photo credit: Dreamstime/TNS
CAL Fire truck

Sonoma County officials are prepping for elevated fire activity this summer and fall and asking the public to get ready as well.

Jeff Duvall is director of Sonoma County's Department of Emergency Management. He says we should be prepared for a new term to describe high fire danger.

“We’re all familiar with Red Flag Warnings. But can you believe there’s a step above that,” said DuVall. “And that new term is ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ – or P.D.S. And you’ll see the National Weather Service refer to this as ‘Red Flag Warning – Particularly Dangerous Situation or P.D.S.’ – just like we saw in Los Angeles this January.”

CAL Fire Division Chief Ben Nichols tells the board of supervisors that Sonoma County experienced the same conditions as Los Angeles.

“What many may not know, is that at midnight – the night of the fires in the L.A. Basin, while L.A. was on fire, fire professionals here in Sonoma County were on alert as well due to the conditions that we were experiencing at the same time,” said Nichols.

Nichols says we had enough rainfall to keep potential fuels from being at risk.

“We were lucky that our fuel conditions weren’t what they were in Southern California, and I don’t know about you, but luck is not a good strategy,” Nichols said.

Nichols says trends indicate a long fire season ahead for Sonoma County.

Meanwhile, the county sheriff's office advises knowing your evacuation zones, and keeping it in your phone or somewhere it is handy.

And that when an evacuation order is issued, time is of the essence. That’s why the sheriff is asking residents to register gate codes with the sheriff's office. They assure the information will be kept confidential and that it will only be used during an evacuation or in response to a 911 call.

The Sheriff's Office is giving away evacuation tags to those who live in unincorporated areas of the county. When you evacuate, leave the tag in a visible area so that deputies can see your area is evacuated and they can continue to the next residence. Tags are available at any sheriff’s office station and most fire stations.

Fire officials also say now is also a good time to check you are registered for SoCoAlert and Nixle.

For those who work in agriculture, the Agricultural Access Verification Card Program, or Ag Pass program is taking applications. This will allow for strictly necessary ag work in active evacuation zones, when deemed safe by officers.