SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As fires continue to be a concern for those living in the basin, both Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) will continue their new collaboration to improve fuel reduction and safety on South Shore.

SLTFR Division Chief Jay Manning and LVFPD Captain Martin Goldberg are both working on fuel reduction projects in positions funded through the California Tahoe Conservancy. They meet with South Shore agencies to identify and address those fire safety needs from Stateline to Echo Summit to Emerald Bay.

Since the creation of their specific fuel reduction positions in August, they’ve recently completed a vital project that improved controllability of fuel over 18 acres, along US-50 and the airport infrastructure. This work will continue through a new set of projects addressing the airport grounds, Tahoe Island, and 56 acres of campground by lake locations.

Because the project began in 2021, the fuel in the area was chipped, which changes the dynamic of fire burning in the area. For future projects, Goldberg says he’s interested in full removal, which will happen through hauling or burning. That removal will mean even less ability for fire to spread.

“We live in the forest, and there’s always going to be an inherent risk of fire,” said Manning. “But fuel reductions are trying to create areas where fire can come through and won’t spread to other areas of the community. We really focus on the areas that will give people a fighting chance.”

Manning also emphasized that Indigenous practices of controlled burns were a way of reducing fuels in the area, and fuel reduction practices are now returning to those management practices.

“This is the first time these two agencies have really come together for this kind of fire protection,” said Goldberg. He spoke to the importance of fuel reduction by referencing this year’s Los Angeles fires, as well as the Eaton and Palisades fires. “Those fires started outside of the community and were able to spread into them and they could be very destructive.”

However, he also pointed out the necessity of a multi-pronged approach. Goldberg said, “There’s a momentum in building Firewise communities, community risk reduction, defensible space, and home hardening. All those are necessary components.”

“The work that homeowners do and the partnerships we have with agencies like the U.S. Forest Service are just a piece of the puzzle,” said Manning. “We’re trying to organize, coordinate, and reduce the risks by having a strong system—and one of our strongest pieces is community involvement.”

Manning and Goldberg are both in the process of planning more projects. One will build from work previously done on US-50, will be in conjunction with Caltrans, and will focus on making evacuation and egress safer. Another will be focused on South Tahoe High School and will start this summer, making the school and its field much safer. Other projects for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District are in the works as well.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.