Southern California Counties; Firefighters Acknowledged
Most Californians remember-and the media focused on-several major blazes in late October which destroyed thousands of homes and caused the largest evacuation in state history.
Here's the rest of the story:
During that same period of time, Oct. 21-27, Southern California firefighters extinguished 251 fires, all during major wind events; meaning most of the fires never reached a life-and-property threatening status. Moreover, of those 251 fire "starts," approximately 50 were right here in Riverside County, and none of them reached major proportions.
In an opinion piece in last Friday's San Diego Union-Tribune, Cal Fire Director Ruben Grijalva credited "aggressive tactics during the Santa Ana winds event" with snuffing out fires before they became killers and property destroyers. The Cal Fire Director also noted major improvements in the firefighting capabilities of state and local agencies since the disastrous fires of 2003.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, John Tavaglione, accepted an award from the California State Association of Counties on behalf of Riverside County. The award reads "California State Association of Counties honors Riverside County for its outstanding response and overall excellent management of the crisis during the recent California Fires." Six other Southern California counties significantly impacted during the fire siege received similar awards.
At the last Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting November 20, a grateful board presented the award to County Fire Chief John Hawkins and Deputy Director Mary Moreland.