Fire

The ever-present danger posed by wildfires is one of the most important issues facing the Carson community given that much of the area is covered in, or close to, dense patches of highly flammable vegetation. The spate of wildfires in neighboring regions a few years ago spurred several Carsonites and the Carson Community Association into the hard work of building Carson Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) with its own fire station in Carson. Scott Freeman, who assumed the post of Fire Chief in 2021, is actively working with the Carson Firewise Committee and CCA on a fire evacuation plan for Carson, starting with compiling an evacuation list of all residents, as well as on improvements to FR556 and S Carson Rd so there is adequate room for egress/ingress of residents and emergency services.

While Carson is fortunate to have our own CVFD, we cannot rely solely on the volunteer fire service to keep us safe from wildfires. Carson is a dispersed community, without a reliable source of a large amount of always-ontap water, and some of the volunteer fire crew live further afield. So it is important that everyone in the community takes all possible measures to prevent and minimize the risk of wildfires starting or spreading quickly.

To this end, the Carson Community Association worked on getting Carson designated as a Firewise Community. Part of this designation is for all property owners to have their personal property protected by a fire protection zone around their built structures. CCA organizes an annual Firewise Day to provide residents with important information about the steps they can take on their properties, including how wide an area they should clear around their houses, which of the less flammable trees and shrubs to plant within the fire protection zone, and making sure emergency services have clear directions and unhindered access to their property.

We encourage all residents to attend the Firewise meetings.