KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – With the summer fire season set to start soon, work is under way to prepare the Mount Konocti lookout tower and its corps of volunteers for the critical work of spotting wildland fires.

Because of the devastating local fires in 2015 – including the Rocky, Jerusalem and Valley – and after a 12-year closure, the 45-foot lookout tower high atop Mount Konocti reopened in June 2016.

From its vantage point high over the county, the lookout tower is once again providing a critical public safety service.

“St. Helena … Mount Konocti … smoke report!” Such is the radio call from the Mount Konocti lookout tower to the Cal Fire dispatcher in St. Helena, which sets in motion immediate action by firefighting units to respond to the possibility of an emerging disaster.

The tower is staffed entirely by a group of dedicated volunteers, including Chuck Sturges of Kelseyville.

Sturges said regular monitoring activity is set to begin again at the tower on Thursday, June 1.

Additional volunteers are being sought to join the volunteer corps for this year’s fire season, which lasts into the fall months and the first heavy rains, he said.

The Mount Konocti chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association is seeking volunteers for both five- and eight-hour shifts in the tower, with individuals serving at least once a month and more often if they choose, according to Sturges.

Sturges said a training session for new volunteers and an optional refresher for last year’s group is to be held on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, at the Kelseyville fire house.

The June 3 training will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch break. On June 4 there will be training in the fire house for two hours starting at 9 a.m., then a trip to the lookout to familiarize volunteers with the facility.

Additional personalized training will take place in the tower during five-hour shifts on days chosen by each individual volunteer, he said.

Sturges said the association's goal is to qualify as many volunteers as possible so as to have a complete watch schedule for the entire season.

For more information about volunteering or the tower, contact Forest Fire Lookout Association Chairman, Jim Adams at 707-245-3771.

Correction: The association originally identified the man in the second picture as volunteer Jack Baxter. It is in fact another association volunteer, Jack Hewitt.

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