Communities along Skyline Boulevard face a higher risk of fire with many homes hidden in the woods.
“COULD THE CAMP FIRE OCCUR HERE? … WELL, WE HAVE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. WE DEFINITELY HAVE HIGHER HUMIDITY NORMALLY, BUT YES, A LARGE CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRE COULD AND HAS HAPPENED HERE IN THE PAST.” RICHARD SAMPSON, CALFIRE DIVISION CHIEF
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low humidity levels, high winds, dry fuel and on-the-ground observations from field crews. “(Red flag warnings) are the top level of alert we send out,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Mehle. In the case of any emergency, including a fire, the Office of Emergency Services has a communications game plan. In addition to sending messages to SMC Alert subscribers, OES has other venues to relay information, including reverse 911 calls, emergency alert systems that run across cable television, social media channels and wireless emergency alerts that appear on mobile devices. “We really stress to people: Don’t just think of the city you live in or the city you work in, think of the county as a whole,” said San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services Manager Kevin Rose who urges people to consider subscribing to multiple areas and event types on SMC Alert. “The coast probably ‘gets it’ the best and the most, about (the need for) homegrown resilience, the need to prepare for yourself and neighbors,” Rose added. Groups of volunteers are preparing through the Community Emergency Response Teams. “CERT helps them learn to take care of themselves and their neighbors,” said Cathy Whitney, a former fire captain with the La Honda Fire Brigade. “... It gives them some training in the event of a disaster.” Cathy and her husband, Larry Whitney, a former La Honda