CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE: San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Soquel Demonstration State Forest Remains Closed

Friday, April 7, 2017

CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE: San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Soquel Demonstration State Forest Remains Closed

CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

San Mateo-Santa Cruz UnitSoquel Demonstration State Forest Remains Closed

Soquel – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), Soquel Demonstration State Forest (SDSF) was officially closed to all public use, including hiking and cycling on January 11, 2017 to protect the public safety. With the latest storm, the rainfall for the season measured at SDSF is 88.5 inches, the highest in recorded history.

SDSF infrastructure has suffered major damage due to multiple landslides and road failures. This damage makes effective emergency response impossible. When SDSF is open for public use, the emergency response for major rescues averages about one per month with an additional one or two responses for less major rescues. With the current lack of access, it would be impossible to perform any rescue at SDSF and therefore must remain closed until access is restored. Entering SDSF during the closure is a misdemeanor under the authority of Title 14, Section 1439, California Code of Regulations. Law enforcement officers will continue to patrol the forest and will issue citations to violators.

SDSF staff is putting in place the required permits, contracts and funding to begin work as soon as the there is a dry period which could be as soon as next week. The repairs are expected to take 4 to 5 weeks. The forest will be reopened after repairs are completed. A notice announcing the reopening will be sent out as well as posted on the CAL FIRE Soquel Demonstration State Forest Facebook page, web page and CZU Twitter account.

During the week of Sea Otter Classic in neighboring Monterey County, SDSF has always seen a large influx of users coming to visit with people from all over the world who are in the area. Please help us spread the word at the Sea Otter, bike shops, social media and word of mouth that SDSF is still closed and will likely be reopened in late-May or early-June. For information updates follow us on:

· CAL FIRE Soquel Demonstration State Forest Facebook page @CALFIRESoquel

· CAL FIRE CZU on Twitter @CALFIRECZU

· SDSF Webpage at http://calfire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_stateforests_soquel

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CONTACT: Angela Bernheisel (831) 475-8643
RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2017

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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

Friday, April 7, 2017