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San Carlos panel details citywide wildfire preparedness, $200,000 annual vegetation program
Summary
City of San Carlos and partner agencies outlined year‑round wildfire threats, the city’s $200,000-a-year vegetation management budget, emergency operations plans and two short-term evacuation sites, urging residents to create defensible space and go bags.
San Carlos city staff and public-safety partners on a community webinar laid out how local agencies prepare for and would respond to wildfires, highlighting the city’s vegetation management budget, emergency operations plan and short-term evacuation sites.
Quinn Woolly, a management analyst in the city manager’s office, said the city dedicates roughly $200,000 annually to vegetation management on city-owned open spaces and parks, using goat grazing, hand crews and heavy equipment typically in May–June to reduce fuels. The city also maintains an emergency operations plan and a zero‑power communications plan that relies on posted flyers, A-frame signs and electronic boards at locations such as city hall, the library and fire stations if internet or cell service is lost.
Deputy Fire Chief Greg Dunia reviewed local wildfire history and risk drivers and emphasized that "no community is exempt," noting that California no longer confines wildfire activity to a single season. Dunia described ongoing fire‑agency training, mutual‑aid participation, after‑action reviews of incidents such as a June 2022 Edgewood response, and the department’s role in vegetation management and WUI (wildland‑urban interface) inspections.
The city said it operates two short‑term evacuation sites—the Adult Community Center and the Youth Center—that could be opened on a case‑by‑case basis and that additional venues (gyms or churches) could be used if needed. City staff also said employees are designated disaster service workers under state law and can be activated to staff the city’s EOC during large incidents.
Panelists encouraged residents to prepare defensible space around homes, assemble 'go bags' to sustain families for three to seven days, and register for county and city alert tools. The webinar concluded with staff offering a limited emergency‑kit giveaway to residents who demonstrate basic preparedness steps and submit required information to communications@cityofsancarlos.org.
The city posted links during the webinar to its wildfire and emergency pages for tips and alert signups.
