Logo courtesy of CAL FIRE Butte County

OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - The Butte County Board of Supervisors on March 17 approved an amendment to a state wildfire prevention grant allowing the Butte County Fire Department to purchase two electronic roadside message boards.

Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund said the department received state and CAL FIRE funding for wildfire fuels reduction work. The amendment adds $40,000 to the project, bringing the total funding to about $404,000.

The additional funding will be used for the one-time purchase of portable message boards that can be moved to areas where vegetation clearing and other wildfire mitigation projects are underway. Sjolund said the request grew out of a recent discussion with supervisors about better ways to communicate with residents when fire prevention activities are taking place.

“They can have a sign as they travel through the communities, knowing that we’re going to be working in those areas,” Sjolund said.

County officials said the boards will provide advance notice in areas where fuels reduction crews are operating along roadsides or near neighborhoods, particularly when heavy equipment is in use. The added visibility can improve safety for both the public and work crews and may help reduce delays that occur when drivers enter active work zones, Sjolund said.

The signs are expected to be used during a variety of wildfire prevention efforts, including roadside vegetation clearing, defensible space inspections and other fire mitigation activities. The message boards will also allow crews to post temporary notices in multiple locations as projects move from one community to another during the fire season.

Once purchased, the boards will be maintained and deployed by the Butte County Fire Department as part of ongoing fuels reduction and wildfire preparedness work carried out through the county’s cooperative fire protection partnership with the state, officials said.