Sacramento
– As drought conditions continue to significantly elevate
California’s fire danger, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. has declared May 3-9,
2015 as “Wildfire Awareness Week”. During Wildfire
Awareness Week, CAL FIRE is reminding
all Californians of the role they play in preparing for and preventing wildfires.
“With a record dry and
warm winter Californian’s fire activity
has been nearly double what it normally
is for this time of year,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director. “Our firefighters continue to meet the
challenges posed by California’s historic drought,
but we all must do our part to ensure our homes
are
prepared for wildfire
and that residents and visitors to our state take extreme caution
to avoid sparking a wildfire.”
On May 1, the
Department of Water Resources
(DWR) announced that California’s snowpack water content
was only 3 percent of normal. The lack of snow and overall rainfall
has led to conditions being much
drier than normal, lending themselves to the quick spread of wildfire.
Between January 1 and
May
2, CAL FIRE has responded to over 1,100 wildfires that have charred over 4,200 acres. In an average
year for the same time
period, CAL FIRE would
typically respond to fewer than
650 wildfires burning approximately 1,500 acres.
During Wildfire Awareness Week, CAL FIRE is reminding Californians
that when it comes to wildfires,
remember “Ready, Set,
Go!”. Being Ready
for a wildfire
starts by maintaining 100 feet of Defensible
Space and hardening homes with fire resistant building materials. During this drought CAL FIRE is highly
recommending residents
landscape their yards
with drought tolerant and
fire resistant plants. Being Set includes
have an evacuation plan and an emergency supply
kit. Lastly, when a
wildfires strikes, residents are urged to Go! and evacuate
early.
CAL FIRE
is also urging all
Californians during Wildfire Awareness Week to learn the steps to
prevent sparking
a wildfire. Over 90 percent
of the wildfires in California are sparked by the activity
of people, so CAL FIRE
has joined local and federal fire agencies in the “One Less Spark, One
Less Wildfire” campaign in
hopes of getting the public to practice fire safety outdoors and prevent
sparking a wildfire.
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Residents looking for additional information on how to prepare themselves,
their families and their
homes for wildfire can visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org. The site offers tips for residents to make their homes more resistant to wildfires and to ensure that
their families are ready to evacuate
early and safely
when a wildfire strikes.
For more
than two years, California has been dealing
with the effects of drought. To learn about all
the actions the state
has taken to manage our water system and cope
with the impacts of the drought,
visit drought.ca.gov.
