Joint fuel reduction project reduces fire danger in Northeast Concord

Concord, California – The City of Concord and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District today announced a fuel reduction project on the northeast side of the City in the area bordered by Lincoln Drive and Bailey Road. The program is designed to improve wildfire safety for residents in the Bishop Estates and Dana Estates neighborhoods of the City.

This work will significantly reduce danger from wildfire in this area that has seen several such fires in recent years. Given the proximity to homes, each of these fires has required multi-alarm responses both to contain the fires and protect nearby structures.

“Partnerships like this allow us to provide essential services for our residents in a quicker, more cost effective manner,” said Concord Mayor Tim McGallian. “The City appreciates our partnership with Con Fire, and we thank them for working tirelessly to keep our community safe.”

“We are pleased to be able to leverage our new Fire Control Worker Program’s Crew 12 to support this important wildfire safety initiative in conjunction with the City of Concord,” said Fire Chief Lewis T. Broschard III, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “This is just one of several fuel reduction and abatement projects, along with other public safety initiatives, being undertaken to protect our communities from the threat of wildfire this season.”

Con Fire’s Crew 12 fire control workers are working in conjunction with the City of Concord’s Public Works Department to remove the fuel and debris in the area. The project began on June 17 and is expected to take approximately three weeks to complete.

Large trees and logs, along with underbrush, will be removed, with the smaller trees and branches chipped on site, using equipment provided by the City of Concord. Con Fire’s Crew 12 will spread the resulting chips to help prevent weed growth and keep moisture in the ground, all serving to reduce the threat of wildfire to nearby homes and help slow the spread of any fires that do occur in the area.

With prolonged hot and dry weather early in the season, the 2020 wildfire season is expected to be particularly challenging and dangerous. The approaching Independence Day holiday and the possibility of illegal fireworks use in the area also makes this project timely.

Fireworks present an exceptional danger to our communities, especially during the hot, dry and windy weather we are already experiencing early in the fire season. Con Fire and the City of Concord remind the community that all fireworks – including so-called “safe and sane” fireworks – are illegal everywhere in Contra Costa County.

Con Fire’s Fire Control Worker Program provides dedicated wildland and vegetation management crews to increase preemptive efforts related to the evolving fire season threat ahead of fires as well as support to firefighters during such fires. The program’s hand crews will conduct weed abatement and defensible space creation work across the District, reducing vulnerability to wildland fires and economically supplement responses to wildfires, supporting engine crews engaged on them.