WILDFIRE PROTECTION
What’s Being Done in the East Bay
The Southern California fires are a tragic reminder of how destructive and damaging fires can be to life, property, and the environment. The East Bay Regional Park District shares the community’s concerns and is focused on reducing wildfire risks.
Central to the Park District’s efforts to reduce wildfire risks is fuels reduction, which is guided by two Wildfire Hazard Reduction Plans that outline site-specific treatment goals for 140 Recommended Treatment Areas, covering approximately 5,280 acres in the most critical areas.
“The East Bay Regional Park District works year-round to reduce fire fuels to help keep parks and surrounding communities safe,” said Park District Fire Chief Aileen Theile. “The goal is to reduce fire intensity to give firefighters a fighting chance when fires do occur.”
In the last six years, the number of East Bay Regional Park District fire department personnel focused on fuels reduction increased from 6 to 23. In the previous four years alone, the spending on wildfire protection has increased from $2.2 million to $9.4 million, supported by a combination of Park District funding, voter-approved funding, and state and federal grants. These additional funds and staff resources help the District achieve better fire protection and preparedness.
The East Bay Regional Park District also regularly provides educational material to the community about wildfire dangers and what the public can do to protect their property and prepare for wildfires.
What’s Being Done in East Bay Regional Parks
At Anthony Chabot Regional Park, work is continuing on a 667-acre fuels reduction project to thin and remove hazardous trees and vegetation, including eucalyptus. So far, 475 acres have been completed. These efforts are already making a measurable difference in reducing fire hazards and improving the resilience of natural ecosystems.
The project includes the use of a carbonizer that literally fights fire with fire. The carbonizer disposes of the biomass from fuels reduction projects by turning it into biochar that can be used to enhance agriculture, control erosion, restore plant health, and improve water quality. The carbonizer burns biomass at extremely high temperatures (about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit) using very little oxygen, resulting in low greenhouse gas emissions. The carbonizer is a climate-friendly disposal method, especially when compared to conventional open pile burning or transporting loads long distances off-site in diesel trucks.
At Tilden Regional Park, work is underway on the Grizzly Peak Strategic Fuel Break through collaboration with adjacent fire agencies. The East Bay Regional Park District is leading the effort to clear roadside brush, prune overhanging branches, and remove hazardous dead and dying trees. Fuels reduction efforts are currently underway on 5.5 acres along South Park Drive and Golf Course Drive. The Park District is also helping the community create defensible space in critical areas adjacent to the park.
These two major projects are in addition to work performed by a 16-person fuels reduction crew; annual goat, sheep, and cattle grazing; and recently completed projects at Tilden, Sobrante Ridge, Claremont Canyon, Carquinez Strait, Kennedy Grove, Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, and Wildcat Canyon. Over 86,800 acres of parkland are grazed annually by cattle, sheep, or goats throughout District parklands.
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest landowner in the East Bay. Additional fuels reduction work is currently being conducted across a wide range of locations, including Ardenwood Historic Farm, Garin Regional Park, Camp Arroyo, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, Bishop Ranch Regional Preserve, Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area, Crockett/Port Costa Areas, Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, Richmond/El Sobrante Areas, and Lake Chabot Regional Park. More projects are planned for the future.
“The large fuels reduction projects underway at Anthony Chabot, Tilden Regional Park, and other Regional Parks in the East Bay are critical to wildfire safety and are already making a measurable difference in reducing wildfire risks,” said Park District General Manager Sabrina Landreth. “The support and funding from our local, state, and federal partners has been crucial.”
Examples of Fuels Reduction Work Reducing Fire Intensity
Efforts by the East Bay Regional Park District show that fuels reduction, coupled with quick suppression, can reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires. It is a major reason that fuels reduction efforts are conducted year-round in areas throughout the Regional Parks in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
In the past eight months, six vehicle fires have occurred near Park District treatment areas where mitigation work was performed that allowed firefighters to suppress them. Three of those vehicle fires occurred in Tilden Regional Park on high fire danger days. The fire mitigation work kept the fires on the ground, enabling firefighters to suppress and contain them.
“With the three elements required for fire—heat, oxygen, and fuel—one of the elements we can control is fuel, such as dry vegetation and hazardous trees. That’s why fuels reduction is so essential to preparing for the threat of potential wildfires,” said Assistant Fire Chief Khari Helae. “Many recent fires in the East Bay have shown the effectiveness of fuels reduction efforts.”
Preparing for Wildfires
When wildfires do strike, the East Bay Regional Park District stands ready with a professionally trained fire department, specialized equipment, remote weather stations, and mutual aid agreements with partner fire agencies.
The East Bay Regional Park District has 23 professionally trained firefighters, including on-call firefighters who are park staff with other primary occupations but are fully trained and available when needed. The Park District also operates and maintains specialized wildland firefighting equipment, including two helicopters that can drop water on wildfires and remote weather stations that monitor temperature, wind, and humidity levels to assess fire dangers and help deploy resources appropriately. Additionally, mutual aid agreements with CAL FIRE and other fire agencies help ensure quick response to fires and help boost the resources available to fight them.
“The East Bay Regional Park District is fully equipped to effectively respond to wildfires,” said Chief Theile. “Our dedicated firefighting team is supported by advanced equipment, aerial resources, weather monitoring stations, and robust collaborations with other fire management agencies. We are well prepared to address any wildfire challenges that may arise.”
For more information, visit ebparks.org.
