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County outlines wildfire fuel‑reduction, staffing and maintenance plans; supervisors flag need for sustained funding
Summary
Napa County Fire and CAL FIRE briefed the Board of Supervisors on recent fuel-reduction work, seasonal staffing and future maintenance needs. Staff reported millions in county investments and federal/state grants, and supervisors called for a durable funding mechanism to support ongoing maintenance.
Napa County Fire officials and CAL FIRE briefed the Board of Supervisors Feb. 4 on wildfire preparedness, recent fuel‑reduction work and plans for 2025.
What staff said: JR Rogers, assistant fire administrator, and Chief Matt Ryan said county and state crews supported emergency deployments to Southern California, and CAL FIRE hired seasonal firefighters early to support recovery operations. Staff listed 2024 accomplishments and 2025 priorities including prescribed burns and dozer-line maintenance across identified battalions and communities (Boothbay Park, Las Posadas Forest, Berryessa Highlands, Silverado Country Club and others). They said county-administered programs chipped large amounts of vegetation and that the county has invested heavily in fuels reduction "to the tune of $24,000,000 just since 2021." Staff also noted FEMA grant activity—about $60,000,000 in grants awarded or in pre-award stages across several projects, with contractor RFPs underway.
Board response: Supervisors praised the work but repeatedly flagged the challenge of long-term maintenance funding for fuels-reduction projects. Several supervisors suggested exploring durable funding measures—potentially combining open-space, parks and wildfire maintenance funding—since the initial dollars for fuel reduction require ongoing maintenance to preserve benefits. Staff said a county chipping program will open in April (application opens March 17) and encouraged residents to prepare piles for pickup.
Ending: Staff will continue fuels-reduction, prescribed-burn and fuel-break maintenance projects in 2025 and pursue federal/state grant implementation; board members asked staff to return with options for durable maintenance funding and potential collaborations with open-space and parks entities.
