Japatul VFD is great resource for local community

By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — In the small Alpine neighborhood of Japatul Valley some locals are taking fire protection into their own hands to help keep more of the Back Country safe. Resident Jeff Bloom, along with some of his neighbors, has formed the Japatul Volunteer Fire Department in the remote area where there is currently no facilities in close range.

Members of the Japatul Volunteer Fire Department; Mike Shaffer, Beth Smith, Bethany Pappani, Jeff Bloom, Peter Vukov, Greg Fletcher and Jamie Lenore, pose in front of one of the group’s three fire trucks.

     The Japatul Volunteer Fire Department is located in the center of Japatul Valley, approximately five miles down Japatul Valley Road. They currently have three trucks in their fleet, and have these trucks filled with water at all times, as well as a slip on fire pump and a water tender trailer.
     They are ready to lend assistance to anyone in need, however, they must have the permission of the landowner to work on personal properties and they respect this.
     Among the founding participants with Bloom, are Jamie Lenore, Greg Fletcher, and David Howe. Also, Peter Vukov works as the chief engineer and mechanic, Mike Shaffer is in attendance to work as well, Beth Smith and Bethany Pappani scout the hills and canyons for hot spots regularly on horseback.
     Scott Helm also supports the project and lends his own expertise, as he is a certified firefighter along with John Ball. Ball is a San Diego Lifeguard Firefighter who drives the fire boat on the bay. George Williams is an equipment operator who is also involved. Along with all of these, there are two more retired firefighters as well as two EMTs involved in this volunteer department.
     In the recent Horse Fire, the JVFD lent support by directing the firefighters to water sources and lending their own water support. They also had their fire trucks strategically parked at Japatul Valley homes ready to respond if needed.
     Currently, Bloom is hoping to receive a non-profit status for his department, which will open doors for him in the way of insurance needs as well as professional training for the men and women who are willing to work in this needed facility. Pine Valley has offered to help train participants, pending insurance and Bloom is avidly seeking what is needed to make this work.
     Bloom has found a lot of support in this project.  Not only has he found people willing to work and more people willing to train, he has received help from Wendy Cornelius, who introduced Bloom to the Alpine Fire Safe Council. U.S. Communications donated a radio for his truck; he has also had lighting systems donated for use in the trucks.
     Jamie Lenore has designated an area on his own property for training for the men and women. Also, on Lenore’s property, a dried up pond was recently worked on by the JVFD with the help of George William’s operator skills. In two weekends, the JVFD turned that old pond into an accessible reservoir, complete with access roads to be another viable water source for fire fighters and helicopter support after it fills naturally with coming rains.
     These people are serious about keeping their area fire safe. Bloom recognizes the need for fire support, but also knows that there is more to this than just having the facilities to fight a fire when it happens. It is also important to keep your property fire safe before a fire hits.
     The JVFD is owned and operated by the Japatul Home Owners Association and its mission statement is: To preserve Japatul Valley’s natural and man-made resources from wild fire through education and on the ground fuel management projects.
     “Land owners are responsible for clearing brush and trimming up and back bushes and trees,” Bloom said.
     A cleared area can make the difference between a home burning in a fire and it being safe. Firefighters must have access to your home and land before they can adequately stop anything from burning.
     For this reason, Bloom is very involved in the Alpine Fire Safe Council’s upcoming chipping program. The AFSC will be helping to chip cuttings for landowners and the JVFD also has a chipper ready for action that was donated by the Forest Service.

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