Placer County's new model to respond to emergencies faster ahead of fire season
AUBURN -- Placer County officials say they're moving toward a new way to respond to emergencies within the county.
The Office of Emergency Services says the "first of its kind" model will enhance communication among the agencies and provide a quicker and more efficient response.
This new model is in response to five declared emergencies over the past two years, among those being the Christmas storm in 2021 and the Mosquito Fire.
With fire season just around the corner, officials say they want to be prepared and they believe this will be the best way to do it.
"Fire season scares me every year because we've had to evacuate before," resident Mike DeCicco said.
DeCicco is among the thousands of Auburn residents who are anxious for fire season. With a rainy winter behind us, many aren't sure what that means for this summer.
"Does that mean more growth and more fire? Or does the water keep it down? I don't know what to expect," DeCicco said.
Davis Atkinson, assistant director for Placer County Emergency Services, says whatever the summer brings, they will be ready.
That's because this will be the first time a position with law enforcement and fire will work directly with emergency services. The plan calls for the addition of two new positions: one taken on by the assistant fire chief for Placer County Fire and the other by a lieutenant with the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
Officials believe, by creating these new positions, it will help streamline communication and provide quicker and more efficient response during emergencies -- like damaging storms, mudslides, and fires.
"This kind of model, we can be proactive instead of reactive. We can pre-plan for fire season and have the community well prepared by making better decisions, and quicker," Sgt. Ty Conners said.
The sheriff's lieutenant will aid in evacuations, air support and search and rescue while the assistant fire chief will manage everything fire-related, including evacuations, mitigation, and preparedness.
Ryan Woessner, battalion chief for Cal Fire, says getting needed resources and quickly can make the difference in containing a fire.
"That information will go straight to me and then straight to OES and those resource requests get filled almost instantaneously," Woessner said.
The new model is expected to cost about $1.1 million to implement. If all goes well with this model, they hope it will set an example for counties across the state.