Clearing Brush a Good Job for the Guard, Official Says

The city of Los Angeles should consider asking for help from the National Guard to clear brush from government property, a council member said Friday.

Citing the continuing threat of fire, City Councilman Mike Feuer proposed that the city begin talks with Gov.-elect Gray Davis and the U.S. Department of Defense about getting Guard help.

Feuer said there are hundreds of government-owned properties in Los Angeles that have not yet been cleared because of a lack of resources. The city faces a bill of $3 million to clear its properties, many in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Fire Department has estimated it would cost $750,000 to clear brush from properties owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to comply with new rules.

Assistant Fire Chief Michael Fulmis, who said exploring the possibility of Guard help is a good idea, said that despite recent rains, there is still fire danger.

Normally the National Guard is deployed to a city when the governor declares an emergency. No such emergency declaration would be needed if the program is set up as a way to improve training of troops, said Lt. Doug Hart, the chief spokesman for the California National Guard.

The Guard does have engineering battalions that use heavy equipment, including bulldozers, to clear brush.

The Guard is not allowed to do work that can be performed by private companies, Hart said, but that restriction may be removed if the city demonstrates there are not enough private firms capable of doing the work.