Crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District worked this week to reduce the risk of wildfires in East Bay communities that are packed with vegetation, well before the fire season officially began.
According to Captain Brandon Earhart, “We’re trying to reduce the fuel loading in the area around this community,” he told CBS News Bay Area.
On Tuesday morning, he and roughly eighteen firefighters were out performing planned burns in Walnut Creek’s Rossmoore area.
“We make an effort to remove as much of the dead and dying fuel from the ground as possible since it could be used as a ladder fuel to spread fire into the tree canopy. “There is typically eight to fifteen feet of space between the ground and the larger tree canopy in the community here, the areas that we treated,” Earhart explained.
All of this is a part of the Lafayette/Wanut Creek Shaded Fuel Breakproject, which involves firefighters slicing through around 268 acres of open land over 11 kilometers in the East Bay.
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has received a $3 million grant from Cal Fire to support this initiative.
In essence, they are utilizing drip torches to facilitate ignition in this situation. To stop fire from spreading through ground litter, we installed some scratch lines around each pile, Earhart said.
The fire season usually begins in May or June, he added. The exact start of the season is also influenced by elements like wind and rain. However, the preparations for the next fire season begin a year in advance.
“These piles were most likely built a year ago. It normally takes us at least 60 days from the moment we cut the brush until we can burn it, so every day we’re out cutting,” Earhart explained.
To ensure that everyone is ready in the event of a disaster, Contra Costa County officials also like to remind neighbors of the resources that are accessible.
“We’ve really concentrated on this since the Paradise and Santa Rosa fires, and we’ve come to the realization that, in the past, we’ve anticipated how fire seasons would proceed and how fires would be put out. “The entire strategy needs to be altered,” Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Candace Andersen told CBS News Bay Area.
She said that the county’s Community Warning System (CWS) alerts have improved its technological capabilities.
“To receive notifications, go to the Community Warning System (CWS) and register with your email address and phone number. Since not everyone still has a landline, we want to encourage people to sign up for this so they can receive notifications. It’s an automatic reverse 911 to your landline,” Andersen stated.
She also mentioned that locals can register for Genasyon and access a wildfire preparedness handbook on the Project Genasys website.
“Demonstrates your comfort zone. Additionally, it will notify you of those in nearby areas who are being evacuated in the event of a wildfire. “We want people to know that,” she stated.
Additionally, the chairwoman urged people to ensure that there is no debris in the vicinity of their residences.
After seeing the terrible wildfires in Southern California, the fire personnel in Walnut Creek stated that they want to be especially ready for the fire season.
“Oak woodland and grasslands, combined with the topography where we’ve got homes that are basically sitting at the top of the hill, it can be prone to having some significant incidents,” Earhart added.
Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.