Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Firefighters enjoy unique ?thank you?

Resort hosts barbecue for crews of Beaver Creek Fire

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By ERIC AVISSAR
Express Staff Writer

Celebrating at the barbecue, from left to right, are Jeff Hammes, Caribou-Targhee National Forest district manager; Peter Stearns, Sun Valley Resort mountain manager; Kurt Nelson, Ketchum district ranger; and John Kennedy, operations chief for the Beaver Creek Fire, from Greenhorn Gulch to Lake Creek. Photo by Willy Cook

As if on cue, rain and thunder came down Sunday evening on Ketchum as thousands of people gathered to thank firefighters who fought the Beaver Creek Fire, which had been fueled for two weeks by drought and hot weather.
    Despite the rain, the enthusiasm was high at a firefighter appreciation picnic hosted by Sun Valley Resort at the River Run Lodge, at the base of Bald Mountain.
    Sun Valley Resort Director of Marketing and Public Relations Jack Sibbach said he wasn’t surprised at how many people showed up.
    “We live in a special place filled with special people, so we weren’t surprised at all by the big turnout,” Sibbach said.
    The picnic featured a barbecue including chicken and ribs provided to the firefighters for free and the public to purchase. Two live bands, Old Death Whisper and Up A Creek, also performed.
    Sibbach said he witnessed many people saying thanks to the firefighters personally. He called the event an opportunity for a party-style picnic atmosphere to get everyone together as a community and signal that the fire is almost over and that everyone is ready to move forward.
    Sun Valley Resort General Manager Tim Silva presented more than $22,000 the resort had collected in donations at a free-admission ice show Saturday to a representative of the Wildland Firefighters Foundation. He was joined by Cox Communications Manager Guy Cherp, who presented a check for $5,000.
    Wood River Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Nevins appreciated the turnout. Nevins talked about the structure-protection crews in Greenhorn Gulch that miraculously saved all but one of the homes in the area.
    “We went from nursing the fire around the structures to doing point protection, also known as house-by-house. The smoke was incredible, and the heat was incredible,” he said.
    Nevins witnessed the worst of the fire when it nearly devastated Greenhorn Gulch. He talked about the crews’ incredible response in the dire situation.
    He said, “The winds were so severe. It came down the canyon like a freight train, spotted below us and then burned back into the column, and we were left in the vortex of that. We didn’t save all the homes we wanted to, and it broke our hearts to watch that one (house) burn.”
    Ryan Clark was one of the many firefighters who attended the event, and was adamant about his gratitude for the community support he received.
    Although Clark spoke of many harrowing moments throughout the fire, he said the picnic is the memory he will take back to Florida for the rest of his life.
    “The support we’ve received here has been amazing,” Clark said. “I’m from Florida, and I thought we had it pretty good, but man, the people here are amazing.
    “The way they have come together for us, it has just been overwhelming. This whole picnic has been awesome and a true blessing.”
Eric Avissar: eavissar@mtexpress.com

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