Fire Season Begins

This week is the official beginning of the 2006 fire season. Los Angeles County Firefighters are warning property owners that clearing brush from around their homes is the primary tool in combating future fires.

At a press conference held at Camp 2 near the JPL campus in La Cañada on Wednesday, LA County Fire Department Chief P. Michael Freeman was joined by fire chiefs, fire commanders and firefighters from various agencies around Southern California. They were here to officially establish coordinated response efforts to life and property this coming brush fire season.

Freeman mentioned the fire danger the area in and around La Cañada and the Crescenta Valley, pointing out that although the area has received some recent rains, the fire danger is still prevalent.

JPL climatologist Bill Patzert agrees that the rains in 2005 and this spring may give the community a false sense of security that the fire season will be easier this year.

"The big picture is that in the southwest, like Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and California, it has been dry for seven years," Patzert said.

He added that in 2004/2005, the southwest states had a record-breaking wet year. But with the rain came more vegetation, which he classified as fuel for the fires.

"We have got a lot of vegetation out there, and we are in a dry longterm trend here in the west," Patzert said.

It is this dryness and abundance of fuel that LACoFD officials warn against, especially in areas like La Cañada, and the Angeles National Forest.

"Remember, we have about 50 million dead trees in the forest," Patzert added. "It is clear we are fueled up."

ANF Deputy Chief Don Garwood said recent reports that budget cuts made in the U.S. Forestry Service may put the area at risk if there was a fire are untrue.

All Angeles resources are still here," he said. "Our budget really didn't change. We chose to reduce staffing to live within our means."

Garwood added that citizen groups and organizations, such as the Boy Scouts and Fire Explorers, help the forestry service with many fire prevention programs.

"We have a citizen group that that maintains a fire station at Vetter Look Out," Gorman said.

But it is homeowners who can be most helpful by clearing brush. A California law requires that brush be clear within 100 feet of a home.

Patzert advises La Cañada homeowners to use the cooler days this month to clear the area around their homes and property.

"Don't whine about the fire season in August and September when you had an opportunity to beat back the brush [earlier]," Patzert said. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of regret in the fall."

Every community has varied requirements for brush clearing.

Residents are advised to contact their local fire stations for information.

Fire stations will also have information on what citizens can do to prepare for the 2006 fire season.

cnws-fire0609.jpg-BPhotoInfo5P1ROGJN20060608j0idvlncPhoto by Mary O'Keefe(LA)FIGHTING IMAGINARY FLAMES — Glendale firefighters spray foam during a Wednesday brush-fire demonstration at Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 2 on the JPL campus.