CAL FIRE Increases Firefighter Staffing in Central Valley Recent Rain Not Enough to Combat Drought Conditions
Despite recent rain, California has
not received enough rainfall to make up for this winter’s dry weather pattern
and the third dry year in a row. As a result, continued drought conditions and
wildfires have required CAL FIRE to hire several dozen seasonal firefighters earlier
than normal across the Central Valley and Central Sierra.
“The recent rainfall is not enough
for us to let our guard down,” said Chief Dale Hutchinson,
CAL FIRE Southern Region Chief.
“Though the rain is great in the short term, even if it rained
straight for several months, we
wouldn’t catch up to the amount of rainfall we need.”
The additional seasonal firefighter
hiring includes 15 firefighters in CAL FIRE's Madera
-Mariposa - Merced Unit, 14 in the
Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, and 12 in the Fresno-Kings Unit.
The additional firefighters come
just one week after nearly two dozen seasonal firefighters were
hired in Tulare County.
Many parts of California, including
Sacramento and Los Angeles, marked calendar year 2013 as
the driest on record. These
extremely dry conditions follow two previous dry years statewide.
Already this year, CAL FIRE crews
have responded to over 500 wildfires that have charred over
1,130 acres. In a normal year the
department would responded to fewer than 130 small wildfires.
The additional seasonal firefighters
allow CAL FIRE to augment its staffing of fire engines and
equipment that the department’s
permanent firefighters have been doing for the past several
months throughout the Central Valley
and Sierra.
The Governor’s drought State of
Emergency directed CAL FIRE to “hire additional seasonal
firefighters to suppress wildfires
and take other needed actions to protect public safety during this time of
elevated fire risk.” The increased staffing levels follow a series of actions
from the
administration to ensure that
California is prepared for record dry conditions.
With California facing its driest
year on record, Governor Brown declared a drought State of
Emergency last month and directed
state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for
water shortages. Governor Brown has
spoken with President Obama about crucial federal support during the ongoing
drought, and the state continues to work with federal partners
to ensure a coordinated drought
response.
Across state government, action is
being taken. The Department of General Services is leading
water usage along California’s
roadways by 50 percent.
In January, the state took action to
conserve water in numerous Northern California reservoirs to
meet minimum needs for operations
impacting the environment and the economy. The State
Water Resources Control Board
announced it would work with hydropower generators and the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
to preserve water in California reservoirs. Recently the
California Department of Fish and
Wildlife and the California Fish and Game Commission
restricted fishing on some waterways
due to low water flows worsened by the drought.
The state is working to protect
local communities from the dangers of extreme drought. The
California Department of Public
Health identified and offered assistance to communities at risk
of severe drinking water shortages
and is working with other state and local agencies to develop
solutions for vulnerable
communities. CAL FIRE hired additional firefighters and is continuously adjusting
staffing throughout the state to help address the increased fire threat due to
drought conditions. The California Department of Food and Agriculture launched
a drought website to help farmers, ranchers and farmworkers find resources and
assistance programs that may be available to them during the drought.
Even as the state deals with the
immediate impacts of the drought, it’s also planning for the
future. Recently, the California
Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental
Protection Agency and CDFA released
the California Water Action Plan, which will guide state
efforts to enhance water supply
reliability, restore damaged and destroyed ecosystems and
improve the resilience of our
infrastructure.
Governor Brown has called on all
Californians to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 20
percent, and the Save Our Water campaign
launched four public service announcements
encouraging residents to conserve
and has resources available in Spanish. Last December, the
Governor formed a Drought Task Force
to review expected water allocations and California’s
preparedness for water scarcity. In
May 2013, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order
to direct state water officials to
expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water
rights.
For more information on the increased
fire threat and for steps to prepare for wildfires visit:
www.ReadyForWildfire.org
