Placer County pushes to fight wildfires, secure insurance

Wildfires are a constant worry for Placer County residents, especially as we head into the dry season. With valley grasses loaded with fuel and human-caused fires already popping up daily, the danger is clear. As your county supervisor, I'm focused on keeping our homes safe and tackling the insurance crisis that's hitting our wallets hard. Placer County faces serious wildfire risks, with more than a third of its land in national forests and more homes in California's fire-prone Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) than any other county. The Placer County Fire Department (PCFD) and CAL FIRE, longtime partners, are geared up for the season. PCFD is fully staffed, with Station 70 on Wise Road now equipped with three personnel, including a paramedic/firefighter, to serve our community well. Volunteers in Paige, Thermalands and Sheridan are a key boost, training soon to support our career firefighters. We have firefighting aircraft ready in Grass Valley, Auburn and nearby McClellan for quick response. On the ground, we're stepping up prevention with defensible space inspections, road easement discing and public education events. Our low-cost Residential Chipper Program helped more than 200 households clear flammable debris last year. But the wildfire insurance crisis is a growing problem. Throughout our county, some residents (including myself) see premiums double, while others can't get coverage at all. The California Department of Insurance uses "distressed area" zip codes to push insurers to offer policies, but hazard maps might still drive up rates through catastrophe modeling. Placer County is pushing for solutions, backing bills like AB 226 to help[CF1] fund the California FAIR Plan and AB 888 to create a Safe Homes grant program for community fire protection. We're keeping an eye on AB 1 to allow residents more access to discounts on insurance premiums for home-hardening efforts. By backing efforts like the California Wildfire Mitigation Financial Assistance Program (AB 441) and our CAL FIRE partnership, we're making our county safer. Aside from engaging in state legislation, the Board of Supervisors is taking matters into their own hands by establishing a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and a Countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The development of both plans is underway and we anticipate completion by the end of this year and early next year, respectively. Another great tool in our belt is Vibrant Planet, a digital platform to analyze our entire forested landscape and precisely target where we'll get the greatest risk reduction benefits. What could have been an overwhelming challenge has become a clear, data-driven roadmap that our partners and community have rallied behind. The program has been so successful we will expand it to include the entire county, creating even more ability for the county to interact with community organizations and interested residents. Our community's strength also lies in working together through many collaborative efforts such as the Placer Fire Safe Alliance, five Placer Fire Safe Councils, the many Firewise USA Communities across the county and the Chipper Program. The Firewise USA program is designed to empower and engage residents living in wildfire prone areas with a plan and actions that can increase their home's chances of surviving a wildfire while also making it safer for firefighters. Placer County has more Firewise Communities than any other county in the nation! If you are interested in becoming a Firewise USA Community, Placer County OES can help you and your neighbors get started by simply emailing our Firewise USA coordinator at FireReady@placer.ca.gov. You can pitch in! Visit placer.ca.gov/5721/Fire-Safe-Alliance to check out a Fire Safe Alliance or Council meeting, utilize the Chipper Program to clear flammable debris from around your home or follow the Sheriff's social media for Red Flag Warning updates. Share your thoughts on the county's wildfire mitigation efforts at engage.placer.ca.gov, where the General Plan Update is shaping a fire-safe future. Together, we'll keep Placer a place where families grow, forests thrive and our homes stand strong against wildfires. Shanti Landon is the Placer County District 2 Supervisor.