City of Santa Cruz holds meeting on reducing wildfire risk

The City of Santa Cruz Public Safety Committee invited the public on Monday to hear a presentation on efforts being made to reduce the risk of wildfires in the area.

The meeting was held in the City Council Chambers at 809 Center Street.

The Santa Cruz Fire Department Risk Reduction Division is fully staffed for the first time in over a decade. This has enabled the Department to do a community assessment of risk concerns on a wide range of subjects.

Some examples include identifying neighborhoods that are at an increased risk for wildland events, creating a vegetation management plan, and forming a Fire Wise group within Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz Fire Chief Jim Frawley shared details about the work the Risk Reduction Division has undertaken, along with community partners as well as other City departments.

For many residents in Santa Cruz, living in homes right next to large forests connects them with nature. But enjoying that atmosphere comes with the risk of getting caught in a wildfire.

“We have a huge problem because we’re right backed up against the DeLaveaga County Park,” said Abby Young, a Prospect Heights resident in Santa Cruz.

Young said there are lots of fuel on the ground like tinder. She said it is an accident waiting to happen.

“A lot of the neighbors who are living right up against it are very concerned, as well as those even a mile away because I’ve heard that the embers from Eucalyptus can shoot up to a mile,” she said.

The fire department is prioritizing neighborhoods that have a higher risk from wildfires. They will focus on tackling the vegetation that surrounds the neighborhood that can cause fires to grow.

Residents are also encouraged to form FireWise groups so that neighbors can help each other with prevention tasks including yard clearing, gutter protection and creating evacuation plans.

“I was very interested that there were actual activities and trainings we could do that would help support and collaborate with what (fire officials) were doing,” said Young, who is a founding member of the FireWise group in Prospect Heights.

She hopes more residents will get involved.

“The old adage is an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of recovery,” said Frawley. “So the more we can do ahead of time, the dollars that we invest now will be well worth it in the future.”