City hosts multi-day conference on wildfire response

Wildfire response and creating partnerships was the focus of a two-day, multi-state, multiagency conference at the Fortuna River Lodge and Conference Center.

The Southern Oregon Northern California (SONCAL) Wildfire Council annual conference was held on April 2 and 3 with attendees from Cal Fire, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and multiple U.S. Forest Service national forests including Six Rivers, Rogue-Siskiyou, Klamath, and Lassen-Modoc.

The SONCAL Wildfire Council was established in 1967 with the goal of bringing together fire-related agencies along the Oregon/northern California border. The annual conference gathering provides an opportunity for networking and creating plans for a better response to wildfires.

Cal Fire's Northern Division Chief of the Humboldt-Del Norte Unit Paul Savona said the multiple California-Oregon agencies partnerships that are formed are extremely valuable.

“In the event of a notable fire impacting those border areas, we can have a defined plan, know what we're going to get, and have appropriate resources coming, with the overall goal of enhancing public safety,” Savona said.

ODF Southwest Oregon District Public Information Officer Natalie Weber said the conference is essential for planning because important conversations can take place before a wildfire occurs.

“It just makes things a lot easier in the heat of the moment when everyone is stressed and we're trying to get the services that we need for our communities,” Weber said. “When we are meeting on an incident, we will know who will bring what to the table and that makes us more prepared in that situation.”

She echoed Savona's

statement about the conference and the networking opportunities. “This conference is a great way to meet future partners in wildfire suppression,” Weber said. “Our goal is to bring together all these fire-related agencies along the Oregon and Northern California border to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to incident response, resources, finances, and many other different things.”

Approximately 60 people attended the SONCAL conference in Fortuna.

MARY BULLWINKEL — FOR THE TIMES-STANDARD Fire-related agency representatives from California and Oregon were creating partnerships and developing wildfire response plans during a two-day conference held this month at the Fortuna River Lodge and Conference Center.