Politics & Government
Two-Thirds Of Contra Costa County A Fire Hazard Severity Zone
"People need to understand there's a new normal."
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — During a meeting Tuesday of the Board of Supervisors, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Lewis Broschard offered up the details of the district's preparations for wildfire season and how members of the public can help. The 2018 fire season lasted for 192 days, and district firefighters responded to 390 fires, about two per day.
Nearly all of them were started by people in one way or another, by smoking, vehicle malfunction, arson or other human activity.
"For us in the Bay Area, really the risk is going to present itself in September and October when we get the north winds, sometimes very high north winds," Broschard said.
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Two-thirds of Contra Costa County has been designated as a fire hazard severity zone and firefighters expect this year's fire season to be just as dangerous as last year, but there are things the public can do to prepare and county fire officials have published a 16-page guide on getting
ready, available online at https://bit.ly/2JZOZvz.
There are some long-standing disaster preparedness strategies that haven't changed much over the years, like having a "go pack" ready with emergency supplies and establishing a communications plan for contacting loved ones, but there are also some new options like signing up for emergency notifications from the county at https://cwsalerts.com.
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PG&E's plans to shut down the power grid during high winds or other high-risk fire weather conditions could also play a significant role in the lives of Contra Costa County residents this summer, and Broschard recommended planning ahead for multi-day power outages.
"The grocery store will not be open, the gas station will not be open," Broschard said. "Your refrigerator will not be working. All of that needs to be taken into account."
Broschard also urged the public to take a community-oriented approach to wildfire preparedness, because even if a resident creates 100 feet of defensible space around structures on their property, their home could still be at heightened risk if a neighbor fails to do so.
"It takes the whole community to do these things," Broschard said.
Supervisors John Gioia and Candace Andersen were absent, but Karen Mitchoff, Diane Burgis and Federal Glover thanked Broschard for his presentation and the fire district's work to keep Contra Costa County safe.
"People need to understand there's a new normal," Burgis said.
—Bay City News Service
