2018 has been a devastating wildfire year. With neighboring communities suffering such catastrophic losses, one cannot help but wonder if this could happen here in Humboldt County. The answer is yes, it can. In 2002, after a destructive fire season, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors developed the Humboldt County Fire Safe Council (HCFSC) to prepare and implement a Master Fire Protection Plan, now known as the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The goals of the plan are:
Wildfire Ignition Prevention: Reduce human caused wildfire ignitions
Wildfire Preparedness: Increase community resilience and adaptation to wildfire
Disaster Preparedness: Increase residents' ability to effectively prepare for and survive wildfire disasters
Fire Protection: Support fire protection services for people, property, communities and natural resources
Restoration of Beneficial Fire: Restore beneficial fire at the landscape scale.
Integrated Planning: Maximize integration of planning efforts to improve community and ecosystem resilience to wildfire.
The HCFSC is asking for your help by reviewing the current CWPP and giving your feedback. The date for public review and comments has been extended to October 12, 2018 for most areas of Humboldt County. For the Eel, Mad-Van Duzen, Mattole-Lost Coast, Southern Humboldt and Avenue of the Giants Units, the deadline is October 19.
To view or download the plan, please visit the HCFSC web page and to find our more on wildfire news, visit the HCFSC Facebook page.
