologically based forest management to

reduce the risk of megafires. We appreciate Senator Dodd’s leadership and the expedient work of Cal-FIRE and beneficial fire practitioners to develop this fund as the next fire season quickly approaches,” said Dan Porter, The Nature Conservancy’s Forest Program Director.

The fund will also advance cultural burning, helping Indigenous Californians restore their

connection to fire.

“Cultural burning is an essential practice to meet diverse objectives, including biodiversity

stewardship, ecological health, and community safety. The availability of this pilot fund provides cultural fire practitioners a safeguard against financial risk in the unlikely event of an escaped burn. This is a significant incentive to support revitalization of burning traditions following the legacy of policies banning such practices,” said Don Hankins, Professor of Geography and Planning at CSU Chico and co-founder of the Indigenous Stewardship Network.

This fund is part of a larger vision for restoring beneficial fire across California’s fire-adapted ecosystems. Last year, the state released its Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire, which identified this claims fund as a priority. The state has also rolled out a state-certified burn boss program, changed the liability standard for prescribed fire, and made investments in prescribed burn associations, agency staffing, and other related efforts.

“We are using every tool to protect Californians, including using prescribed fire to fight

wildfires,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “The Prescribed Fire Claims fund will be critical to assisting our tribal groups, nonprofits and private landowners who are leading the way. This is an example of government being innovative and leading by example. The data that we get from the claims fund is going to be essential to our on-going education with insurance companies to support insuring this important work.”

Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Fire Network Director for the University of California’s Division of

Agriculture and Natural Resources, says the recent momentum is unparalleled.

“Californians are desperate to have a better relationship with fire, and only with innovative

approaches like this Claims Fund will we be able to unleash the good work that needs to

happen,” said Quinn-Davidson. “It’s a challenging time to be working on fire in California, but also an incredibly inspiring time.”

More information about the Pilot Prescribed Fire Claims Fund can be found on the Cal-FIRE

Website, including frequently asked questions and an enrollment form for practitioners.

What is a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan? The purpose of a LHMP is for local governments to identify the natural hazards that impact them, to identify actions and activities to reduce any losses from those hazards, and to establish a coordinated process to implement the plan, taking advantage of a wide range of resources.

A LHMP enables the County and the City to leverage Federal funding sources to prevent damages from natural hazards such as wildfires, power outages, and floods.

How can you help?

Public input is an essential part of the plan update. As part of the planning process, Lassen County and the City of Susanville are seeking feedback from residents and businesses from across the county to incorporate into the plan.

At the June 29th, meeting, which begins at 2:00p.m., in Jensen Hall at the Fairgrounds, the group will be discussing the Hazard Assessment section of the LHMP.

• What are the natural hazards you feel pose the greatest risk to your community?
• What concerns do you have, and what sorts of actions do you feel would help to reduce damages of future hazard events in your community or the county as a whole?

Comments, concerns, or questions about the LHMP can be directed to Cortney Flather, Natural Resources Coordinator, at cflather@co.lassen.ca.us. To review our current Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, last updated in 2018 visit: https://www.lassencounty.org/government/resources/planning-and-building-services

For more information you can call Lassen County at (530) 251-8269 or the City of Susanville (530) 252-5100.

Susanville’s City Hall and Fire Department around 1950. ~ From the Lassen Historical Society

Susanville Buys New Fire Truck

June 28, 1947

Mayor Jim E. Bronson this week announced that a new large fire truck had been ordered for the city of Susanville. The truck is a 750 gallon per minute pumper mounted on a GMC chassis, and will cost $12,559.

This will give the city two large fire trucks. Plans are to keep one of the two airplane crash type fire trucks recently bought from the war assets administration, and to sell the other. This move in accordance with recommendations of the Pacific Board of Fire Underwriters.

The new truck, on which delivery is not expected for several months, will be equipped with the usual ladders and other essentials equipment. It will have a 154-horsepower motor.

One of Susanville’s two fire engines in the 1940’s.