Elected leaders and first responders from Nevada County, City of Grass Valley, City of Nevada City, and Town of Truckee met to discuss emergency preparedness priorities, current tools in place, lessons learned, and opportunities to collaborate and enhance emergency preparedness efforts moving forward. These included efforts for preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recovery.
Many priority mitigation measures were discussed, including the need for increased vegetation management, home hardening (fire-proofing a home), public education about fire prevention, green waste disposal, and improving staffing and resources for first responders.
Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly, who offered lessons from the devastating 2018 Paradise fire, emphasized the danger of overgrown vegetation. “When a community looks like it will burn, it will,” he said.
In addition to staff and elected officials from the County of Nevada, City of Grass Valley, City of Nevada City, and Town of Truckee , also participating were the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District, Truckee Police Department, CAL FIRE, Truckee Fire Protection District, Truckee Police Department, and Grass Valley Police Department.
Connelly, as well as Town of Paradise Council member Steve Crowder and CAL FIRE Butte Unit and County Fire Department Chief Garrett Sjolund discussed their experiences with the 2018 Paradise Fire, which left 86 people dead and 18,000 structures destroyed.
Dead-end streets that trapped residents and failed cell phone service were among the factors leading to the destruction, the officials said. They added that recovery has been challenging with many still living in recreational vehicles years after the blaze because they can’t afford housing.
“What I take from this is prepare, prepare, prepare,” said Nevada County Board of Supervisors Chair Hardy Bullock, who led the gathering.
The Joint County-Cities-Town meeting was scheduled as Nevada County residents have faced increasing emergencies, including severe winter storms and wildfire events over the last several years. The meeting was held at Center for the Arts in Grass Valley.
A full recording of the meeting is available at the Nevada County Board of Supervisors YouTube site. For tips about what to do to prepare for wildfire season, visit ReadyNevadaCounty.org.
