Cal Fire ready to open seasonal stations in Tuolumne, Calaveras counties

Cal Fire on Monday will open seasonal fire stations that respond to incidents in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, along with portions of eastern Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

In the past few weeks, the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has been increasing staffing by rehiring and training seasonal staff. This allows the unit to staff fire stations on a 24-hour basis and help protect California’s wildlands in the Sierra Nevada and its foothills east of Modesto.

Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit Chief Josh White thanked those residents who made an effort to create a defensible space around their homes and property. Fire officials said each year they see disasters that could have been prevented, and now is the time for all residents to take action as drought conditions continue to persist.

“Maintaining defensible space around your structures, becoming involved in your local Fire Safe Council and being extra careful in our wildlands this summer are steps everyone can take to help to reduce catastrophic fires within our area,” White said in a news release.

For more information on maintaining defensible space, visit www.readyforwildfire.org or the Cal Fire website at www.fire.ca.gov.

This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Cal Fire ready to open seasonal stations in Tuolumne, Calaveras counties."