Four fire agencies institute burn ban effective Monday

Cal Fire and three other fire agencies have instituted a burn ban in effect right now. Because of these unprecedented conditions outside, firefighters are expecting a long and difficult fire season ahead. The Monterey County Regional Fire Protection District is instituting its own burn ban effect on Wednesday. That means no more residential burning. It’s just one way they hope to prevent wildfires.

“It’s concerning for us,” Jeff Wardwell, engineer for MCRFD said. “We are already planning ahead now for a very busy fire season, which is why its so important for us to educate the public on how they can help us do our job.”

Because during a fire, seconds and minutes matter. That’s why firefighters are asking you to clear a path to your house — a 12-foot wide, 15-foot high space to fit their trucks.

“We want to make sure we can get them into those areas and up to those addresses so that we can take care of business and make sure people are safe,” Wardwell said.

And they’re asking people display big, bold numbers and letters that clearly show an address.

“It does help and saves us a lot of time and makes it a little less confusing when we’re trying to find the house,” Wardwell said.

Of course many neighbors already know about defensive space, but the timing of the day when you landscape could put you at risk for accidentally starting a fire.

“We like to see mowing is done by 10 o’clock in the morning,” Wardwell said. “And we try to keep that to days that aren’t windy. If something does happen, we want to make sure it’s not fueled by the wind.”

For neighbors living within the Monterey County Regional Fire Protection District’s jurisdiction, they’re able to take advantage of a new program happening later this spring. A $54,000 Cal Fire grant which is helping to pay for a free residential chipping program.

“So this program will allow people that can clean around their homes to cut brush and tree trimmings, put it to the curbside and dispose of it free of charge,” Chief Michael Urquides said.

And in the event a major fire happens here, brand new technology will help firefighters on the front lines. Not only will outside resources get old-fashioned maps, but there’s new technology where they can download information onto a tablet. It will allow them to find water access at their fingertips, all to stop what many believe will be a dangerous summer.

Cal Fire says 95% of all wildfires are human caused, meaning they are preventable. So at a time like this where the brush is dying off, it’s important we all stay vigilant.