LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the Board of Supervisors – which had declared a local emergency last month in response to the Wye and Walker fires – formally took action to close the emergency.
The board and staff discussed the fires – which burned a total of 7,934 acres east of Clearlake Oaks in August – as well as the local response.
Interim County Administrative Officer Matt Perry and Deputy Administrative Officer Debra Sommerfield presented an update to the board on the incidents.
Sommerfield said a review of how county agencies responded to the fires showed the response was “swift and decisive,” with resource requests and evacuations handled quickly.
There were telecommunications challenges, said Sommerfield, and several agencies said they had not been called upon early during the Wye incident, which broke out Sunday, Aug. 12.
By the time the Scotts Fire began on Friday, Sept. 7, on Cow Mountain near Lakeport, the county’s response had improved, said Sommerfield.
“This points to the critical nature of countrywide disaster preparedness,” she said, adding that there also was a need for community engagement.
Perry said recommendations for improvement included organizational planning. He recommended that the county conduct a review of its organizational structure.
That includes considering the structure of the Office of Emergency Services, which currently is housed in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Perry said staff wanted to hire a consultant for $10,000 to carry out that review.
Another suggestion was to conduct an assessment of the current emergency operations plan. Perry said they should have a meeting to make sure all county department heads are aware of their responsibilities within the plan.
Telecommunications were a significant issue, with county staff pointing out that certain areas along the Highway 20 corridor needed cell phone coverage. Residents of those areas were looking to the county to see what could be done to get a cell tower to facilitate them getting service.
Supervisor Denise Rushing said it was a good report, noting response was much improved from the Wye to the Scotts Fire.
“We haven’t had a disaster in Lake County of his magnitude for some time,” said Capt. Chris Macedo of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. “It was kind of an eye opener for some people.”
Macedo said he wanted local agencies to commit to partnering on the emergency operations plan.
He said the Wye Fire was a dress rehearsal for the Scotts Fire.
Board Chair Rob Brown said Macedo had been trying to get county department heads to meet for months on the emergency operations plan.
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