Leading fire officials in San Diego County met behind closed doors earlier this month to talk about the lack of firefighting resources and political leadership during last month's wildfires. KPBS reporter Amita Sharma says they plan to a compile a report and make it available online to educate the public and the politicians.
About 10 current and former fire chiefs from across the county talked in private about what worked in fighting the blazes last month and what went wrong. They repeated praise for the county's communications system that allowed firefighters from different jurisdictions to speak to each other. But they also expressed frustration that some of the recommendations put forth by them and others after the 2003 wildfires still had not been implemented.
Those suggestions included hiring more firefighters, buying additional equipment and technology, ensuring access to adequate aerial power and revamping building codes for fire prone areas. They blamed poor political leadership for the lack of follow-through. One fire official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said "This is not a problem that is going to go away. This needs to be addressed." They plan to meet again next month.
Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
