You probably noticed in The Union on Monday that a small airplane landed safely at the county airport even though its front landing gear didn't deploy. And you probably read that the safe landing was the result of an application of foam along the runway by firefighters.

But we'd bet you didn't think about how it came to pass that Nevada County Consolidated Fire District had the capability and the skill to apply foam to an airport runway. After all, airport emergencies are highly uncommon in these parts.

A while back, Consolidated Fire Chief Tim Fike was shopping for new equipment. That's no easy task for Consolidated or any of the other fire departments around here, because firefighters must be prepared to battle wildfires as well as blazes in homes and businesses. Different equipment is needed for each kind of fire, but Fike - like other fire department managers around the county - knows taxpayers expect that their money will be spent efficiently. And that means no expensive specialization of equipment.

It took some doing, but the new equipment

Consolidated bought meets the demands of wildfires and city fires while it also has the capability to deal with those rare emergencies at the airport.

But that's not the end of the story. Consolidated also taught its firefighters how to use the runway foam. They were ready when an emergency arose. With the mix of paid firefighters and volunteers that staff most fire departments in western Nevada County, training always is a challenge. And the challenge has increased as firefighting grows more sophisticated.

The safe landing at the airport on Sunday, then, didn't just happen. It was the result of managers who exercised foresight and staff members who took their training seriously.

It's a story that is repeated several times almost every day. We're fortunate our emergency services run so well - and we're fortunate that good people make it happen.

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