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Supervisors direct county to hire fire education specialist for defensible‑space outreach
Summary
After considering two grant modification options to boost residential outreach, the board favored hiring an in‑house fire education specialist to expand 'boots‑on‑the‑ground' contacts under a CDBG disaster‑mitigation grant, asking staff to amend the grant scope and seek state approval.
Butte County supervisors on Dec. 16 directed staff to modify a CDBG disaster‑mitigation grant so the fire department can hire a fire education specialist to increase in‑person contacts for defensible‑space compliance.
Deputy CAO Katie Simmons and Fire Chief Schoelen presented two options: (A) use grant funds to hire a fire department specialist (three‑year salary estimate just under $500,000), or (B) amend the grant to hire an outside contractor via RFP to perform residential visits. Chief Schoelen said a county employee in uniform under a marked vehicle builds trust in rural communities and allows the department to control messaging on changing regulations such as proposed zone‑0 adjustments. Supervisors and some public commenters expressed concerns that a contractor might not be trusted in remote areas or might deliver inconsistent messages.
Supervisor Teeter and others favored Option A for its trust and message‑control advantages; staff noted that if an RFP receives no responsive bids the department would need to re‑release it, potentially delaying outreach into the next fire season. The board asked staff to submit a grant modification to the state and to request a one‑year extension of the grant timeline if needed to preserve the three years of program activity.
What’s next: staff will prepare and submit a grant modification specifying the hiring of a fire education specialist and will work with the state on approval and any necessary timeline extension.
