The future looks uncertain for a project that would bring more than 70 early warning evacuation sirens to fire-prone communities in Butte County.
That’s after Paradise debuted its siren system in June.
At a recent meeting in Magalia, officials discussed various concerns. Doug Teeter, a Butte County supervisor representing Paradise and the Upper Ridge, worried sirens aren’t effective.
“If we have a Camp Fire-style event, downwind you might hear it really well, upwind you ain’t gonna hear nothing,” Teeter said.
He also suggested sirens may not be heard over forest canopies, inside homes and buildings, or over background noise like the television.
“If we have a Camp Fire-style event, downwind you might hear it really well, upwind you ain’t gonna hear nothing."– Doug Teeter, Butte County District 5 Supervisor
More than a hundred people have died in wildfires in Butte County in the last five years.
In interviews and testimonials conducted and reviewed by NSPR, survivors of Butte County’s recent deadly wildfires said they feel that the county’s emergency notifications are falling short, particularly for the most vulnerable: the elderly, the poor and those who either choose to not be online or who lose power and phone service when access to emergency information is vital.
Sixteen people were killed in the 2020 Bear Fire, later known as the North Complex, including a 16-year-old boy. Two years prior, the 2018 Camp Fire, killed 85 people — about 80% of whom were 65 years old or older.
The county began considering sirens shortly after the Camp Fire.
Last year, the county paid a company more than $30,000 to develop an early warning siren system for the region. The firm proposed the 77-siren project to alert people in rural communities like Magalia, Cohasset, and Berry Creek that it’s time to evacuate. The county was told the system could be built in a year.
"If you've been following anything in the county, you know that right now the county doesn't have an extra million dollars a year."– Josh Jimerfield, Deputy Administrative Officer, Butte County Office of Emergency Management
But at the most recent meeting of the Upper Ridge Community Council, Josh Jimerfield, head of the county’s Office of Emergency Management, said it could take five or six years.
Jimerfield said the many years needed to apply for funding and the potential costs of the system were both reasons to reconsider.
"Right now, the estimate for that type of system, as big as we've got, is close to a million dollars a year," Jimerfield said. "If you've been following anything in the county, you know that right now the county doesn't have an extra million dollars a year."
County Supervisor Doug Teeter also found the cost concerning.
"That's why I'm a huge supporter of FM Alert," Teeter said.
The county’s “Alert FM” program sends alerts over FM radio frequencies and provides battery-operated receivers for free to eligible residents.
But Jimerfield said the county currently has only about 300 receivers available.
He said his department has asked for federal funding to buy more, though the first application was denied.
In the meantime, Teeter and Jimerfield are watching to see how effective Paradise’s new siren system is. They and the rest of the board will decide whether to pursue the 77-siren project when it comes before them later this summer.
