I didn't think we could ever live here, let alone own a home, become part of a community, and eventually serve as mayor, outgoing mayor Matthew Hudes said. What a privilege all of that is.
Think about your own home. How often do you blow the leaves off your roof? Or sweep the debris off your front porch? Those are important because if an ember lands on them, they can catch fire. But we aren't doing that kind of maintenance on a regular basis. Anywhere we have debris accumulating on roofs, porches, decks, patio furniture - you might see piles of leaf debris on the corners of your deck - those are areas where embers are going to catch.
Prescribed burns are an important tool to burn excess vegetation, keep landscapes healthy and reduce the risk of destructive wildfires. But starting last week, some Forest Service staff were told not to conduct burns in preparation for a potential shutdown. "We were told, 'No ignitions,'" said a Forest Service fire management officer, who didn't want to be named for fear of losing his job. "'Don't even start.'"
Gavin Abundis watched as firefighter Adrian Chairez demonstrated how he uses pulleys and harnesses to rappel down buildings. You've probably seen it in the movies where they're going down Mission: Impossible style, Chairez said with a laugh one day this past winter as he prepared to step off a tower. We get to do that. Abundis, a then senior at Aptos high cchool in Santa Cruz county's Pajaro Valley unified school district,
Austin Fire Department Chief of Staff Rob Vires stated, "The city most certainly has outpaced the growth of public safety here," highlighting that population increases slowed response times.
