San Diego County has experienced a quiet fire season so far, but Supervisor Diane Jacob says the county is ready if the season picks up.
The county has already cut its budget and its workforce. Jacob says the board will likely cut an additional $150 million in September because of California’s budget crisis. But she says the county is ready if the fire season becomes more severe. Jacob also dismisses claims the county has been lax in its fire preparedness.
“There’s personnel, there’s more equipment, we have better communications. We have evacuation plans, we have firefighting, both air and ground support. I would say the county of San Diego has done a lot,” she says.
Jacob says she is still working on creating a county wide fire department. She says the first step in that process is the San Diego Fire Authority which provides staffing for 50 San Diego back country fire stations.
