The Payne’s Creek Battalion (Battalion I) lies along Highway 36 East, stretching from Red Bluff to the Plumas County line and through the Lassen National Forest. The battalion holds some of the most diverse terrain and vegetation types in the unit. There are large tracts of privately held timberland, large open expanses of grasslands, areas of rocky lava beds, deep canyons, and many areas of highly flammable brush lands. Temperatures range from 110 degrees in the summer to 15 degrees in the winter. The terrain and the climate provide for some interesting fire prevention and protection challenges while protecting the communities of Manton, Mineral, and Payne’s Creek as well as the natural resources of Tehama County.