San Carlos takes on wildfire prevention

Dave Pucci, Redwood City deputy fire chief, said his department, which also serves San Carlos, has been focused on efforts to cut back brush and grass on city-owned parks and lots in recent months. Supported by funds from FIRE SAFE San Mateo County, efforts to have a goat herd begin clearing brush at Eaton and Big Canyon parks are underway, said Pucci, who noted an environmental review to inform a comprehensive plan to manage potential wildfire fuel was recently completed and is being reviewed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He added officials plan to conduct an evacuation drill in a San Carlos neighborhood June 8 and will spread the word about the drill to the some 300 homes included in the area with door hangers and signs on nearby roads.

City officials commended the fire department’s efforts to hold two community meetings in April to discuss residents’ concerns about wildfires and steps they can take to create defensible space around their homes and plan for an evacuation. They also suggested officials find ways to spread the word about prevention measures on social media and encourage more residents to subscribe to the county’s SMC Alert notification system, which can send emails, texts and voice messages with information about natural disasters and emergencies to residents’ cellphones, landlines and other devices.

Mayor Mark Olbert joined his colleagues in asking how concerns residents have raised about evacuation routes for hillside properties could be addressed. Referencing questions about how evacuation routes might be designed for properties accessible by roads like Madera Avenue and Winding Way, Olbert wondered if officials could consider parking restrictions in certain neighborhoods.

“If disaster really does strike, evacuation’s going to be really critical,” he said, according to a video of the meeting. “And that’s not the time to find out that … people are fleeing in one direction and the fire trucks are trying to get in and unfortunately there’s only one lane of traffic because there’s parked cars on the side of the street.”

Pucci expected an effort to map a grid across the county to help officials understand the topography and sources of wildfire fuel in specific zones, noting it would also allow them to create models of how fires could spread and what evacuation routes residents could take. He said alerts to residents in at-risk areas during a disaster could be sent through the SMC Alert notification system.

In response to councilmembers’ questions about how word about prevention measures could be spread, Pucci said a planning tool, checklist and tips for what residents might need to pack in case of an emergency have been distributed at the community meetings and the materials would be sent to residents in the coming months. He added county officials are working toward ensuring all residents receive notifications through the SMC Alert system and have the option of opting out of the alerts, but noted it will take them time to collect the data needed to implement an opt-out system.

Councilmembers also asked how developing fire detection and disaster warning technologies might be integrated into the city’s wildfire preparedness plans. Pucci noted city fire officials plan to coordinate with efforts to install fire detection cameras on Interstate 280 and also monitor technology other city fire departments on the Peninsula are testing to determine what technologies might be most effective in San Carlos.

“The thing with fire technology right now is it’s moving about as fast as your next iPhone development,” he said.

Having worked on spreading the word about the importance of wildfire safety, resident Ken Castle praised the city’s fire officials for coordinating informative community meetings and continuing to focus on the risk the fires present. Castle acknowledged there are several agencies at state and county levels also focused on wildfire prevention measures as well, and encouraged officials to seek opportunities to collaborate with them.

“Let’s not put all the burden on the fire department,” he said. “It’s still a learning process for these wildland urban areas, it is a regional issue.”

Pucci acknowledged the department’s efforts will be a multi-year process as officials contend with limited resources at the state level to address potential hazards, noting the department is already working to reserve goat herds and Cal Fire hand crews next year to ensure the mitigation work is maintained over time.

“We’re never going to be able to completely mitigate our way out of wildfires,” he said. “We’re going to need to be on this for a long time, this is not just a one-time thing.”

Visit cityofsancarlos.org/wildfire for more information on ways to prepare for a wildfire.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106