VIDEOS: As another week of dry weather approaches, Cal Fire is about to get a big boost in funding. The possibility of dry lightning is in the forecast, and if that materializes, it could spark fires in the bone-dry foothills and mountains around the Bay Area. Cal Fire crews are at the ready in case it happens, and the boost in funding will help fortify its staffing in the region. For several months out of the year, the Cal Fire station on Mount Hamilton goes dark because the agency doesn’t have the funding for year-round staffing. Starting in July, millions of dollars have been allocated to Cal Fire, embedded in the updated state budget, to ensure Cal Fire stations are staffed year-round.
State Sen. Dave Cortese co-authored the budget item, which brings roughly 3,000 Cal Fire personnel from part-time to full-time status. “It can’t come too soon,” Cortese said. “We’re already seeing a lot of vegetation fires in this area that can quickly blow up with a little bit of wind. Cal Fire has something called Schedule B stations, and historically those are the ones that would close, especially during the winter months.” In 2020 during the SCU Lightning Complex Fire, some residents in the East San Jose foothills chose to brave the flames themselves. The fires destroyed several hundred structures and injured six people. John Chamorro remembers the wildfire.
