San Diego County agencies say their partnerships are critical in wildfire prevention

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — On Tuesday, agencies from across San Diego County gathered in the late August heat to explain the importance of their partnerships.

“We all come together in the event of a fire to suppress the fire,” said Cal Fire San Diego Unit Battalion Chief Sam Friedman. “San Diego County really has set the precedent for agencies working together.”

The participating agencies were Cal Fire, San Diego Gas & Electric, San Diego Fire-Rescue, the U.S. Forest Service, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

“We help with evacuations when fires necessitate that and we also fly with Cal Fire on a daily basis,” said San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez.

In the event of a wildfire, crews from Cal Fire and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office fly together on a shared helicopter.

A sheriff’s deputy pilot sits on one side of the helicopter while a Cal Fire firefighter sits on the other side so they can monitor different radios, communicate with other aircraft and coordinate water drops.

These partnerships are especially important due to increased fire risk across the region.

“This year, it’s even worse than we’ve seen in some other years because we did not have a lot of rain,” said SDG&E Vice President of Wildfire and Climate Science, Brian D’Agostino.

It was a dry January for San Diego County. Last year, the region only received about half as much rain as it normally does, according to D’Agostino.

“So we are primed for wildfires as we head into the fall,” said D’Agostino.

The fall is also when Santa Ana winds begin to pick up, which can turn a little spark into a large wildfire.

Agencies across San Diego County are ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

“It doesn’t matter whether we’re wearing a Cal Fire patch, U.S. Forest Service patch, San Diego City patch…we are all here to work together,” said Chief Friedman.

Agencies want to remind people that if there is smoke in the air, do not fly a drone in that area because it prevents emergency personnel from being able to respond to fires from the air.

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