Congressmen Discuss How Best to Tap Federal Wildfire Resources

By Alison St John / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published December 10, 2007 at 12:53 PM PST

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

A congressional hearing in Fallbrook today considered ways federal resources could respond better to future wildfires, but focused mainly on the need to strengthen San Diego County resources. KPBS rep

A congressional hearing in Fallbrook today considered ways federal resources could respond better to future wildfires, but focused mainly on the need to strengthen San Diego County resources. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich chaired the hearing, which he characterized as a fact finding meeting to examine fire preparedness in Southern California. One of the main facts to emerge is how much less San Diego County spends on fire prevention and preparedness than other Southern California counties.

Kucinich says changing weather patterns and expanded development means San Diego county needs to do more to strengthen its fire fighting abilities.

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Kucinich : And this is really about whether or not communities have the ability to protect themselves so that in case someone else can’t help you then you can protect yourself.

However Kucinich agreed with San Diego Congressmen Daryll Issa and Brian Bilbray that the federal government might be able to respond faster with high tech resources like the predator drone that can see through smoke to map fires. They also said California should allow their CAL Fire helicopters to fly at night, since the city of San Diego's copter has proved that can be done.

Alison St John KPBS News.

Alison St John

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Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.