LAKE COUNTY
Fire Safety Has Never Been More Important: Do Your Part
Fire season is here, and drier than usual seasonal fuel conditions and low humidity already led to portions of Lake County being subject to a Red Flag Warning earlier this week.
“Our state, federal and local Land Management and Fire Agencies are outstanding partners,” assured Rob Brown, District 5 Supervisor. “Right now, they are working to remain prepared and prepositioned for future wildfire events throughout the state. We all have to do our part to help them out.”
Nearly 95% of wildfires in California are human-caused. Many result from events like equipment malfunctions, neglected heat sources, electrical or heating system issues and accidents of neglect, like improperly discarded cigarettes and metal objects (such as chains) left dangling from moving vehicles.
Particularly with the 4th of July… it is critical all Lake County residents are vigilant in protecting against the threat of wildfire. Resources on topics including firework safety are available here:
“Resources are limited or uncertain for every public agency right now,” noted Brown, “and that includes some with responsibilities for fire suppression and mitigation. Inmate crews also do a lot of fire mitigation work, and we normally have 4-5 crews in Lake County, alone. Because of the early release of inmates, due to COVID-19, we will probably be down to 1 crew.”
Cleared Brush Visible from Roadsides
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for 200,000 square miles of Federal land in Lake County, including areas near Buckingham (the Black Forest) and the Rivieras.
Recently, they contracted with CAL FIRE to clear brush from areas visible from Lake County roadsides. While the vegetation was abated, a significant amount of brush has been piled and left in place. There is also some brush remaining from 2019’s 1,000 Hands Project.
Some County residents have expressed concern these piles may be hazardous, and asked that they be removed. We want to reassure the public CAL FIRE, BLM and the County are satisfied no significant fire hazard is present that warrants pulling CAL FIRE personnel from their usual and customary duties during the active fire season.
BLM does not have vegetation management personnel available to remove the brush, and it is generally agreed to pose relatively limited fire risk in place. Seeking an alternative contractor, one perhaps less familiar than CAL FIRE with vehicle and equipment maintenance practices that limit the probability of sparks, may bring greater fire risk than leaving the brush in place.
“Our local, state and federal partners are working collaboratively to prepare for this fire season but we can’t do it alone,” emphasized Congressman Mike Thompson. “It is imperative that each of us as individuals remain vigilant and do our part to prevent devastating wildfires and help save lives.”
Tips for reducing many types of residential and other fire risk are also available from the National Wildfire Protection Association’s Firewise USA program:
https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-USA
—Submitted
SAN FRANCISCO
PG&E and California Fire Foundation Renew Partnership to Tackle Wildfire Risk
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has renewed its partnership with the California Fire Foundation (CFF) by providing $1.2 million for a Wildfire Safety and Preparedness grant.
The partnership creates grant funding opportunities for fire and community organizations to address the ongoing risk of wildfire. Applications must be submitted by July 15, 2020 and awardee notification will begin July 31, 2020.
“PG&E is proud to continue our support for the California Fire Foundation in its work to help make California more resilient to fire risk. We all play a role in reducing the fire threat in our communities. We are committed to bolstering wildfire prevention and response by helping to ensure firefighters and residents have the necessary resources to prevent catastrophic wildfires,” said Michael Lewis, senior vice president of Electric Operations, PG&E.
PG&E’s contribution is a continuation of a 3-year collaboration between PG&E and CFF to support fire safety awareness. In 2018 and 2019, CFF provided funding from the annual grant to 95 fire departments and fire agencies throughout California. Funding targets specific communities identified as extreme or elevated fire risk as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission High Fire-Threat District map.
“The California Fire Foundation’s partnership with PG&E helps expand resources to, not only fire agencies, but community-based organizations around the state to educate and prepare for the wildfires we know are coming,” said Rick Martinez, Executive Director of the CFF. “This joint effort enables agencies to be better equipped and communities to have the resources to plan ahead, ultimately ensuring the lives and property of all Californians are protected.”
Specifically, the grant program has funded:
Fire equipment purchases, local fire education programs, and defensible space and vegetation management efforts.
Fire safety messaging targeting underserved communities in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong and Vietnamese.
A statewide fire safety awareness campaign through television, radio, digital and outdoor advertisements.
The grant program also supports the creation of fire prevention and safety education materials in multiple languages. This effort aims to overcome language barriers and increase access to educational resources among California’s underserved populations. The program’s goal is to continue building generational resiliency in high fire-threat communities through resources and education.
—Submitted
Legacy birthday
Robert Dale Anton was born on July 3, 1920 as a fourth generation resident of Lakeport. He was the younger of the two sons of John and Inez Anton. Bob grew up right on Clearlake, and loved fishing, boating, hunting, gardening, and horseback riding. In 1939, he and his mother rode mother/son horses in the quadrille team in the World’s Fair on Treasure Island.
Bob went on to Sacramento Jr. College where he studied aeronautical engineering and was president of his class. He was one of three students chosen to work at Lockheed in Burbank for two years, where he helped to design parts of planes, including the XP2V1.
Wanting a change, Bob went into the Army, taking his basic training in Tyler, TX. At that time, he was dating the beautiful Janice Rose, and while home on leave, he married the love of his life! After two years in the Army, they moved back to his hometown, where Bob worked for Lake County and drew plat maps for the assessor’s office that are still used today.
A few years later Bob bought the Chevrolet Garage in Lakeport and he and Jan had their children, Lynda and Tommy. After twenty five years at the Chevy Garage, Bob moved on and got his Real Estate license, and a few years after that, he became an appraiser for the VA in Lake County.
Finally, after many years of hard work, Bob retired and has spent the past 20 years fishing, gardening, spending time with family, and golfing. On his 98th birthday, he played his last game of golf and pared three of the nine holes!!
Bob still enjoys coffee with the “good ol’ boys” at The Howling Dog five mornings a week (until Covid-19), mowing his three acres with his John Deere tractor, and driving to Chico with his cat Finley to spend time with family!
He is slowing down a bit now, but Bob still exercises and goes on the treadmill most every day, fishes with his friend Doug, gardens, and fiddles around in his woodshop. He lost his wife almost ten years ago, but he still lives independently and never ceases to amaze all who know him!!
If any of you have time to send Bob a birthday card wishing a happy 100th birthday, please send it to: Bob Anton c/o Lynda Jensen at 32 Lakewood Way, Chico, CA 95926
—Submitted
