Fire chief and sheriff's office brief CAB on summer fire restrictions, drone program and DUI enforcement

Truckee Meadows Fire and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office briefed the Washoe County Citizens Advisory Board on summer public-safety measures and recent operational changes.

Joe Shum, division chief of operations for Truckee Meadows Fire, said the department has posted monthly statistics and outreach materials and urged residents to review fire restrictions that took effect June 22. "The biggest piece that we wanna reiterate, folks, is the fire safety tips and updates ... We are in fire restrictions effective June 22," Shum said, noting outreach through a local Facebook page and handouts at the meeting.

Shum described a month-to-month increase in calls in some rural beats: "We have 28 total calls out here for a month," he said, compared with 14 calls in the same period last year, and noted mutual-aid adjustments when neighboring agencies are already committed to patient transport.

Representatives of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office described a first-responder drone program used to assess remote incidents, locate suspects and reduce risk to deputies. The office also highlighted targeted DUI enforcement. The lieutenant said the department recorded 48 DUI arrests for the office's area in the month cited, with 23 in the Bridal area, attributing the increase to newly dedicated enforcement resources rather than an underlying rise in impaired driving.

Both agencies encouraged residents to report suspicious activity and reminded the public of the county's online resources for public-land issues and project comment periods. No new county enforcement ordinance was proposed at the meeting; the updates were informational.