California fire chief warns of drought-fueled fire season ahead

Standing on Sonoma County airport tarmac before a tableau of gleaming planes, fire engines, a helicopter and bulldozer, California’s fire chief Tuesday warned of the pending fire season’s dire potential and said residents need to take prevention steps now.

Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott’s stop at the state air attack base at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport was one of several he’s making on a tour throughout the state for Wildfire Awareness Week. Tuesday’s visit reflected the air attack base’s use as a hub of firefighting activity for Cal Fire’s North Bay region.

Pimlott was greeted by about two dozen local firefighters from several agencies, as well as 11 fire officials who joined him for a news conference.

Anticipating a severe 2015 fire season as the state grapples with a fourth year of drought, the agency has ramped up staffing earlier than it ever has in the past. As of early May, the state’s firefighting force of 7,000 is almost at full staff and the fleet of nearly 400 fire engines and 22 air tankers and planes is moving into place. Two extra-large private tankers also are available this year. Full readiness is expected by June 1.

“It’s now up to you,” Pimlott said of residents. “Do your part to prepare so we all have a fighting chance.”

Standing off to the side of the press conference, wearing his standard flight-ready gray coveralls, was pilot Bob Valette. The veteran pilot is beginning his 40th year flying a tanker out of Sonoma County’s air attack base.

Valette’s assigned plane was the main prop in Tuesday’s event. Known as Cal Fire 86, the huge plane had a belly full of fire retardant, and Valette said he’d be waving the crowd away should the fire bell ring so he could get to it.

“We’re ready to go,” said Valette, who works a six-day week during firefighting season. “I’ve already gone to a couple of fires within the last few weeks. It’s so very dry.”

Fire officials each year predict the possibility of a bad fire season, and Pimlott acknowledged the message this year was no different as the drought continues and the snowpack is basically nonexistent.

He cited a growing number of trees and timber stands throughout the state dying or stressed from the drought and insect infestations, coupled with hillsides and valleys covered in dried vegetation. The fires will be well fed, Pimlott said. “We’re coming off the driest and hottest year on record.”

In 2014, California’s 5,620 wildfires burned 90,606 acres. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, which began July 1, the state has spent $236 million of the budgeted $279 million.

On Tuesday, the state chief was joined by local chiefs who also hammered on the need for people to heed the annual prevention recommendations. Those included clearing vegetation from up to 100 feet from homes; letting lawns die and tearing out the dry grass; mowing dry weeds in cool weather only; and using fire-resistant building materials for homes and property.

Pimlott also stressed that residents should have an evacuation plan and be ready to leave their homes earlier to avoid clogging escape routes.

Helicopter pilots this year should expect to have to look harder for water to fill their firefighting buckets. Pimlott said in some cases they’ll have to travel farther afield due to lower levels in ponds, lakes and other waterways. He said fire officials would map that out in advance.

As part of another change, a spotter plane and two tankers that fly out of Sonoma County will have to cover a larger geographical area beyond just the greater North Bay.

The change stems from a fatal air tanker crash in October involving a plane that flew out of Hollister. To cover the loss, Sonoma County planes will travel farther than the Mount Diablo boundary line, said Scott Upton, chief of a six-county North Bay region including Sonoma, Napa and Lake counties.

In Sonoma County, Cal Fire’s nine stations have been fully staffed for a few weeks, including those in Cazadero, Glen Ellen, Cloverdale and Occidental.

For information on fire safety tips for residents in wildland areas or for other fire-related issues, go to readyforwildfire.org or the Cal Fire website at www.fire.ca.gov.

You can reach Staff ?Writer Randi Rossmann ?at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@rossmannreport.