2020 Annual Report

Welcome to Spring 2021! Hopefully, we are through the COVID threat and everyone gets vaccinated.

In February, the weatherman forecast bad new for us. “Anytime we get into a rebounding La Nina situation it’s really dangerous for the Northwest.” Dry conditions could lead to another summer of fires. The forecast was right so far - no rain. The forest around the lake is already very dry and the flow from Kilroy Creek is getting low. The outlook for the summer only gets worse - very hot and dry.

Not a great way to start an annual newsletter as last year was a one of turmoil and confusion due to Covid, and I hope this year doesn’t turn out to be one of drought and fire. Living & owning property at Kilroy Bay and Pine Cove is always a unique adventure.

The Good News

Working with Bob Howard, Emergency Management Director of Bonner County, after 3 years of effort, we finally were able to receive a BONFIRE grant to clear brush and vegetation in 30 acres of the Kilroy Bay meadow. That project was completed in November 2020. Please see the results of that excellent work below.

Many thanks need to be extended to Bob Howard, John Ailport of Inland Forest Management, Jim Miller, who acted as the Boat Taxi for the work crew, and all the crew that did such a great job. Now it is up to us to keep the brush under control and the road open. This winter we had two big windstorms that took down a lot of trees. Thanks to the hard work of Rich & Barb Pickens, Jerry Portello, Jim & Bernie Miller, Dave & Helen Blyton, Rick Voss, John Kvamme and others, the roads got cleared at least twice this winter.

Fire mitigation is our most important responsibility as landowners in today’s environment and your involvement in this cause is required. What everyone can do is learn how to protect your own cabin. Remove all flammable items within 6’ of your home’s edge. Harden your home against ember entry and penetration. Prune trees and manage vegetation in your yard. Go online at www.idahofirewise.org and learn what you can do. Take the initiative with preventive measures against the threat of wildfires as there is really no excuse for falling to take actions necessary to create defensible space around your cabin. Additional online training courses in wildfire suppression are available at the “National Wildland Fire Training” website. Or call Dave Blyton (509-951-8829) our VFD Training officer.

A lot has been accomplished in the last few years except for most of last year since we were all dealing with the Covid pandemic. One of our most important goals was reached when we received the grant money from Bonner county to clear the 30 acres mentioned earlier. This is extremely important in our quest for fire mitigation. Now we may stand a chance to slow or stop a fire before it can get to our homes. Take a walk through the meadow and see what we are talking about.

The VFD has about 3,500 gallons of water storage now for when the creek runs dry as it does each year. This year we plan to add an additional 500-gallon water tank, a pump and hoses on a dual axle trailer to be placed at the west edge of Kilroy Bay to allow for a more rapid response to cabin fires in that area. The VFD is still working with the Idaho dept, of lands (IDL) on obtaining an additional one-ton fire truck, firehose and handheld equipment to fight fires.

Last summer the VFD gang brought an 8’ x 15’ van storage unit into Kilroy. It was quite an experience. We now have a place to store hand tools and hoses, and during the winter we can also store all the fire pumps and associated equipment. It takes a lot of volunteer time and energy to winterize all the trucks & pumps, and to properly store the hoses, batteries and other items each fall. Then in the spring we de-winterize everything. Getting the trucks running, batteries charged & installed, relocating the water pumps to the beach and testing them, and filling the storage tanks with water from a water line installed above the Kilroy Creek waterfall is time consuming and has all been done by a handful of volunteers each year.

Again, this year we are asking each property owner for $150.00 to allow us to continue to build on the progress that we have made. Liability insurance is required annually and is not cheap. Equipment maintenance is a never-ending challenge. Having fire trucks and equipment is nice but it requires the equipment to be totally operational at all times. Even if you don’t have the time or ability to volunteer, please contribute financially to support this effort.

Please write checks to KB&PC VFD and mail them to our Secretary/Treasurer -

Nancy Kvamme

1750 N. Harvest Pkwy

Liberty Lake, WA 99019-5245

We are planning to hold our annual meeting on either May 30 or 31st in the Kilroy Meadow at 11 AM, weather permitting. We decide on the actual date that weekend!

Thanks again for your past support and to the volunteers whose hard work is keeping the VFD moving forward. Many thanks to Melissa Newcomer for keeping the VFD website updated and thanks again to Jim Miller for boating the brushing crew back and forth across the lake in rather terrible weather last fall.

I’m sure we are all looking forward to this year at the lake. Be healthy, safe and enjoy what Mother nature provides.

Doug Peters, Fire Chief

Fire does not respect property lines, so we must be proactive in creating defensible spaces where public and private lands intersect.

KBPC VFD Officers & Board Members

Doug Peters, Fire Chief

509-994-7744

DougPeters9463@gmail.com

Dave Blyton, Training Officer

509-951-8829

dlblyton@msn.com

Jim Miller

509-991-2558

Pinecovemiller@aol.com

Rich Pickens

208-929-1141

Kilroypickens@yahoo.com

Don Holland

208-610-0806

Donholland3@gmail.com

Nancy Kvamme, Sec/Treas

509-998-6839

nancy6839@outlook.com