Great Basin Team 1 Public Information Officer Mary Cernicek, right, during an interview Monday by Los Alamos Daily Post Reporter Kirsten Laskey. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

There is nothing predictable about a wildfire; the Cerro Pelado Fire is proof of that. The fire, which as of Wednesday morning is burning more than 43,000 acres five miles east of Jemez Springs, seven miles west of Los Alamos and right on the Valles Calera National Preserve’s doorstep, is in constant motion. It is always changing, evolving and burning.

While the fire never rests neither does the public’s desire to be informed of its behavior, conditions and status.

To respond to this demand, the Type 1 incident management team, Great Basin Team 1, that is addressing the Cerro Pelado Fire has 16 public information officers stationed in the area. Public Information Officer Mary Cernicek is specifically stationed in Los Alamos.

Cernicek discussed the challenges of giving people information on something that is in a constant state of flux.

“In this information age when everything is so readily available and demand for instant information is palpable, it is a challenge to make sure that the information being put out is readily available and accurate,” Cernicek said.

“It’s a big responsibility to get the latest and the best information,” she said.

To handle this challenge, she said public information officers address different areas such as social media or handling logistics and setting up public meetings. Cernicek said her personal favorite category is face-to-face encounters.

“I love that,” she said.

Cernicek said she has worked as a public information officer for Type 1 incident management teams since 2001 but the Cerro Pelado Fire is unique for her because it is personal. She explained she has family who live in Los Alamos. Her family members in town include Mary, Molly and Ann Cernicek, Steve Russell, and her niece Tara McDonald.

“This is the first incident where my family has been in the middle of the incident,” Cernicek said. “That makes it unique. It hits close to home.”

Another new factor is having one of the active parties addressing the wildfire include a national laboratory.

“This is my first incident that involves a national laboratory as a cooperative agency,” she said.

Due to her family ties to the area, Cernicek said she is thinking about what her family and friends in town want to know about this fire. Additionally, she said the information publicized is based on community feedback and requests.

“The community gives us information of what they want so we can take that and give them what they need,” she said.

One of the most important needs is making sure people are turning to the right sources for information. Cernicek said these include the Cerro Pelado Fire Facebook page, its Twitter account and website. People also can call 505.312.4593 and 303.918.4004 or email 2022.cerropelado@firenet.gov.

Before serving the public’s information needs, Cernicek was a wildland firefighter and a structural firefighter. She got her foot in the door as public information officer because it was determined she did well on camera. Plus, Cernicek said she decided to move away from firefighting after she and her husband, David, had their daughter.

During her time as a public information officer, Cernicek said she has had some pretty memorable experiences. There was the time she took a school group on a tour of a base camp and gave them all a sample of an MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat). Another experience required flinging cow manure to pitch a tent in a pasture. A more stressful memory was a morning when she awoke to a herd of running wild horses. She remembers a Chief of Operations so beloved that he got his own bobble-head doll and thinking how cool that a friend of hers was a celebrity. No matter where she is stationed, Cernicek said every experience is invaluable.

After all, how many people can say they are working together for the collective good?

“It’s quite an honor to work with people who put community first,” Cernicek said.