Fire Safe Council formed in response to 2020 wildfire
Yolo supervisors to receive update on how county is preparing for future fires
With funding from Cal Fire, the Yolo County Resource Conservation District and Yolo County Office of Emergency Services have created “Fire Safe Council.”
Formation of the council comes just as Yolo County supervisors are scheduled to be updated on how officials handled the August 2020 LNU Lightning Complex Fire response and recovery.
That Tuesday presentation builds on a Feb. 9 update to supervisors on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
Overall, the Tuesday presentation to supervisors will include a detailed review of the community listening sessions held in Winters that followed the fire, fire recovery and evacuation plan efforts, and an update on the Evacuation of Older Adults and Persons with Access and Functional Needs Subcom
mittee.
Part of the county’s plan for dealing with future wildfires included creating a Fire Safe Council which is a grassroots, communityled organization that mobilizes residents to protect their homes, communities, and environments from catastrophic wildfires, according to Conservation District Program Manager Tanya Meyer.
The main function of the Yolo council will be to provide support for wildfire prevention, wildfire response and post-fire recovery efforts by implementing priority projects identified in the Yolo County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, stated Meyer.
“The RCD is leading the development of the CWPP as part of the CAL FIRE grant program,” Meyer continued.
Meyer reported the planning process began in the fall of 2020 and will be completed over the course of the next two years.
“As the first step, a CWPP steering committee is meeting to develop a draft wildfire risk assessment that will be available for Fire Safe Council and community input in early fall,” Meyer added. “Once the wildfire risk assessment is finalized, the RCD will be holding a series of public meetings in the wildfire-prone communities in the greater Winters area, Esparto and Capay Valley.”
All people interested in getting information on the local council, including those from neighboring counties, will be able to contribute to the process.
In the meantime, both the Conservation District and emergency services staff will be available to assist community members affected by the recent wildfires.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 2:30 p.m., the Yolo OES and the RCD will host a virtual kick-off meeting where people will hear a presentation from the California Fire Safe Council. They will discuss the steps and timeline for creating the Yolo Fire Safe Council. Experts will also be available to answer questions.
Key stakeholders on the Fire Safe Council include the County and city governments, Yolo County Board of Supervisors, Tribal representatives, local fire departments, CAL FIRE, utility providers, and other related local and state agencies and organizations as well as the general public.
Interested members of the public are welcome to attend.
The agenda and the Zoom link to the meeting can be found at https://yolorcd.org/wp-content/uploads/yolo-county-fire-safecouncil-kick-off-meetingagenda-2021-02-23.pdf.
For those who cannot attend, the session will be recorded and posted on the Yolo County RCD’s wildfire resources webpage at https:// yolorcd.org/resources/wildfire-resources/.
At Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting, Dana Carey, the county’s emergency services manager, will review the blaze that took six lives as it swept through 400,000 acres, and destroyed 1,500 structures in Yolo, Lake, Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties between Aug. 17 until it was extinguished on Oct. 2.
Within Yolo County, the effects of the fire resulted in five properties being incinerated, triggering participation in numerous federal and state recovery programs.
After the fire was extinguished members of the Board of Supervisors held community listening sessions, in which feedback was gained and analyzed, leading to the creation of several programs and/or projects to better protect and serve the community.
Those included the implementation of a Fire Safe Council, development of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, revitalization of the incident management team, considerations for community alert and warning, and post-incident issues. The alert and warning developed into the idea for a mass notification system, and possible audible siren systems. The post-incident issues revolved around the need for transparent after-action reporting, relief recovery programs, and real-time fire information.
The recovery efforts on the LNU Lightning Complex Fire are continuing and being led by the Yolo County Office of Emergency Services, in conjunction with other County departments, such as Environmental Health, Finance, and Community Services.
Meanwhile, additional work is occurring related to evacuation policies and plans.
First, the Office of Emergency Services is working with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office in drafting a Repopulation and/or Re-entry Plan. This plan will be partnered with the Evacuation Plan, to support the return of evacuated individuals within the county, the cities, and the Tribal lands-as needed.
Second, the Office of Emergency Services is working with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, Animal Services Section, as well as UC Davis’ Veterinary Emergency Response Team, and community partners to draft a Large Animal Evacuation and Shelter Plan that is in coordination with the Evacuation and Shelter Plans for humans.
Carey reported that the animal evacuation and shelter plan has already been put in place.