NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — In the North Bay, a group of concerned wine growers want to see the county do more to protect against wildfires.
As KRON4’s Terisa Estacio reports, the group is calling on Napa County officials to consider forming a local fire district to help douze the flames.
In the Hennesy Fire, just last year, flames roared through Napa County destroying homes impacting communities and scorching valuable land.
In response, an organization of wine country growers, and tourism based vinters want to see some change.
In a letter obtained by KRON4 News, the collective is asking the Napa Board of Supervisors to explore creating “its own independent county run fire department, straightening local firefighting capacity and investigating state and federal grants.”
“I think it is healthy to explore,” Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza said.
As the supervisor explained, the county now contracts with CAL Fire to help with fire prevention and mitigation needs.
“The current contract expires in a few years, so it could be good to review,” Pedroza said. “Maybe it is a bargain, maybe it is not. We should look.”
The vintners group also pointed out – neighboring Sonoma County recently won a $37 million grant for wildfire mitigation, and perhaps with locally controlled fire agency. Napa too could apply and win a grant to help with mitigation factors.
“We will have to see, they bring up some good issues,” Pedroza said. “We must do what is right for the county’s needs.”