Fire Season To Begin In Bay Area Counties

Monday, May 12, 2008

Fire Season To Begin In Bay Area Counties

May 11, 2008 6:15 pm US/Pacific

Fire Season To Begin In Bay Area Counties

SANTA CLARA (BCN) ― The Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit has announced that fire season will begin Monday in Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Alameda counties and all open burning permits will be suspended in areas under contract to the agency.

The start of fire season varies throughout the state and is based on weather conditions, vegetation and increased fire activity, according to Cal Fire.

To respond to local conditions, unit chiefs hire seasonal firefighters, increase dispatch levels and operate fire response facilities at all times.

Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial-type burning may continue if a Cal Fire official inspects the burn site and issues a permit.

Campfires are allowed in designated campgrounds and in established facilities on private property with permission from the jurisdictional authority, Cal Fire reported.

In addition to Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Alameda counties, fire season will begin Monday in certain areas west of Interstate Highway 5 in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

In recognition of the beginning of fire season in many areas of the state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently proclaimed May 4 through May 10 of this year Wildfire Awareness Week.

The proclamation recognized last year's wildfires in Southern California that left 10 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate.

"Wildfires hurt our environment, our economy and the lives of many Californians, and it is up to us to take action to help prevent wildfires from starting and spreading," the proclamation read.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Monday, May 12, 2008