Nevada County’s Grand Jury has found a number of problems with wildfire preparedness, despite numerous recent meetings and information campaigns. Foreman Gordon Mangel says, with eight separate departments, a dedicated fire prevention coordinator should be established to also more effectively work with non-profits, homeowner’s associations, and residents. And there should also be a year-round defensible space program staffed by two full-time employees…

Mangel says the Board of Supervisors needs to dedicate even more funding and manpower…

The report also found deficiencies in the ingress and egress viability of roads during wildfires, as well as in clearing practices, with no comprehensive evacuation plan. But Mangel also praises the series of meetings hosted recently by the county’s Office of Emergency Services. This was the final report issued by the current Grand Jury, with a new one to be impaneled on July first.