92-percent of Nevada County residents now live in high to very high fire severity zones, according to the local Office of Emergency Services. And that means a lot of challenges for inspectors as well as residents. OES Program Manager, Paul Cummings, told the Board of Supervisors, on Tuesday, that there are 560 miles of county roads. But residents are responsible for 15-hundred miles of private roads…

click to listen to Paul Cummings

Meanwhile, the Board appeared to be surprised to learn about a Fire Safe Council program, several years in existence, designed to help residents without the financial or physical ability to remove or thin overgrown trees and vegetation. It’s called the Access and Functional Needs Program. OES Senior Administrative Analyst, Alex Keeble-Toll, said grants the Council applied for four or five years ago are finally coming in…

click to listen to Alex Keeble-Toll

The grants will cover removal work in two phases. The first phase, worth 700-thousand dollars, will provide clearing within 100 feet of 45 homes covering 68 acres. The second phase is worth 688-thousand dollars and will cover 78 homes on 117 acres.