March 2, 2021 – Beginning March 15, 2021 and continuing through March 2022, Nevada County will begin work on the Egress/Ingress Fire Safety Project. The primary goal of the project is to remove hazardous fuels along both sides of 200 miles of County maintained roads. Work will be completed by County road crews and contract forces. The list of roads that will be part of the project, as well as additional details on the contractor and the scope of work, is available at the following website: www.mynevadacounty.com/FireSafetyRoadsProject.
“The Egress/Ingress Fire Safety Project has been made possible thanks to a CAL FIRE grant awarded to Nevada County in large part thanks to collaboration with CAL FIRE, local fire agencies, local Firewise Communities and citizen involvement,” says Director of Public Works Trisha Tillotson. Wildfire risks to homes, critical infrastructure, and other valuable natural resources will be significantly reduced with the reduction of hazardous fuels along County-maintained roads.
Reducing the fuels along major roads in the County will improve the safety of residents and visitors. Paul Cummings, Nevada County Office of Emergency Services Program Manager, indicates that “this CAL FIRE grant funding will significantly bolster our roadside vegetation reduction efforts along key egress routes and help achieve a priority of our office which is to make evacuation routes safer across the county.” It will also increase the effectiveness and safety of firefighters and first responders. Reduced fuels will lead to lower fire suppression costs and less greenhouse gas emissions that result from wildfires. In addition, breaks in fuel continuity will aid in reducing overall rate of spread. Egress routes will be improved which will allow residents to evacuate more quickly and allow firefighters better ingress access to prevent structure fires. Long-term maintenance will be addressed through the County’s Vegetation Management Plan after the project is complete.
Selected roads occur at the nexus of high-density neighborhoods that have a particularly high fuel hazard. Fuel hazards (brush, downed trees and limbs, etc.) will be cleared to a standard that CAL FIRE deems safe for their operations. The proposed project supports the goals and objectives of the California Strategic Fire Plan, the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit Fire Plan, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), and the County Fire Plan.
Approximately 34,000 residences that are directly adjacent to the project will benefit from the fuel reduction. However, the entire community will ultimately benefit from this project as the main roads included with the project will serve as egress/ingress roads in the County.
Traffic delays may be expected when traffic control measures are in place. Please observe all construction signs and the instructions of onsite personnel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience.