NFPA Journal - November/December 2013 - (Page 6)

>> COMMENTS FROM YOUR LETTERS In It Together After All The article "All Together Now" ("In a Flash," September/October) misses the point on many of the wildfire issues facing our forests and wildlands. Let me offer the following comments: The United States Forest Service and the national forests were established in 1897 to provide a supply of timber and to protect watersheds and timber. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was established to protect state responsibility lands (SRA), which are those lands deemed by the state to have WRITE TO USVjournalmail@nfpa.org What You Said "So we are all in it together. And we always have been in it together. The easy answer is that we need more money to address the wildfire problem, but there doesn't seem to be any extra money to go around." -Bob Eisele encouraging "local solutions for safety by involving homeowners," one would think you would take care to not alienate any Californians who may need your assistance. It is even more questionable what this money will be used for. "Prevention and mitigation" could mean reinforcing the presentday model, which does not Firefighters keep watch over a wildfire at Point Mugu, California, in May. statewide value for timber and watershed value. These lands have always been beyond the resources of rural communities when it comes to supporting the cost of wildland fire suppression. Wildland fire protection has always been recognized as the responsibility of the state and federal governments. California's "fire prevention fee" is controversial and unpopular with many residents of SRA lands in California. It is being litigated and may not survive the numerous legal challenges. As an organization 6 COMMENT ONLINEVnfpajournal.org appear to be working. Or even worse, it could transfer costs to the SRA residents and away from the cities, suburbs, and farms that are dependent upon the wildlands for water, timber, recreation, and preservation of the natural systems. I am not sure what cuts to California's fire budget the article is referring. To my knowledge, engines, dozers, crews, and aircraft have not been reduced from previous years. And costs incurred in fighting SRA fires vary dramatically from year to year but are always paid for by the NFPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 state or federal government. Your article quoted a commentator in the Los Angeles Times who was critical of San Diego County for being the only major urban county in California without its own fire department. It's true that San Diego County has been accused of not adequately funding fire protection by the Los Angeles Times and a few local activists. Since 2003, though, the county has provided two Type 2 helicopters and funded the structural fire protection in unincorporated areas outside of cities and special districts. While it is too complicated to explain all the permutations on fire protection that exist in each southern California county, a few points require explanation. Wildland fire suppression and prevention is the responsibility of the federal government on federally owned lands, and wildland fire suppression and prevention is the responsibility of the state government on state and private wildlands outside of incorporated cities. Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, and Ventura coun- ties have assumed wildland fire suppression in their respective counties and are reimbursed by the state. In Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo counties, Cal Fire provides the wildland forces. Also, to my knowledge, no southern California county has a county fire department. All "county fire departments" are special districts that typically have the County Board of Supervisor as their board of directors. The Los Angeles County Fire Department is, in fact, Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire Protection District. It is funded from property taxes levied on the properties in the unincorporated area and from contracts with many cities that find it more cost effective to have the county fire department provide fire protection services. In San Diego County, fire protection districts provide service directly to suburbs outside of cities. Some of those districts contract with Cal Fire to provide structural fire protection. Riverside County contracts with Cal Fire to provide structural fire protection in the unincorpo- TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Email your letters to journalmail@nfpa.org, or mail them to Editor, NFPA Journal, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts, 02169. Please include your title, company or organization affiliation, and where you're based. NFPA Journal reserves the right to edit letters and comments for content and length. Photograph: AP/Wide World http://www.nfpajournal.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2013

Contents

NFPA Journal - November/December 2013