City awarded over $400,000 for wildfire prevention
City will use the grant funds to purchase much needed specialized equipment to continue the vegetation management within the Salinas River
City will use the grant funds to purchase much needed specialized equipment to continue the vegetation management within the Salinas River– In 2023, Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services Department submitted an application to Cal Fire for a wildfire prevention grant. The department
requested grant funding to purchase vegetation management equipment. The city was recently notified it is the recipient of $443,797.35 of wildfire prevention grant funds from the state.
In 2019 the city declared a local emergency due to the accumulation of highly flammable vegetation within the Salinas River and the growing risk it posed to the community. For the past four years the city has been proactively managing the vegetation in the Salinas River, reducing the number and size of fires year over year. In 2023 the city saw a more than 50% reduction in the number of fires from the previous year and less than three acres burned; this is a direct result of the Salinas River Vegetation Management Program.
The city will use the grant funds to purchase much needed specialized equipment to continue the vegetation management within the Salinas River and expand fuel reduction work throughout the community.
