Contra Costa County Grand Jury
• 2019-2020
• Agency Response
Response to:
Wildfire Preparedness in Contra Costa County
City of Pinole Tel: (510) 724-9833*
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 8 findings
F1
During a Red Flag Warning, fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County often deploy pre-positioned firefighting strike teams to maximize the ability to respond to wildfires. Response: Pinole agrees with finding #1. During a Red Flag Warning, fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County often deploy pre-positioned firefighting strike teams to maximize the ability to respond to wildfires.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
Fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County require property owners to perform weed abatement on their property to reduce the risk of fire spread. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #2. Fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County require property owners to perform weed abatement on their property to reduce the risk of fire spread.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
Not all fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County use predetermined polygons and routing algorithms in their evacuation plans. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #3. Not all fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County use predetermined polygons and routing algorithms in their evacuation plans.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County recommend that residents comply with law enforcement's orders to evacuate during an emergency. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #4. Fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County recommend that residents comply with law enforcement's orders to evacuate during an emergency.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
Not all fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County use new technologies, such as ground sensors, drones, satellites, and fire spotting cameras, for early detection of fires. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #5. Not all fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County use new technologies, such as ground sensors, drones, satellites, and fire spotting cameras, for early detection of fires. It is noteworthy that some of these new technologies are still in experimental stages of development for use in the fire service.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The City Councils of El Cerrito, Pinole, and Richmond should consider directing their Fire Chief to update wildfire evacuation plans and incorporate pre-determined polygons and advanced routing technology, by June 30, 2021. Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but plans are underway to implement by June 30, 2021. The Contra Costa County Fire Chiefs Association was approved for grant funding in the amount of $300,000 for a software program which will provide a uniform evacuation planning platform for fire agencies within the county. The funds are expected to be available in late 2020, and implementation is expected for mid-2021.
F6
The October 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events disrupted emergency response efforts and communications in Contra Costa County. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #6. The October 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events disrupted emergency response efforts and communications in Contra Costa County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The City Councils of El Cerrito, Pinole, and Richmond should consider identifying funds to adopt or expand the use of new technologies, such as ground sensors, drones, satellites, and fire spotting cameras, to help detect fires in high-risk areas, by June 30, 2021. Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented but will be implemented in the future. As a municipal fire agency contracted with the Contra Costa Regional Fire Communications Center (CCRFCC) for dispatch services, Pinole Fire Department has access to real-time satellite detection of fires as provided by PG&E. CCRFCC (which is operated by Contra Costa County Fire Protection District) can use this information for early detection to dispatch fire resources to a given area, often in remote locations, and use this information to support or confirm a fire. PG&E fire spotting cameras in the areas surrounding Pinole include those located at Cummings Skyway, Briones Tabletop, and Briones Rancho De La Rosa. The City of Pinole will consider identifying funds to expand the use of such technologies
F7
Fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County are not always informed by PG&E when the utility is performing non-emergency maintenance work that presents a high fire risk during a Red Flag Warning. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #7. Fire districts and fire departments in Contra Costa County are not always informed by PG&E when the utility is performing non-emergency maintenance work that presents a high fire risk during a Red Flag Warning.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The City Councils of El Cerrito, Pinole, and Richmond should review and consider mechanisms, such as the ordinance passed by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, that would enable their fire department to recover labor and equipment costs from PG&E for overseeing electrical utility work that presents a high fire risk, by June 30, 2021. Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented but will be implemented in the future. While it is unclear whether a local agency can regulate PG&E activities by way of an ordinance like that which was passed by SRVFPD, the City of Pinole will review and consider such mechanisms as recommended in this report by June 30, 2021. The City appreciates the time and effort spent by Her Honor and the Grand Jury in consideration of these matters. Sincerety. Roy∕Swearingen, Mayor CITY OF PINOLE
F8
An ordinance passed by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, requiring PG&E to give advance notice of non-emergency maintenance work that presents a high fire risk, enables the fire district to pre-position a team at the utility worksite and recover labor and equipment costs. Response: Pinole agrees with Finding #8, as we understand the San Ramon Valley FPD ordinance to be written. Grand Jury Recommendations
No recommendations for this finding
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.