From January to April, CalFire responded to more than 800 wildfires throughout California. During the same period last year, it was only 300. The alarming spike combined with the dry winter forced the state to urge Californians to do their part in getting ready for fire season by creating defensible space and having an emergency plan.
"We're prepared, but the individuals around the state need to be prepared," California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said.
Homeowner preparation is especially important this year because of budget cuts totaling $80 million. The state hired 700 fewer seasonal firefighters this year, five bulldozers that help create fire breaks won't be in use and one airbase in Fresno was shut down.Three-man crews will also continue to be assigned to engines, instead of four people. And for the second year in a row, California couldn't afford to keep the converted DC-10 used for airdrops on an exclusive contract, so the states will have to fight over it on an as-needed basis.
"To have it available on-call costs us more per hour," CalFire senior aviation officer Bill Payne said. "Of course, the operation has to make its money, pay people and does its maintenance."
All this talk of cutbacks worries residents like Monica Wilson, who live right next to areas prone to wildfires. They'll be depending on CalFire more than ever since vegetation is noticeably dry this year.
"I don't know if response times will be increased, or if they'll have less manpower to create firebreaks," Wilson said. "I think basic fire protection is something our government needs to pay for."
But CalFire says residents shouldn't worry because the state has the ability to move resources around and call on other agencies for help.
"We use fire weather and fire behavior specialists to help us anticipate what weather and other conditions are there and we'll staff it accordingly," CalFire Chief Ken Pimlott said.
The state does have an emergency fund it can dip into in case firefighting costs get out of control. It's also readying to bill rural residents up to $150 a year for fire protection.
