Fire Danger and Brush Removal
Re “Fire Dept. Seeks Added Funds for Brush Clearance.” Sept. 15.
Both the mayor and City Council of Los Angeles need to bite the bullet and fund Fire Chief [William] Bamattre’s request for additional inspectors to cope with the brush removal, citywide.
While El Nino is the popular culprit, the reality is that whole areas of the city, including Brentwood, the Palisades, Encino, Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, Northridge, Sunland-Tujunga, Los Feliz and El Sereno were in trouble prior to El Nino. Personnel cuts to the Fire Department have made it impossible to oversee, let alone manage, wild land areas of the city.
Santa Ana wind-driven fires cannot be fought by Super Scoopers.
Without a valid, ongoing wild land fire inspection program, areas adjacent to wild lands are in jeopardy from catastrophic wildfire.
Protection of homes from catastrophic wildfire can only occur through fuel reduction!
The 1993 firestorm fires clearly displayed vegetation management as the answer. Fire code changes were advocated to meet the catastrophic wildfire threat.
The mayor and the City Council need to act responsibly and fund the depleted ranks of the Fire Department to meet this threat.
SCOTT E. FRANKLIN, Former Vegetation Management Official, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Santa Clarita
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