FEMA Awards Funding to Butte County Fire Safe Council
Washington, D.C. – Today the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a $1.4 million Hazard Mitigation Grant for Butte County Fire Safe Council. This grant will be used to reduce fire fuels and create a defensible space around residences within 500 feet of main evacuation routes and in the unincorporated areas of Butte County, and identify the locations of hazardous trees within 300 feet of residences and within 500 feet of evacuation routes. Reducing fire fuels and creating defensible spaces increases the likelihood of structures surviving wildfires, minimizing damage, and reduces the chance for a wildfire to become out of control.
"The devastation of the 2018 Camp Fire clearly showed there is a profound need to reduce fire fuels, rate of spread, and intensity of wildfires. This grant will help make this mission a reality. Butte County Fire Safe Council has been an excellent partner in the area mitigating hazardous fuels, educating the public and aiding in the recovery of the region. My team worked hard to secure this grant for the Butte County Fire Safe Council, I look forward to working with them further to implement this program to reduce the risk of mass-scale wildfires and keep our rural residents safe,"said Congressman LaMalfa.
"Many homes and driveways are surrounded by thick brush and trees in the high-risk wildfire communities of Butte County. Three major wildfires (Camp, North Complex and Dixie) have devastated homes and evacuation routes in the past three years. It is more imperative than ever that these grant funds mitigate wildfire hazards and assist residents in living safely in the Wildland Urban Interface,"said Calli-Jane West, Executive Director of the Butte County Fire Safe Council.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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