By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
During the month of March, CHP Lt. Isaiah Kee told the Lake Arrowhead Municipal Advisory Council, the Arrowhead officers made 607 enforcement contacts, arrested 28 people (19 for DUI) and issued 320 citations.
“The #1 thing for us is keeping the highway safe,” Lt. Kee said. He was happy to report there were no fatalities on the mountain in March, although there was a slight increase in basic injury traffic collisions.
During the late winter storms, CHP officers assisted 351 people who were stranded.
“We appreciate your patience when the 330 is closed,” he noted. “A lot of people get impatient and carry that anxiety with them on alternate routes.” It can get bad, he said. In fact, they had two highway violence issues. “This is a tourist area. People come up who are not accustomed to snow.”
This was Lt. Kee’s first snow season as commander. “I learned a lot, which is an understatement,” he said. “Your feedback really helped me. It truly brought home the importance of our relationships with County Fire and the sheriff.”
Battalion Chief Brett Taylor of Cal Fire noted this is a great time to be working on defensible space as not all the vegetation has completely leafed out so it is lighter to handle.
Battalion Chief Jared Grundy of County Fire pointed to a recent vegetation fire on Old Mill Road and a structure fire on North Shore Road that started on the deck and got into the wall. He also shared that County Fire had met with representatives from Lake Arrowhead Community Services District. “We want to learn their water system and how it functions,” he said. “We want to be on the same page.”
Chief Grundy also suggested working on defensible space before the weeds and grasses grow to full size. And he suggested taking advantage of County Fire’s free residential assessment on how to harden your home against fire. It is not an inspection, he stressed, but it is in line with what Cal Fire and the county will inspect.
The Lake Arrowhead MAC and the Crest Forest MAC are now meeting on alternate months. The next meeting of the Lake Arrowhead MAC, which takes place in the community room at the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station, will be on July 3.
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