Sonoma County is getting ready in a few different ways.
First, the county is starting a program that will assess more than 5,000 properties for wildfire safety. And, thanks to a grant from FEMA, it can help pay for the changes the assessments recommend. To see if your property is eligible for an assessment, go to SoCoAdapts.org.
Second, the county is launching more public education programs in rural west Sonoma to help residents identify the dead trees and brush that help wildfires spread. If they’re found, the Department of Transportation can coordinate a chipper to come get rid of them. To learn more about the chipper program, go here.
Third, the Department of Emergency Management is installing six new cameras that use new technology to automatically send alerts to emergency staff when fires are spotted.
And finally, in the coming months the department will conduct practice evacuations with residents in two unincorporated areas of the county.
These measures come shortly after the state passed a half-billion dollar wildfire resilience package to protect high-risk communities around the state.
For more information on how to prepare for wildfires in Sonoma County, visit socoemergency.org.
