The Yolo County Board of Supervisors received an update on fire emergency preparedness on Feb. 9
Dana Carey, the county’s office of emergency services director, gave the presentation and updated the board on fire safe councils, wildfire protection plans and other fire-related items.
Carey said fire safe councils are locally driven grassroots, community-led organizations that often function as the lead implementer of community wildfire protection plans. It’s important for the councils to genuinely be community-led, Carey said, because much of the fire safety work is done at a homeowner level.
Yolo County is forming a countywide Fire Safe Council, with its first meeting scheduled for Feb. 23.
Carey added that Fire Safe Councils often function as the lead implementer of a community wildfire protection plan. The Wildfire Protection Plan is a strategic document that agrees upon wildfire risks in the area covered by the plan, Carey said.
“The plan is kind of the precursor, and then the council helps with input to the plan and the council drives the direction of what the plan says will be effective,” Carey said.
The county is also working to establish an incident management team, to bulk up alert and warning systems, and to improve after action reporting, Carey said.
The board will be receiving an LNU Complex Fire update on Feb. 23.
