CAL FIRE has announced more than $90 million in grant money will be spent on wildfire prevention projects in California, so how has funding helped this past year?
For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council applied for the Wildfire Prevention Grant and received just over $3 million. They’re on the list to receive even more grant money this upcoming year.
“For this year we received roughly $200,000 and that covers about two weeks of the crew work," Paso Robles Fire Department Battalion Chief Jay Enns said. "And then the rest of it covers the grazing with the goat girls.”
According to Enns, management of the Salinas Riverbed and open spaces has been successful because of their partnership with the SLO County Fire Safe Council.
“I can tell you it's significantly reduced the number of fires that we've had, particularly in the east river," Enns added. "I would say it's at least 50 percent less than we've seen traditionally in past years."
In 2024, the grant money funded 19 projects across the county that included vegetation removal through grazing, mechanical mastication and prescribed fire.
“It reduces the fuel loading, particularly the fine fuels, the annual grasses and stuff that come up every year and it reduces that," Enns said of the funding received. "So when fire hits those areas, it reduces the fire intensity and it's much easier and safer for firefighters to extinguish the fire.”
“If it's making an impact, that's great," San Luis Obispo resident Jake McEwen said.
Community members have noticed the impact and the reduced fires this year.
“At least once a summer or every other summer, there's some little wildfire that breaks out in SLO and they contain it really quick," McEwen said in response to the production of local firefighters.
The previous 19 projects are located in areas where homes are at the highest risk for wildfire. It ranges from Cambria down to Arroyo Grande.
