GRASS VALLEY — PG&E and the El Dorado, Nevada and Placer Sierra Fire Safe Councils are partnering to help prevent wildfires in the Grass Valley area.
PG&E is working with Fire Safe Councils throughout Northern and Central California to help fund a variety of wildfire prevention projects, including forming fire breaks, supporting customer education and helping residents maintain defensible space around their properties. Defensible spaces are the buffer zone between a building and the trees, shrubs or other vegetation that surround it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and helps protect a home from catching fire while simultaneously protecting firefighters defending your home.
The grants to the Fire Safety Councils total nearly $60,000 and will help fund a variety of projects, such as:
- Clearing defensible spaces for qualified low-income seniors and disabled residents in Grass Valley, Nevada City and surrounding unincorporated areas;
- Funding a fuel reduction project along critical evacuation route in Placer County; and,
- Removing vegetation that could fuel a wildfire along a critical road in El Dorado County.
According to CAL FIRE, nearly 90 percent of all wildfires in California are caused by people, often from routine activities. Simple tasks like mowing the lawn, using a weed eater or operating a chain saw can spark a wild-land fire. Similarly, worn brakes, exposed wheel rims and dragging towing chains can also cause sparks and ignite a fire.
“Wildfires are a huge risk in the Sierras, and PG&E is proud to make a donation to help our customers prevent fires in the area,” said Clay Schmidt, manager of PG&E’s Sierra Division. “At PG&E, we live and work in the communities we serve, and there’s nothing more important to us than their safety.”
“It is very important for the fire safe council to be able to provide programs that help our community be fire safe,” said Joanne Drummond, executive director of Nevada County Fire Safe Council. “We are grateful to PG&E for the funding to help continue our fuel reduction program for those most in need in our community.”
PG&E is also partnering with Cal Fire on the ‘One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire’ public safety campaign, a multi-agency effort to minimize the frequency, size and cost of wildfires started by human ignition. PG&E is joining the campaign by reminding its 22,000 employees and encouraging the nearly 16 million Californians it serves to practice safe outdoor equipment use, and to properly use and maintain all vehicles.
In addition, PG&E recognizes the importance of creating and maintaining defensible space to slow or stop a wildfire, and to help firefighters defend property. PG&E continually monitors fuel conditions to prepare for this risk, and works closely with public safety organizations to assist in fire response activities.