SAN DIEGO, California – On Tuesday, May 6, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will join with California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird, Chief Ken Pimlott, Director of CAL FIRE and other key Southern California first responders to educate the public and communities on how they can help prepare for what's expected to be a serious fire season throughout California.
The San Diego event is part of California's Wildfire Awareness Week, a weeklong series of events up and down the Golden State to discuss simple steps the public and communities can take to prepare for and prevent the wildfires.
As climate change spurs extended droughts and longer fire seasons, the Obama Administration is working with state, local and tribal partners to maintain healthy landscapes, prepare communities for fire season, and better address the nation's wildland fire threats.
According to a congressionally-mandated FLAME Act report, the current wildfire outlook for significant fires in California through May 2014 is above normal. The U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior are projected to spend over $470 million more than is available to fight wildfires this season. The report estimates that the Forest Service and Interior may need to spend $1.8 billion fighting fires this year, while the agencies have only $1.4 billion available for firefighting.
In 2013, nearly 10,000 fires were reported in the state, burning 578,000 acres. The largest was the Rim Fire that burned more than 257,000 acres across the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park, destroying homes, commercial properties and threatening the Hetch-Hetchy Valley and reservoir, a water source for the city of San Francisco.
WHO:
Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior
John Laird, California Secretary for Natural Resources
Chief Ken Pimlott, Director, CAL FIRE
Greg Griswold, San Diego (MVU) Unit Chief
Mark Ghilarducci, Director, California Office of Emergency Services
Shawna Legarza, U.S. Forest Service Region 5 Director of Fire & Aviation Management
WHAT:
Wildfire Awareness Event
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 6, 2014; 11:30 a.m. PDT
WHERE:
CAL FIRE San Diego Unit Headquarters
2249 Jamacha Road
El Cajon, San Diego County,
California 92019
RSVP:
Media wishing to attend the event should RSVP here.
Source: Department of Interior
