Firefighters are being called down to San Diego from Northern and Central California in preparation for winds that are expected to be as bad as the windstorm that fuelled last month’s wildfires, Roxanne Provaznik, a spokeswoman for CalFire, just told me.
I asked Provaznik whether local firefighters were similarly gearing up before the last spate of Santa Ana winds. She said there was a lot of preparation, but not as much as this time. Last month CalFire cancelled leave for firefighters and put all the area’s crews on high alert, she said, but this time they are gearing up to a new level.
Strike teams are already being positioned around Southern California, Provaznik said, and firefighters are being called to the region from parts of the state that are already in their rainy season or where there’s “snow in the mountains.” CalFire is also bringing in extra air support and other resources, Provaznik said.
From a press release Provaznik sent out just before I spoke to her:
A large amount of ground and air resources from local, state and federal agencies will be prepositioned in the Southern California area, including the San Diego Unit. This will also include utilizing military aircraft as well as local fire agencies.