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National Fire Plan Success Story

Helping Hands
New River Gorge National River, West Virginia
National Fire Plan - Community Assistance
2009

Mike Peck, New River Gorge, and Tom Halki, West Virginia Division of Forestry, finish loading the equipment.
Mike Peck, New River Gorge, and Tom Halki, West Virginia Division of Forestry, finish loading the equipment of for several VFDs. Photo by Gary Hartley.

Mike Peck, New River Gorge, Shane Wheeler, Chief, Mt. Hope VFD, and Kermit Foster, Assistant Chief, Mt. Hope VFD, with a skid unit.
Mike Peck, New River Gorge, Shane Wheeler, Chief, Mt. Hope VFD, and Kermit Foster, Assistant Chief, Mt. Hope VFD, with a skid unit. Photo by Gary Hartley.

Wildland firefighting in isolated backcountry areas is now a little easier for two neighboring volunteer fire departments. Through a Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) Program grant, New River Gorge National River purchased new wildland fire skid units and donated them to the Mount Hope and Ghent Volunteer Fire Departments in October 2008. The units will also aid the departments (VFDs) in responding to medical emergencies.

A "skid unit" is a self-contained firefighting apparatus designed for use on utility vehicles (UTVs). Designed to perform a number of tasks in a limited amount of space, the units can carry 75 gallons of water, pump water onto fires, store hose line, and equipment or hold a rescue stokes basket or long board.

Mike Peck, Forestry Technician at New River Gorge National River, explained, “UTVs mounted with skid units greatly increase the ability of firefighters to get to and extinguish fires that are often inaccessible to regular vehicles and fire trucks in the rough backcountry of southern West Virginia. In addition to firefighting assistance, skid units are also invaluable for rescuing people from remote locations.” Backboards and stokes baskets can be attached to the top of the skid unit to safely move the victim quickly across rough terrain. “Compared to the arduous and relatively slow task of hand-carrying a victim to safety, the time saved by use of the new skid units may mean the difference between life and death,” Peck added.

New River Gorge National River also used RFA funds to assist Summers County, Jumping Branch, Pipestem, and Green Sulphur/Sandstone VFDs. Through the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the park provided of a wide variety of basic wildland fire safety equipment and training. This included personal protective and communications equipment, hoses, and tools.

The departments often respond to incidents within park boundaries. The Rural Fire Assistance Program aims to increase safety, effectiveness, and capacity of primary rural fire departments critical to assisting the NPS in protecting people and park resources.

Contact: Candace Tinkler, Chief of Interpretation, New River Gorge National River, (304) 465-6523.