Hell on Earth

Chapter OneDecember 2002As 2002 was coming to an end, Peter Brierty was frustrated. As the fire marshal of San Bernardino County, the largest county in the United States, he was accustomed to having scant resources and being forced to beg for equipment and gear other fire departments took for granted. He didn't mind the fight; he usually got the board of supervisors or his immediate superiors to pony up the money, and unlike many in his position, he had a knack for knowing where the deepest government pockets were at any given time. This skill, coupled with his talent as a grant writer, would give the mountain communities a fighting chance against an enemy most didn't yet even realize existed.Normally not one to remain down for long, the imposing 6-foot, 4-inch figure, who bears a strong resemblance to television's Dr. Phil, was fighting the only battle he truly feared: public apathy.For nearly a year, Brierty and his core staff had done everything in their power to get the word out to the residents and property owners across the densely forested and overpopulated San Bernardino Mountains. Tonight he would lead a public meeting in the resort community of Lake Arrowhead concerning the bark beetle problem and the drought, which were coming together to bring looming danger and the potential for unprecedented destruction to these mountains.His mission was to call the town to action and make them care about the problem. He knew that if Lake Arrowhead residents failed to follow through once he laid all his cards on the table, there would be no hope. Soon there would be a forest fire unlike any in recorded history, and likely many of the people he would address that evening would perish.At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3, 2002, Fire Marshal Brierty began his presentation. His earlier fears proved foundedhe was preaching to the converted, addressing exactly fifty-two audience members, twenty or so who would have attended anyway as members of the local fire safe council. Still, he forged ahead, hoping those who came would spread the word and there would be an accurate report the following Thursday in the Mountain News, the local weekly. None of th other invited media in the area had chosen to report this tragedy in the making. "I'm a bit disappointed," he began, "not because you're all here; I can't express enough my thanks to you for coming to night. I'm disappointed because those who really stand to lose the most, all your friends and neighbors, aren't here to learn what you and I already know: This entire mountain, from Cedarpines Park and Crestline in the west to Big Bear in the east, is an unmitigated disaster waiting to happen."Brierty did his best and it was duly reported in Thursday's paper, but he still felt as though the entire exercise was a waste of time. The following Monday he drafted a report and sent it off to his boss, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Peter Hills.Almost two weeks later, when Chief Hills finally had a moment to digest Brierty's report, he took his colleague to lunch. "Pete, there's an old saying about leading horses to water," he said. "You've done your best."Brierty was still frustrated. "If we don't do something, I mean something of substance, who do you think they'll blame when the firestorm comes?" Brierty asked, a tinge of sarcasm mixed with sadness in his voice.During lunch Brierty proposed a notice be sent to residents to abate the dead and dying trees, which could become the fuel for the fire he so dreaded. While Hills thought the proposal had merit, he also knew it would be a tough sell. Many of the dead trees still looked healthy and green, and both men knew hitting moneyed people in their wallets for unexpected tree removal costs at their vacation homes would not be welPorter, David L. is the author of 'Hell on Earth' with ISBN 9780765313805 and ISBN 0765313804.