EAGLES NEST TWP – Many rural neighborhoods in northern Minnesota are coveted for their remoteness and away-from-it-all living. And most residents in Eagles Nest Township, like so many other remote-access neighborhoods, have to go out of their way to see or hear the neighbors who may happen to live right next door.

That blessing can easily become a curse in times of wildfire threat or severe weather when emergency evacuation is imminent.

Residents in Eagles Nest Township, all 256 of them, will soon have an emergency evacuation plan in place, thanks largely to the efforts of township Fire Chief and Emergency Preparedness Chair Larry McCray, and residents such as Peninsula Road homeowner Larry Anderson and many others

McCray summed up the goal of the township with this mission statement: “Our aim is to establish protocols for effective neighborhood communication and the safe and efficient response to natural disasters through a voluntary network of township residents. This planned response will promote individual and community safety in the event of damage to infrastructure and a more efficient use of emergency services.”

Arrowhead residents face wildfires and severe windstorms every year. Just last July, the Ely area experienced severe blow-down winds and rain. In some areas, hundreds of trees were blown down, houses and cabins were damaged, weeklong power outages were experienced, and access to and from some properties was blocked for days.

“In Eagles Nest Township, we lost many trees suffered power outages, and fallen trees blocked some roadways and driveways. Fortunately, no one had to be evacuated,” McCray said. “We were lucky—this time.”

Fire destroyed a residence on Armstrong Lake last spring. “Fortunately, it was a calm evening and the fire was promptly contained,” he said. “Had there been even a moderate wind, the fire could have easily spread. That would likely have resulted in the blockage of Highway 169 or Bear Head State Park Road.”

Many rural residential areas have single road or “one-road in-one road out” access. Such a blockage of a major road, or the only road, could easily trap and endanger numerous residents and visitors while the fire spreads. Add to that the access needed for fire-fighting personnel and their equipment, and a bottle-neck situation is the likely scenario.

In light of these and other incidents in or near Eagles Nest Township, and not being willing to bank on luck, the township’s Board of Supervisors have given the go-ahead for McCray and a number of residents to develop an Eagles Nest Committee for Emergency Preparedness (ENCEP) to develop an emergency preparedness plan to aid first responders, firefighters, rescue teams, and area residents in planning for and surviving a disaster that threatens lives or property. This voluntary planning committee includes the participation of Anderson, DeAnn Schatz, and McCray.

“The objective of the Emergency Preparedness Plan is to establish systems and procedures to better protect the lives and property of residents, property owners and visitors in the township in the event of an emergency,” Anderson said. “We want this to be pre-planned and in place before the next emergency hits.”

He related that during the July 2016 blow-down “some people in our township leadership didn’t know what to do, and many residents didn’t know what to do or where to go.”

He added, “Nearly all roads in our township are dead end roads. Imagine a major fire spreading through the area. Ingress and egress via those roads would be blocked, thereby preventing residents from readily escaping the danger, and preventing First Responders from accessing those properties to provide assistance. Such a fire would also likely result in a loss of power and landline communications.”

The plan

Eagles Nest Township lists 256 full-time residents. That number easily swells to 1,000 or more during the summer months. “And when you add (Bear Head Lake State Park) that’s another 200-500 visitors,” Anderson said.

The first step in implementing the emergency plan calls for establishing a contact program where every landowner is accounted for. “Right now, we are laying a base,” McCray said. “We will build from that a number of phone trees, and establish a number of ‘road ambassadors,’ with those people responsible for the base of their part of the tree.” There are about two dozen roads in the township.

He said the plan is based on the Federal Incident Command system that has been in place for decades.

“We want to know who residents are, where they are, and how they can be reached,” he said. A critically important step in the establishment of an Emergency Preparedness Plan is to develop a database consisting of the names, addresses and contact information of property owners and residents of the township.

“Such a database would be invaluable in planning and carrying out rescue efforts as needed,” McCray said.

“Equally critical will be the participation of residents willing to contact and check on close neighbors in order to help in the planning and prioritizing of rescues,” Anderson said. “Also important in planning is to know who needs a walker or is in a wheel chair or has other physical conditions.”

McCray sent out about 500 questionnaires to Eagles Nest Township residents this spring. “We received about 50-percent responses,” he said. “We are still working on building our data base.”

McCray is looking for the following information from township residents:

• Contact information for all residents;

•Information regarding special, medical, or urgent needs of residents who may need immediate attention in the event of an emergency;

•Information regarding the availability of boats, four-wheelers and other equipment that can be used in rescue efforts;

•Any other information that might help First Responders and Rescue teams prioritize their efforts and more efficiently protect residents and their property.

Information forms are available at the Eagles Nest Town Hall at 1552 Bear Head State Park Road.

“We have about 36-square miles in this township and 12 volunteer firefighters to keep us safe,” McCray said. “With the help and cooperation of our residents, we’ll all have a safer place to live and a safe response to emergencies.”