May 2-9, 2009 as "Wildfire Awareness Week

Monday, May 4, 2009

May 2-9, 2009 as "Wildfire Awareness Week

While California's long, hot and dry summers offer us fantastic weather for many fun activities, they also provide optimal conditions for one of our state's biggest dangers - wildfires. In 2008, we experienced some of the most devastating fires in our history, and as summer comes to a start and we enter our third consecutive year of drought, it is vital that we prepare for this year's fire season.

Our Golden State is privileged to be home to more than eighty-five million acres of wildland, which enhance our natural beauty, provide recreation opportunities to visitors and contribute $452 million to our economy. Wildfires create a disastrous impact on this land by releasing dangerous greenhouse gasses and destroying forests and habitats, as well as potentially burning homes and harming our citizens.

Ninety-four percent of fires in our state are caused by humans, and by encouraging education and action among our residents, we can prevent many of them. One important step is to establish the required 100 feet of defensible space. We can also reduce our risk by understanding building code regulations and actively promoting fire safety in our communities.

This year, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will introduce new equipment that will help us to better defend our state as we enter into fire season. I am grateful for their hard work and the efforts of everyone else who courageously protects our Golden State from fires.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 2-9, 2009 as "Wildfire Awareness Week."

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 21st day of April 2009.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California
ATTEST:
DEBRA BOWEN
Secretary of State

CAL FIRE will use Wildfire Awareness Week as an opportunity to answer questions about fire safety and how to be better prepared in an emergency situation.

Wildfire Awareness Week schedule:

Tuesday, May 5: Kick-off for Wildfire Awareness Week, CAL FIRE Mobile Equipment Facility, Davis at 10:45 a.m.

Tuesday, May 5: CAL FIRE Day at the Sacramento Rivercats baseball game, Raley Field, West Sacramento at 7 p.m.

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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 4, 2009