CAL FIRE - RRU - Red Hill North VMP news Release

News Release
Release Date:	01/21/2008	Release Time:	5:13 PM
Contact:	Chief Kevin Turner or Chief Dan Johnson (951)659-3337	Subject:	Red Hill North Pile Burning Operation To Take Place Throughout The Winter
Full Text: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will conduct debris and slash pile burning intermittently on weekdays, starting after January 14, 2008 and will continue throughout the winter into spring. The pile burning will take place below Highway 243, just north of Pine Cove Fire Station #23 on the south end to approximately Alhatti Lodge at the north end. This pile burning operation is part of the Red Hill North Vegetation Management Project (VMP), which is designed to reduce fuel loading and modify the fuel arrangement around the perimeter of the community of Pine Cove. This is part of a pre-fire plan to keep a major fire from moving into the community and to provide safe emergency egress for citizens and ingress for fire fighting equipment along Highway 243 in the event of a wildfire. In addition, the fuel-modified zone will better enable the fire department to keep fires that might start within the community or along the highway from moving into the surrounding wildlands. CAL FIRE engines and fire crews will conduct the pile burning operations. CAL FIRE staffs state engines year-round in Riverside County and one of their missions is to assist with pre-fire planning and hazard mitigation projects. The Red Hill North VMP is one of several planned programs in the Mountain Communities area to mitigate hazards and educate the public in advance of a major wildfire. Burning operations will typically begin after 8:30 AM and will conclude by 4:00 PM each day of burning. The burning operations will only occur on permissive burn days as determined by AQMD and CAL FIRE /Riverside County Fire Department. -END-