Sly Park Area Fire Safe Blog

It's about common sense and legacy.

I just updated our web site announcing the June 1st evacuation drill for our first emergency exit route via Makinaw Street (off of lower Loch Leven Dr).

This route, a narrow 1 lane roadway will benefit the Environmental Education Center and Sly Park Hills. This solution has taken three years - Three long years when it should have been done years ago. It should have taken only months to complete, yet it took 3 years; road-block after road-block. Why?

Why should it take us so long to obtain an emergency exit route that benefits the community? Why are we unable to secure additional emergency routes? Does anyone care?  HELLO???

I have been a member of the Sly Park Hills Area Fire Safe Council for less than a year. When I first became a member I heard stories from those departing describing a political landscape of indifferent leadership and gamesmanship. Story after story I heard. Afterwards I thought, “this can’t be that difficult because of the apparent need”. This is forest fire country. It is a high risk area. These are facts. Clearly everyone understands the situation and will work as a community to improve our safety.

A review of the Sly Park Fire Corridor report written at the end of 2005 documented the urgent needs and potential solutions. OK, I said; I will join and I will even allow emergency access on my road easements to Arundel Road and Bela Vista Drive.  My neighbor also did so. It was the right thing to do.

After a year it is clear to me why it has taken three years for the Makinaw Street emergency route. Having grown up in Pollock Pines I am ashamed. They say you can never return home. I guess they are right. Home is not the physical place one wishes to return to; rather it is the sense of community, the pride in doing what is right and belonging. It is also about one’s legacy. What am I leaving when I depart? Will I be remembered? Will they name a lake after me or curse the day I was born?

If one life is saved by the efforts of my new friends on the fire safe council, we have done well. If many lives are spared due to our efforts, we will be remembered. I expect those who opposed us will have a different memory. I hope it is one they can live with. 

Regards, Mike Angles

May 29 note:  In writing my original post I failed to acknowledge those that made our new emergency route possible.  Many thanks to Marty Hackett and his OES team, EID, the US Forest Service, the folks at the Environmental Ed Center, Mike Slasher, Tom Schulz, The Todd's (Jan and Bob), Marvin Bukema, Craig Jones, Bill Buetow and the many past members of our fire safe council. Your contributions have added to the safety of our community.  I also wish to extend another thank you to Marty Hackett for setting up the June 1st drill and using the reverse 911 system to notify our community.