A collaborative success between Liberty and Truckee Fire

At Liberty, we are committed to proactively reducing wildfire risk to help maintain the safety of our communities. As a part of this commitment, Liberty collaborated with the Truckee Fire Protection District (TFPD) on the Glenshire to Hirschdale Egress wildfire mitigation project, which focused on removing hazardous fuels and strengthening wildfire resilience in the Glenshire and Hirschdale areas.

The strategic collaboration with TFPD was invaluable to this project, which was conducted in a high fire risk area adjacent to a residential neighborhood. Early on, TFPD endorsed Liberty’s vegetation management efforts at our Glenshire Substation. But we also worked with TFPD to align our objectives with the fire district’s to create defensible buffer zones, provide a larger footprint of treatment, and contribute to mitigating the risk of wildfire across the landscape. The synergistic planning and execution of these shared goals enhanced the project’s overall effectiveness by increasing protection for both critical electrical infrastructure and for nearby communities.

Through this collaboration, Liberty’s crews were able to:

  • Treat over 15 acres of vegetation near primary utility infrastructure and the Glenshire Substation.
  • Selectively thin more than 10 acres of dense vegetation to reduce fuel loads and support forest health.
  • Masticate small trees and brush on roughly 5 acres surrounding the Glenshire Substation, helping to reduce “ladder fuels”, or low-growing, dry vegetation that can help fire reach the crowns of large trees, significantly reducing potential fire severity and spread.
  • Remove over 23 tons (47,000 pounds) of flammable material, directly reducing wildfire potential.

This vegetation management work helped increase operational safety and electrical system reliability.

Working with TFPD also helped achieve broader goals for the area, such as:

  • Reducing wildfire risk, particularly in the wildland urban interface near homes and neighborhoods
  • Increasing safety for residents, emergency responders, and utility personnel
  • Improving defensible space around electrical infrastructure and the surrounding community
  • Enhancing forest health and resilience
  • Increasing protection of critical evacuation routes
  • Improving firefighters’ ability to access and contain a fire, should one start
  • Increasing the potential to preserve homeowners’ insurance options and lower insurance costs

The Glenshire to Hirschdale wildfire mitigation project is a model for strategic collaboration. Liberty’s leadership, paired with the expertise and support from Truckee Fire, highlights how joint efforts can benefit communities that may be facing wildfire threats.