Cal Fire has a Sikorsky S70i Cal Fire Hawk water-dropping helicopter based in Lake County that can reach north Napa County fires in five minutes. Barry Eberling
Napa County will go out to bid to see if it can add a water-dropping helicopter all its own before the heart of wildfire season arrives.
Securing a helicopter and operator for this fire season could cost $1.8 million to $2.9 million, a county report said. Insurance could add to the price. That didnât discourage the county Board of Supervisors from seeking bids.
âI do believe itâs a worthwhile investment at this point in time,â Board of Supervisors Chairperson Alfredo Pedroza said during Tuesday s meeting.
Napa County May Consider Fire Sales Tax In 2022
Atlas Fire, October 2017. Photo by Kerana Todorov
Napa County voters may consider a new quarter-cent sales tax on the June 2022 ballot for 10 years to fund wildfire prevention programs such as fuel breaks and brush removal.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to explore the placement of the tax proposal on the ballot to fund long-term fire prevention measures estimated to cost $42.4 million over the next five years. The supervisors’ vote to explore a possible sales tax was unanimous.
“We need a sustainable funding stream to keep our community safe,” said Alfredo Pedroza, who chairs the Board of Supervisors.
Napa County jumpstarts fire season preparation with $6.4M
Napa County has allocated $6.4 million to jump start fire prevention efforts aimed at protecting vulnerable communities.
NAPA, Calif. - Napa County has allocated $6.4 million to jump start fire prevention efforts aimed at protecting vulnerable communities.
On Wednesday, fuel reduction crews were clearing hazardous vegetation from the Circle Oaks neighborhood near Atlas Peak. Heavy brush surrounds roughly 200 homes in the subdivision. Napa County Fire Chief Geoff Belyea said the crews created a shaded fuel break to help firefighters should a fire break out in the coming months. We re leaving the bulk of the mature trees and we re taking all the fuels out around them… so it makes the fire behavior less intense, Belyea said.
Ask local realtors about the Napa County real estate market so far this year and youâll pretty much hear the same two-word answer: very busy.
Home sales from January to March have been âeven more overwhelming than 2020,â said Suzy Anderson, with Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley. âI think everybody in the Bay Area is moving to Napa Valley.â
âIâm not seeing a slowdown,â said realtor Florence Ropelewski with Re/Max Gold Napa. âUntil we get more listings itâs going to remain very, very competitive for buyers.â
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Napa County has launched a fuel break blitz to help protect communities from the next big wildfire and it begins with Circle Oaks.
Circle Oaks consists of about 200 homes nestled in oak-covered hills between the city of Napa and Lake Berryessa. The rural community faced close calls from the 2017 Atlas Fire and 2020 Hennessey Fire.
Chain saws buzzed on Wednesday as workers cut tree limbs and vegetation. Some workers used ropes to climb trees to reach branches high in the air.
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âWe re basically making a circle around Circle Oaks,â said Christopher Thompson of Napa Communities Firewise Foundation.