I am the district chief of the Dixon Volunteer Fire Department in Rio Arriba County, where we just celebrated the final installation of solar panels with backup batteries on our fire station last week.
After the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire two years ago, we needed to assess how New Mexico’s small towns and outposts could better prepare for the increasingly dangerous and long wildfire seasons we are facing. So many families and vulnerable elders had to be evacuated. Shelters had to be set up for people and animals. Evacuees needed basic services, and first responders needed to establish a base of operations where an energy supply was secure.
The New Mexico Association of Counties funded a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Dixon Fire District that called for reinforcing critical infrastructure and ensuring first responders had access to electricity and could provide essential services if cut off from the grid. This is an increasing risk as heat waves, extreme weather, flooding and fires become more frequent.
New Mexico has 247 fire stations, many of them staffed by volunteers who serve small, isolated communities at risk of blackouts during natural disasters. We are part of a network of public services that are often central to emergency response in small communities, including police, public health facilities, schools and elder care centers. The safety and security of our communities will be vastly improved if every public building in the state has its own power generation and backup system.
That is why I am writing to advocate for passage of the Local Solar Access Fund, a bill sponsored by House Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, and Sen. Harold Pope, D-Albuquerque, that will allocate $110 million to establish a grant fund for solar and storage projects that will power public buildings and infrastructure owned and operated by tribes, counties, municipalities and school districts.
Our department decided to prioritize solarization after the 2022 fires. We were able to put together the money by using our annual allocation from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, administered by the counties, and a private grant from Remy’s Good Day Fund. Rio Arriba County was very supportive of our plan, not only for public safety but also because it will lower utility costs. We all know that county government resources in New Mexico are limited.
The project we just completed needs to be replicated on public buildings and infrastructure like critical water treatment facilities and wells across the state. The Local Solar Access Fund would help our communities to not only install solar and battery storage, but also to hire planners and grant writers to help them access the vast federal funding that is now available for renewable energy development.
Those of us on the front lines know firsthand how critical reliable energy is during emergencies. We need to invest in our public infrastructure to protect the public and prepare for the future. Please call your state representatives and the governor and encourage them to vote for the Local Solar Access Fund.
Dr. Steven Jenison is an EMT-paramedic and district chief of the Dixon Volunteer Fire Department/EMS.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history.Â
