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Council adopts Lake County Fire Protection District wildfire plan; Cal Fire and county signed off
Summary
Clear Lake joined the Lake County Fire Protection District, county and Cal Fire in approving a district-specific Community Wildfire Protection Plan designed to prioritize fuel reduction projects and make certain projects more ‘shovel ready.’ Council vote was unanimous on Jan. 16.
The Clear Lake City Council unanimously approved a Lake County Fire Protection District Community Wildfire Protection Plan on Jan. 16, joining the district, county and the state in a coordinated effort to identify and prioritize fuel-reduction projects and infrastructure work to reduce wildfire risk across the district.
Autumn Lancaster of the Lake County Fire Protection District described the plan as the first fire-district-specific Community Wildfire Protection Plan in the county. Lancaster said the plan contains risk maps, a prioritized appendix of fuel-reduction projects, and a unique Appendix D containing scope-of-work descriptions to make projects more shovel ready for grant funding.
“Developing one can help identify, clarify and refine priorities to protect life, property, infrastructure, and valued resources,” Lancaster said.
The plan references authorities and best practices used to shape its scope, including the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, Public Resources Code section 4291 and NFPA standards (NFPA 1144 was cited as a defensible-space reference). Lancaster cited recent projects funded through community wildfire defense grants, including vegetation abatement work at Woodland Community College and other evaluations taken to NFPA 1144 standards.
The plan also proposes site-specific treatments—one example presented to the council was Panorama Drive, a secondary access roadway that had been rendered impassable after storms and was later cleared using grant funds to improve emergency access.
Cal Fire and the county have signed off on the document, Lancaster said; the council’s approval was recorded as representing the city’s agreement for the cooperative effort.
The council made no substantive changes to the plan in the meeting and approved it by unanimous vote. No members of the public spoke in opposition during the hearing; there were no substantive amendments.
Ending: With municipal approval in hand, the Lake County Fire Protection District and partner agencies may proceed with project prioritization and grant applications based on the plan’s appendices and scope-of-work templates.
