FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2021
En español
Contacts:
Daniel Bertucelli, Public Information Officer, Santa Barbara County Fire, (805) 681 5531
Lyz Bantilan, Public Information Officer, Santa Barbara County APCD, (805) 961-8819
Prescribed Fire Training Burn to Occur May 26-27
WHAT: Prescribed broadcast burning of 90 acres of grassland and black sage scrub.
WHEN: May 26-27. Burning operations will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 6 p.m. on permissive burn days.
WHERE: 4155 Figueroa Mountain Road in Los Olivos.
WHY: The goal of this two-day burn is to provide live fire training for the certification of instructors to teach CA-219 Firing Operations class. This class is used to teach both firefighters and private land managers to use fire as a tool to both fight large-scale wildfires and manage prescribed fire being used as a land management tool. Prescribed, or planned, fires typically burn less intensely than wildfires. Prescribed burns can help prevent the spread of wildfires and can reduce impacts to watersheds that can result in soil loss and sedimentation. The burn will be conducted when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers.
WHO: This prescribed burn is planned and coordinated by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department with Santa Barbara County APCD, San Luis Obispo County APCD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, Ventura County APCD, and the California Air Resources Board in order to minimize impacts on air quality on surrounding communities.
HEALTH PRECAUTIONS: If you smell smoke, take precautions and use common sense to reduce any harmful health effects by limiting outdoor activities. When you can smell smoke or when it is visible in your area, avoid strenuous outdoor activity and remain indoors as much as possible. These precautions are especially important to children, older adults, and those with heart and lung conditions. If you are sensitive to smoke, consider temporarily relocating and closing all doors and windows on the day of the burn. Symptoms of smoke exposure can include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chest tightness or pain, nausea, and unusual fatigue or lightheadedness. Use caution when driving near prescribed burns.
A portable air monitor will be set up in Los Olivos to monitor air quality conditions. Data will be available on the Air Pollution Control District’s website: www.OurAir.org/todays-air-quality/.
This burn depends on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If the conditions are not as desired, the burn will be rescheduled.
For more information regarding the county’s air quality, visit Today’s Air Quality.
To view a statewide prescribed burn map and other features, visit the Prescribed Fire Information Reporting System (PFIRS) website: https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/pfirs/firm/firm.php
