![]() ![]() ![]() “It all depends on the amount of fire starts and that’s preaching good fire safety, fire prevention…vegetation management programs, shaded fuel breaks. “The outlook for fire season is similar to what we’ve seen previously – we’re in a continued drought, so every year we continue the drought the fuels become more stressed than they were the prior year,” Wilson said. He also echoed a “grim” fire outlook for the summer that was conveyed last month to the County Board of Supervisors in a presentation by Cal Fire CZU Unit Chief Nate Armstrong. Wilson said his unit is working with the county to acquire and distribute low cost or free radios to the community as soon as late July or early August. “Areas where you know you have frequent power outages, you know you have difficult cell reception, poor internet service – this would be that communication backup that could allow you to receive a message at a critical time.” “Our recommendation would be that everybody living in an area that could be impacted by wildfire, it would be nice if they had one of these,” said Cal Fire CZU Deputy Chief Jed Wilson. “The messaging however will be specific and detailed to those most at risk.”Ĭal Fire CZU unit has been working closely with the county’s response, recovery and resilience office in providing this tool and recommends it be used broadly throughout the community. “Due to the nature of this system it will not be a targeted message only distributed to those impacted, it will be noticed to anyone with a radio tuned to our station,” Reid said. The county is exploring grant opportunities that will allow it to purchase and distribute these radios to disadvantaged community members at little or no cost. Each radio typically costs $20 to $40 and can be identified by the blue and red “All hazards NOAA Weather Radio” logo on the packaging. The radios are supplementary to these community alert systems and are widely available online and at retailers, according to the release. “It doesn’t replace the importance of registering with our reverse 9-1-1 system, CodeRED, and knowing your evacuation zone via Zonehaven but it is an additional resource.” NOAA All Hazards Weather Radios can operate on batteries, solar or via hand crank, making them useful during power outages and loss of cellular service. “It (the radio) serves as an important addition to our emergency communication tool set as it is one of the few ways we can communicate when the power is out, if there is a threat to your life or property,” Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience Director Dave Reid told the Sentinel. A critical feature of the radio is that it can operate on batteries, solar or via a hand crank, making it especially useful during power outages and loss of cellular service. The radios provide emergency notifications and information specifically tailored by county emergency managers and distributed through the National Weather Service radio system. The Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience in collaboration with the Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 are encouraging residents living in high fire danger areas to consider purchasing a NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio, according to release from the county. See below for tips on preventing wildfires.SANTA CRUZ – Peak fire season in California has arrived and county safety officials are recommending a new tool to community members for use during fire incidents and other natural disasters. One less spark could mean one less wildfire. It's important all residents and visitors take steps to prevent wildfires. CAL FIRE urges Californians to be extremely cautious, especially during periods of high fire danger. The type of weather patterns that can cause a watch or warning include low relative humidity, strong winds, dry fuels, the possibility of dry lightning strikes, or any combination of the above.ĭuring heightened fire danger, CAL FIRE will place additional firefighters on duty, staff more fire engines and keep more equipment on 24 hours a day to be able to respond to any new fires. A Fire Weather Watch is one level below a warning, but fire danger is still high. During these times extreme caution is urged by all residents, because a simple spark can cause a major wildfire. A Fire Weather Watch is issued when weather conditions could exist in the next 12-72 hours. ![]() The National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings & Fire Weather Watches to alert fire departments of the onset, or possible onset, of critical weather and dry conditions that could lead to rapid or dramatic increases in wildfire activity.Ī Red Flag Warning is issued for weather events which may result in extreme fire behavior that will occur within 24 hours. ![]()
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