Wildfire prevention has always been a priority for San Mateo County officials, but the rampant fires of 2020 have further accelerated their efforts, especially as the state faces severe drought.
Jonathan Cox, deputy chief of the San Mateo County Division of Cal FireThe CZU Lightning Complex wildfires in August 2020 were a wake-up call for them, as they took out more than 86,000 acres in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, making it the largest fire in the last 100 years for the unit.
"What burns in my memory is the Sunday we got in the helicopter for a reconnaissance flight and saw not only how many wildfires we had but how remote they were," Cox said. "And then to be able to look across the bay and know that your neighbors had fires too. I'll never forget it, because it was the overwhelming moment when I recognized the scope and severity of the situation and knew things were going to get worse before they got better."
Lightning had sparked multiple wildfires across the state, burning more than a million acres and straining the resources of Cal Fire and other response agencies.
Cox noted that he had never seen so many wildfires at the same time.
Since then, Cal Fire, local fire districts and other San Mateo County agencies have accelerated projects to reduce the wildfire threat throughout the county.
These projects include controlled burns and fuel management efforts such as forest thinning and removal of flammable vegetation near roads and evacuation routes.
Cox stressed the importance of fuel reduction, as it is one of the factors we can control when it comes to preventing wildfires.
On the other hand, weather is a variable that firefighters cannot control and dry or windy conditions can increase the risk of. Cox encouraged people to take red flag days seriously, when the region is most vulnerable.
"We're facing another terrible year right now," he referred. "Moisture is low. We had low rainfall compared to what we need, plus the drought...We just want people to remember that in a couple of weeks we'll probably be back to where we were last time in firefighting."
Denise Enea, executive director of the county's nonprofit Fire Safe San Mateo County fire prevention committee, encouraged people to plan their evacuation routes in advance.
"You know if you live in a wildfire area. And you know if your road is narrow and maybe there's a way in," Enea pointed out. "So really the burden is on the citizens to educate themselves and their family. In the event of an emergency, they should know a couple of different evacuation routes."
Several of the county's Fire Safe San Mateo projects involve clearing evacuation routes by reducing fire fuel near roadways.
"Many of our evacuation routes are not up to par in terms of safety. There is fuel encroaching on the road, a lot of overhang, and it would become a very dangerous, if not impassable, route," Enea continued.
Last month, the county used Measure K sales tax funds to remove brush and young trees such as eucalyptus from a stretch of Guadalupe Canyon Parkway on the edge of San Bruno Mountain, and vegetation thinning and chipping will continue along Skyline Boulevard, also known as State Highway 35.
Enea said the group applied for a grant from the state's Fire Safe Council to improve evacuation routes throughout the county, especially in high-risk areas.
In turn, he encouraged people to prepare their property by creating defensible space, or a "buffer" between buildings and surrounding vegetation, which helps slow or stop the spread of wildfires.
"Get your property ready now. Don't wait for the wildfire. You can't cut your brush and your trees while the wildfire is here. You have to do it years and months in advance, and then you have to maintain them," he stressed.
Even as the projects move forward, there is much more work to be done to maintain fire safety and to address the many acres of land throughout the county.
San Mateo County Parks Director Nicholas Calderon said there is a lot of overgrown forest that needs treatment after years of being left alone.
After the CZU fires, the county devised a five-year wildfire fuel management plan, which includes 32 projects.
One is to reduce fire fuels and improve forest health at Wunderlich and Huddart Parks in Woodside.
The project is a partnership between County Parks and the San Mateo Resource Conservation District, with funding from the state's Climate Investment Program.
Calderón emphasized that each of his projects is important because much of the park's land is located in the wildland urban interface, which is where the natural and built environments meet.
These interfaces are particularly vulnerable to forest fires.
"What is at risk is the safety of our residents. What's at risk are our communities where people have grown up and live. What is at risk are these natural environments that support wildlife and harbor unique and endangered species, and that we are supposed to protect by working to be stewards for future generations," Calderón said.
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