Monday, December 10, 2007
9 a.m.
Fallbrook Public Utilities District
Board Meeting Room
990 East Mission Road
Fallbrook, CA 92028

On October 21, a wildfire began in Witch Creek, a rural area in the foothills of San Diego. At the height of the disaster, 23 fires were burning. By the time all the fires were contained, 368,000 acres of land had been burned; 1,700 homes were destroyed; and 10 people died.

The damage caused by the Witch Creek fire could have been much worse were it not for the capable response efforts of local, state and federal emergency responders. The absence of additional fires in San Diego’s surrounding counties and in Northern California also helped make the story of southern California’s October wildfires a success.

This hearing will examine southern California’s preparedness for future wildfires.

Witnesses for the December 10 hearing include:

Panel I
Mr. Tony Morris, Founder and Researcher, Wildfire Research Network
Mr. Jeffrey Bowman, Former Fire Chief, City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
Ms. Tracy Jarman, Fire Chief, City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
Mr. P. Michael Freeman, Fire Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department
Mr. Chip Prather, Fire Chief, Orange County Fire Authority
Mr. Ruben Grijalva, Director, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Mr. Ron Roberts, Chairman, Board of Supervisors, County of San Diego

Panel II
Ms. Nancy Ward, Region 9 Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Mr. Mark Rey, Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Panel III
Mr. Steve Poizner, Commissioner, California Department of Insurance
Ms. Tracy Nelson, Chairman, La Jolla Indian Reservation