As historic fires ravage Northern California, San Diego leaders are urging locals to be alert and prepared should any blaze occur in America’s Finest City.
Peak fire season is among us, so Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell and City Councilmember Chris Cate gathered Wednesday to stress the importance of fire safety and preparedness.
“Our residents can be confident that our firefighters have state-of-the-art equipment available to save lives and protect property,” Faulconer said in a statement. “We all remember the devastating fires of 2003 and 2007, and we’re asking every San Diegan to do their part by making sure they are prepared in case of an emergency.”
Wildfire Tips
What you need to know when fires begin to spark.
Together with the city council, Faulconer made investments to ensure San Diego is equipped with the necessary tools to battle brush fires. Such investments include:
- Eight additional fire engines to help battle blazes in high-density areas
- Two additional brush engines
- A Firehawk helicopter capable of night-flying and dousing fires with 1,000 gallons of water at a time
- An investment of $13.7 million to build a storage facility to house fire helicopters
The local leaders reminded residents that the responsibility of fire safety isn't just on them.
"Preparedness is a shared responsibility," Stowell said. "We are doing our part; we suggest you do yours."
Stowell reassured the public that local stations had the personnel necessary to combat any blazes that occur.
"Rest assured, the city of San Diego fire stations are all fully staffed, even though many of our firefighters are deployed to the north of us," Stowell said. "We monitor the weather, fire activity and fire potential very closely, and we increase our staffing based on that information.”
San Diego Fire-Rescue recommends that families put together an emergency plan that involves creating a designated meetup place for when disaster strikes, making a supply kit full of helpful items to help in dire situations and being aware of what to do in case they find themselves trapped during a fire.
For more information on fire and safety recommendations, see the document below:
