Obsidian Fire Solutions
Specializing in Wildland Fuel Management
Pursuant to Senate Bill 901 Obsidian is excited to unveil its Fire Solutions Division, specializing in Wildland Fuel Management. It is the policy of the state to encourage prudent and responsible forest resource management by increasing the pace and scale of fuel reduction, thinning, and the use of prescribed fire as directed by Governor Brown’s Executive Order B-52-18.
SEC. 38. Section 8386
Program Management of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:
8386. (a) Each electrical corporation shall construct, maintain, and operate its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by those electrical lines and equipment. The wildfire mitigation plan shall include: (8) Plans for vegetation management.
Obsidian Fire Solutions focuses on wildland fuel management by utilizing current and former wildland firefighters (including the well-known and respected “Hotshots”) thereby increasing production rates that far exceed other private contractors.
A Multi-Faceted Approach
The first step in the Obsidian Fire Solutions (OFS) process is to assess the fuel type and loading of the work environment. This is done by one of our project managers who has years of experience working for federal agencies including the United States Forest Service. Our project manager will assess the region of work and calculate the work load and estimated time required to complete that section of line.
The next phase of the OFS approach is the load out phase. Obsidian understands the complexities of “cutting line” and we know that not every project is the same, so why should the crew equipment load out be the same? Our project manager will determine how many saws and sawyers each team should utilize versus how many lineman each team should have for maximum efficiency.
Next we construct a plan depending on the client’s needs. This plan will cover various aspects such as vegetation extraction, crew logistics, i.e. food, water and shelter, equipment repair and replacement, etc.
The final phase is getting to work.
Advantages of OFS
- The program is managed by a former United States Forest Service Hotshot
- Crews are not comprised of “urban tree trimmers” but rather professional wildland firefighters that understand and know how to “cut line”
- Crews contain professional Tree Fallers Certified as Class I, II, and III fallers and therefore we are capable of falling any tree of any height or diameter
- Obsidian’s crews know the job as this is what they do year-round and understand the complexities of working in rural environments
- Crews include state-certified Emergency Medical Technicians with medical equipment ready to react to any medical emergency encountered while on the line
- As our crews are all current and former wildland firefighters, Obsidian crews are poised to attack and suppress any potential brush fire while in its incipient phase