I just read an article with somebody concerned about this years
fire dangers. I couldn’t agree with them more.
Editor,
I just read an article with somebody concerned about this years fire dangers. I couldn’t agree with them more.
Having land in a dangerous fire area, I have always had that concern and try to do as much as I can to prevent what could be a disaster. I have been spending time and money to be sure that never happens. This year, I fell behind for lack of time and the abundance of rain we had. It turned out to be hard to keep things under control.
I feel the county has a big responsibility in maintaining the shoulders of the roads. For many years, when I worked for Public Works, and years after that, the county always in March, when the grass was 3-4 inches tall, sprayed the edges with a good combination of chemicals that burned the grass completely. This made a fire break three feet wide. That I found to be of great help in preventing a spark from growing into a fire.
This year, Public Works failed to do that. I just noticed this week that they finally came with the spray – two months too late. The result: they are drying the grass that is now two to three feet tall turning it into stubble instead of a fire break. This will create a fire hazard and is a complete waste of money and time. When you get this late, and the grass is so tall, it makes more sense to beat it in case the grass comes back, then they have the opportunity to spray it or beat it again.
I ask our leaders to work with the ones in charge to recommend to start beating and grading shoulders. That will be our only salvation. If we don’t, we may lose thousands of acres of grass if Public Works doesn’t wake up.
It’s good to be nice, but it’s our leaders obligation that if any leader falls asleep, no matter the cost, they should wake him up. The people in charge seem like they grew up in town. When they get in the country, they have no clue how to solve the problems. It’s an old saying that after what happens, crying will do no good. I hope everybody responsible will take this seriously.
The last years I worked for the county, I spent two to three months of the year grading shoulders to prevent disaster, and I succeeded mostly with the grader. If the grass was to thick, I would ask for a beater to run ahead to make the grading much easier. I took care of the roads, especially Panoche and all the way back to New Idria mines along side all the gravel roads. We are very lucky we have never had a fire start by the roads of this very dangerous country. A beater with a grader right behind is a must!
The way this year looks we could lose thousands of acres of ashes if we don’t do something about it.
If something catastrophic happens from negligence, you will hear from the ones who were hurt.
Amadeu Lima, Hollister
