May is Wildfire Awareness Month

While Plumas County residents deal with the coronavirus pandemic and its ramifications, another potential disaster lurks — no not the hornet killer, at least not yet — it’s the advent of fire season.

“We could be jumping out of the frying pan with COVID-19 right into the fire,” Sheriff Todd Johns told the Plumas County Supervisors during their May 5 meeting. Johns then introduced Sue McCourt, the county’s fire prevention specialist, to address the board.

McCourt presented an overview of the work being done to make communities more resistant to wildfire and said that the recent Camp Fire in Paradise and Carr Fire in Redding “continue to be on people’s minds.”

She said that Fire Safe Council meetings had been “standing room only” and encouraged county residents to visit the Fire Safe Council’s website where they can find an abundance of information on Firewise communities throughout the county and what they can be doing to protect their own homes and communities.

“You’ve done an outstanding job,” Supervisor Lori Simpson told McCourt following her remarks.

The supervisors went on to adopt a proclamation declaring the month of May to be Wildfire Awareness Month.