Funding for rural wildfire protection
Re “Rural counties lose federal funds,” Dec. 10
It’s inexcusable that Congress adjourned without approving funds for rural schools in the West. A second victim of congressional inaction is community wildfire protection in California. The same legislation that would have funded rural schools provided $4.5 million a year to California for local fire safe councils, particularly in the Sierra Nevada. The councils’ purpose is to implement proactive measures to reduce the wildfire risk and damage to homes, neighborhoods and towns from wildfires.
The best way to protect communities from wildfires and save money is to reduce fuels around communities and protect homes and towns before the fires start. That is the sole purpose of the network of more than 135 fire safe councils in California: efficient, collaborative and cost-effective fire protection.
The funding Congress denied was critical, given declining funding for community wildfire protection through other federal programs and the absence of dedicated funding from the state for the California Fire Safe Council and its grant clearinghouse, which directs money to local councils for real work on the ground.
JAY THOMAS WATSON
Sonoma, Calif.
The writer is a board member of the California Fire Safe Council.
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