Forde Shorts

Fires – Above, a helicopter vacuums up water at Middle Lake in Bear Valley Springs through a snorkel, filling its tank in 45 seconds. Helicopters fitted with buckets scooped up loads in 10 seconds. The helicopters, staged as closely as a minute apart, dropped the water on the Deer Fire, which advanced up the hill from Hwy. 223. Air tankers dropped fire bright red retardant. The blaze started July 1, 2016, covered 1,785 acres and was 93 percent contained by July 6. It threatened homes in BVS and Hart Flat. Firefighters successfully fought it back with no loss of property or lives. The deadly Erskine Fire in the rural area southeast of Lake Isabella, fanned by wind, ravaged 48,019 acres and took the lives of a couple who were attempting to evacuate. The Erskine Fire began June 23, 2016; full containment was expected by July 9. The Erskine Fire, the 15th largest in California history and largest ever in Kern County, has left hundreds of people homeless. The Salvation Army, churches and concerned people in Tehachapi have volunteered time and supplies to help those who are displaced. Call the Salvation Army Tehachapi Service Center if you want to help – 661-823-9508.

Stunning – The see-through Lucite monuments unveiled at the opening of the new Tehachapi Visitor Center June 30 are a beautiful acknowledgment of the five U.S. armed forces and their personnel. Lehigh Southwest Cement donated funding to construct the monuments. At the dedication, Lehigh executive Craig Mifflin told of his forbears who served in the U.S. military and revealed that his ancestor Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania was a signer of the U.S. Constitution.

Tejon open – At last, a portion of the privately owned Tejon Ranch will be open to the public... but it's not free. The membership fee is $2,500 per family per season (the fall season is Sept. 1, 2016 through Jan. 29, 2017). The ranch announced its new Explorer membership program, which includes access to horseback riding, mountain biking, photography, hiking, wildlife viewing, picnic areas, overnight accommodations, Tejon Equestrian Center, SUV driving and private events. Members will receive a key to the gates to the 25,000-acre Explorer Recreation Area on the western end of the ranch. There is a second season from March to the end of July. In return for permission to build three high-end housing developments, in 2008 the ranch management turned over 90 percent of the 270,000-acre property to the Tejon Ranch Conservancy to protect and manage. The ranch is working out a complex deal to route 38 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail through the spectacular ranch property (instead of through the parched western Antelope Valley), which is in the Tehachapi Mountains south and west of the Tehachapi valleys.

TPD dispatch – The Tehachapi Police Department dispatch center came on line on June 30. TPD personnel trained for weeks under different scenarios before taking the reins from the Bear Valley Police Department, which previously had a $500,000 annual contract to carry out dispatching for the TPD. When TPD designed its new headquarters on C Street – a renovated old garment factory – it included a room and wiring for dispatch and disaster communication. Here's a cool touch – the public can watch the dispatch activity through a large window in the police department entry hallway. Shown, TPD Lead Dispatcher Matt Murphy, formerly with Bear Valley, works with dispatcher Lindsay Booth.