Cosumnes CSD briefs Galt council on wildfire readiness, evacuation plans

Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Chief Felipe Rodriguez briefed the Galt City Council on local wildfire risks, department resources and community preparedness at the council’s April meeting.

Rodriguez said the district covers 157 square miles, serves about 210,000 people with roughly 3,500 responses in Galt last year and maintains multiple engines, ambulances and cross‑staff wildland units. He said the department’s priorities are to “protect lives, property, and the environment in that order.” He told the council the district has invested about $11 million in apparatus over recent years and added about 30 firefighters since 2020, and that the district is pursuing accreditation this year.

Why it matters: chiefs said Galt has adequate water storage and hydrant placement for urban areas but that rural and riverine areas are more vulnerable because they lack hydrants. Rodriguez said Galt’s water storage is roughly 9,000,000 gallons and that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating for the city is class 2, short of class 1 by three points.

Police Chief Kalinowski described the county evacuation plan adopted in 2021 and explained how residents would receive notifications. “If there’s a question whether or not you should go, you should go,” he said, distinguishing an evacuation warning (get ready) from an evacuation order (leave now). He said warnings and orders come from the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services and can use Sacramento Alert (sacramentoalert.org) to push messages to registered phones.

Rodriguez outlined typical wildfire response steps and the district’s red‑flag staffing: when conditions meet a red flag event (low humidity and sustained winds), the district predeploys engines, wildland units and tenders and can request contracted assets such as helicopters or dozers and mutual‑aid through California’s mutual‑aid system. He said the district can flow 1,500 gallons per minute from a single engine and that the department’s hydrant inspection cadence is an area for improvement.

Council members asked about local hot spots; Rodriguez identified rural fringe areas and Dry Creek as places that draw repeated concern and said the district and city code enforcement collaborate on vegetation notices and abatement. He encouraged residents to maintain 30 feet of defensible space in urban areas and 100 feet where feasible in rural areas, to assemble 72‑hour emergency kits and to register for Sacramento Alert.

The presentation concluded with a short Q&A; Rodriguez and Kalinowski said they will continue coordinating with city staff on hydrant inspection schedules, vegetation management and outreach ahead of the summer fire season.