CAL FIRE has announced that over $90 million in grants will be spent on wildfire prevention projects in California, so how have the funds helped in the past year?

For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council applied for a wildfire prevention grant and received just over $3 million. It is on the list for even more grant money next year.

“This year we received about $200,000, and that covers about two weeks of the crew’s work,” said Jay Enns, battalion chief of the Paso Robles Fire Department. “And the rest covers the grazing costs for the goat girls.”

Enns said managing the Salinas riverbed and open spaces has been successful thanks to the partnership with the SLO County Fire Safe Council.

“I can tell you that the number of fires we’ve had has dropped significantly, especially on the East River,” Enns added. “I would say it’s at least 50 percent less than in years past.”

In 2024, the grants funded 19 projects across the county, including vegetation removal through grazing, mechanical shredding and controlled fires.

“It reduces the fuel load, especially with the fine fuels, the annual grasses and everything that comes up every year, and it reduces that,” Enns said of the funding received. “So when fires start in those areas, it reduces the fire intensity and it’s much easier and safer for the firefighters to put out the fire.”

“If it has an impact, that’s great,” said San Luis Obispo resident Jake McEwen.

Community members have noticed the impact and reduction in fires this year.

“At least once a summer or every other summer, a small wildfire breaks out in SLO and is brought under control very quickly,” McEwen said in response to the local firefighters’ response.

The previous 19 projects are located in areas where homes are at the highest risk of wildfires, from Cambria down to Arroyo Grande.