Hollister
– The San Benito Fire Safe Council is issuing an open call for
all safety professionals, retired firefighters and anyone who wants
to keep abreast of local fire safety issues to join the council
tomorrow evening to help develop a wildfire protection plan for the
community.
Hollister – The San Benito Fire Safe Council is issuing an open call for all safety professionals, retired firefighters and anyone who wants to keep abreast of local fire safety issues to join the council tomorrow evening to help develop a wildfire protection plan for the community.
“We’re hoping we can really have a good community effort, because that will make this plan that much better,” said Cindy Reeves, administrative coordinator of the Fire Safe Council.
The Fire Safe Council is a nonprofit loosely associated with the Bureau of Land Management, designed to promote awareness of fire safety and mount projects to help local residents protect themselves.
The aim of developing a local wildfire safety plan serves several purposes: A set plan will help professionals work together more efficiently in time of emergency, allow community members to get a sense of what to expect, and ensure that the council is eligible for grant opportunities in the future.
“Once we have that plan in place we’re more likely to get the kind of funding we need to keep up with the projects we offer the community,” Reeves said.
San Benito County is particularly susceptible to wildfires due to the sheer size of the county and the rural roadways. The San Juan Canyon and Aromas areas are two locations officials have identified as at a high-risk for wildfires.
“If you look, most of these wildfires start right on the roads,” CDF Capt. Manuel Guerrero said. “A few start when birds get caught in the power lines, and two have been started by lightning. It could be a lot of things.”
Having a plan in place is particularly useful to those new in the community. It will identify high-risk areas, resources that are particularly important to preserve in the event of a fire (such as the Mission San Juan) and what can be done in the areas to mitigate the risk.
“You have a lot of people who recently moved here, especially out on Cienega road by all the wineries,” Reeves said. “They’re used to coming from bigger cities with a lot of fire protection, but they have to realize that it could take them ten minutes to get out to the house if there were a fire. They have to be prepared.”
Members of the public are encouraged to attend, as are emergency and safety professionals.
“We also really want to emphasize that we could really use retired experts in the field,” Reeves said. “We would love to have their knowledge and experience.”
The meeting is at 7pm Thursday at the Vet’s Hall . For more information call 623-1677.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
