M.A.S.T. Media Appreciation Event

The CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit participated today in the MAST (Mountain Area Safety Taskforce) Media Appreciation Event. The event was to recognize the news media of the Inland Empire who are so important in getting the safety message out to the public. It was held at the historic Arrowhead Springs Resort http://arrowheadsprings.org/html/history.html
located at the entrance to Waterman Canyon.

MAST is a multi-agency organization that was originally formed in 2002 as a way to combat the bark beetle disaster in the San Bernardino Mountains. This unique group included federal, state and local fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and other state and local departments and agencies that had an involvement in dealing with the hundreds of thousands of dead and dying trees. These dead and dying trees posed a hazard for fire, roads, powerlines, homes and businesses.

Today's event brought those agencies together with members of the media from the Inland Empire and the San Bernardino Mountains. Among the topics discussed today were the revised standards for Red Flag Warnings, The approaching Santa Ana winds, their origin, how they got their name, and their destructive potential, recognizing potential illegal fire related activity and how to report it, Ready, Set, Go http://www.readyforwildfire.org/3_simple_steps and the great California Shake Out http://www.shakeout.org/ .
There was also a demonstration by CAL FIRE Division Chief Doug Lannon on how to properly deploy a fire shelter. An added bonus for the attendees was a tour of the historic Arrowhead Springs Resort hotel. Once the 'in' place for Hollywood elite from the Golden era of Hollywood. A young 17 year old Elizabeth Taylor stayed there for her Honeymoon, Judy Garland was one of the opening night entertainers in 1939 and the pool was named for Esther Williams who frequented the hotel and shot some of her movies there.