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Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience, a division of the Chief Administrative Office, with sponsorship by Supervisor Laine and Supervisor Ferrero, recommending the Board approve and authorize the Chair to sign a Proclamation recognizing the period of May through October 2026 as Wildfire Awareness Season.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Recent wildfires in El Dorado County, including the Mosquito, Caldor, King, and Crozier fires, have demonstrated the increasing size and severity of wildfires and their significant impacts on the County’s environment, wildlife, economy, and life safety of residents. Addressing this growing threat requires a collaborative commitment from all agencies, organizations, communities, and residents to become fire-adapted and better prepared for future wildfires.
In April 2024, the Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience (OWPR) received a request for the Board to adopt a proclamation recognizing May through October 2024 as the Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Campaign, an annual multi-agency educational effort in the Tahoe Basin. As this initiative aligned with OWPR’s mission to create a fire adapted and resilient El Dorado County, staff presented the Board with a proclamation recognizing the period of May through October 2024 as Wildfire Awareness Season, expanding these efforts to a countywide level (Legistar file 24-0877). OWPR subsequently launched a coordinated public outreach campaign which emphasized key wildfire preparedness actions, including defensible space, home hardening, evacuation readiness, and community awareness.
On April 1, 2025, the Board approved a proclamation designating April through October 2025 as Wildfire Awareness Season (Legistar file 25-0560), with OWPR conducting a multi-agency campaign under the theme “Hope is not a Strategy - Be Prepared.” This campaign educated residents on the many actions they can take proactively to prepare for and build resilience against wildfires ...
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