NEWS- County ramps up fire protection

County ramps up fire protection:

YUCCA VALLEY — Yucca Valley will be gaining firefighters and enhanced fire protection this season thanks to spending approved recently by the board of supervisors, said fire department spokesperson Tracey Martinez.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has approved supplemental funds of up to $550,000 for the county’s mountain and foothill communities, she said. The money will provide additional staffing for six months.

Division Chief Paul Summers said the funding will add welcome manpower to the area’s firefighting force.

“One of the positions that county fire and CDF have taken is that we’re going to hit all wildland fires quickly and efficiently with a maximum force response,” he said. “This funding helps us do that.”

The money, from the county general fund, will also pay for six months of expanded dozer operations staged in high-risk areas, mostly in desert and valley locations.

The one-time allocation is targeted for summer and fall of 2007 and spring of 2008.

Summers said the extra money will ensure the department has a safe contingent of firefighters.

“We have to keep the environment as manageably safe as we can,” he said. “When you have two firefighters or three firefighters trying to do the work of four, something has to give.”

The added manpower also helps with crew safety by cutting down on fatigue, he said.

County Fire Chief Pat Dennen said he is grateful to the board of supervisors for recognizing the severity of the fire threat this season.

“Due to the continuing wildland fire threat, the onset of the hot weather season, the depletion of federal and state fire resources and the lack of rain, there is a critical need to ensure the county’s fire stations and dozer operations are adequately staffed,” he said.