Nevada County Task Force 4101 Responds to Winter Storm, Handles 89 Incidents

NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. – February 22, 2026 – Nevada County Task Force 4101, comprised of multiple fire agencies, successfully responded to a major winter weather event, handling a total of 89 incidents. The task force included six engines and one task force leader.

Participating agencies included Nevada County Consolidated Fire, Peardale Chicago Park Fire, Grass Valley Fire, Ophir Hill Fire, North San Juan Fire, and Higgins Fire.

Funding and Support from Cal OES

The increased staffing for the prepositioned Task Force was funded by the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). Officials stated the additional personnel and apparatus were “extremely helpful” during the storm. [1]

Range of Emergency Responses

Units responded to a diverse range of incidents, including:

• Accessing patients in the snow
• Three working structure fires
• A structure collapse with trapped horses
• Opening roads in a community with a full task force response
• Basic public assistance, such as assisting a bus driver with broken tire chains

Extended Support to Neighboring Counties

While primarily focused on Nevada County, the task force extended support to surrounding counties as needed.

Collaboration with Multiple Agencies

The successful response was a collaborative effort involving numerous local, state, and federal agencies and organizations, including:

• Penn Valley Fire
• Sierra Nevada Ambulance
• Nevada County Office of Emergency Services
• Nevada County Sheriff’s Office
• Nevada County Search and Rescue
• Nevada County Animal Control
• CAL FIRE
• US Forest Service
• Grass Valley Police
• Nevada City Police
• California Highway Patrol (CHP)
• PG&E
• Caltrans
• Nevada Irrigation District (NID)
• County Roads
• AT&T
• Race Communications
• Local towing companies and snow removal contractors

Photo and video credits were given to Nevada County Consolidated Fire, Peardale Chicago Park Fire, Grass Valley Fire, Ophir Hill Fire, North San Juan Fire, Higgins Fire, CAL FIRE, and local community members.

Task Force 4101 Background

Task Force 4101 is comprised of personnel from Nevada County Consolidated Fire, Ophir Hill Fire, and other agencies. [2] It was upstaffed in December 2025 in preparation for the winter storm, as part of a Nevada County initiative. [3] The California mutual aid system, coordinated by Cal OES, facilitates this type of statewide support. [4]