Washington,
Dec 10, 2007 -
On October 21, a wildfire began in Witch Creek, a rural area in the
foothills of San Diego. At the height of the disaster, 23 fires were
burning. By the time all the fires were contained, 368,000 acres of
land had been burned; 1,700 homes were destroyed; and 10 people died.
The damage caused by the Witch Creek fire could have been much worse were it not for the capable response efforts of local, state and federal emergency responders. The absence of additional fires in San Diego’s surrounding counties and in Northern California also helped make the story of southern California’s October wildfires a success.
This hearing will examine southern California’s preparedness for future wildfires.
What the October Wildfires Reveal About Preparedness In Southern California
Monday, December 10, 2007 9 a.m. Fallbrook Public Utilities District Board Meeting Room 990 East Mission Road Fallbrook, CA 92028
Witnesses for the December 10 hearing include:
Panel I • Mr. Tony Morris, Founder and Researcher, Wildfire Research Network • Mr. Jeffrey Bowman, Former Fire Chief, City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department • Ms. Tracy Jarman, Fire Chief, City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department • Mr. P. Michael Freeman, Fire Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department • Mr. Chip Prather, Fire Chief, Orange County Fire Authority • Mr. Ruben Grijalva, Director, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection • Mr. Ron Roberts, Chairman, Board of Supervisors, County of San Diego
Panel II • Ms. Nancy Ward, Region 9 Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) • Mr. Mark Rey, Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Panel III • Mr. Steve Poizner, Commissioner, California Department of Insurance • Ms. Tracy Nelson, Chairman, La Jolla Indian Reservation
