Get Ready! Its Wildfire Awareness Week!

The state of California has designated this week (May 6-12, 2012) as Wildfire Awareness Week.  Four of the last seven years have been the most destructive wildfire seasons in US record-keeping history:

• 2011 - 8.7 million acres burned
• 2007 - 9.3 million acres burned
• 2006 - 9.8 million acres burned
• 2005 - 8.6 million acres burned

And this past winter has been especially dry in California.  As of May 1 the statewide snowpack was only 40% of its normal level.  And from January to April 2012 CAL FIRE has responded to 2.5 times as many wildfires (800) as in the same period 2011 (when there were just 300).  So this is expected to be a very active wildfire season in California.

CAL FIRE is continuing its theme of "Ready, Set, Go!" in which residents are asked to take fire safety measures such as Defensible Space, Family Communication Plans and Evacuation Steps.  We'll look at these in more detail this week!