KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KERO) — As temperatures and travel increase during the summer months, Kern County Fire has started conducting prescribed burns along the Grapevine. This tactic, however, could face challenges in the future. The Environmental Protection Agency has concerns over how the prescribed burns will impact the air quality.
Along Interstate 5 in Kern County, firefighters are intentionally setting off flames. The hope is to reduce vegetation that could fuel a wildfire in the event a passing vehicle throws a spark.
When it comes to prescribed burns, the idea is to mitigate some of the damage that can be caused by wildfires, but public safety and public health is also a concern, especially when it comes to air quality.
Prescribed burns are a common sight in the Golden State, but changes are being made. In January, the EPA proposed strengthening standards for fine particle pollution. KCFD Captain Andrew Freeborn says his department is already working with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
"When they're driving down that road and they see us doing these prescribed burns, they should know that we've been in contact with the air control district," said Freeborn.
In June, California lawmakers responded with concerns that these new regulations could inadvertently limit land managers from developing prescribed burns. However, as Captain Freeborn assures:
"This is not something that's done on a whim."
Freeborn says these burns already come with a lot of planning. The fire department works closely with air control to provide an estimate of how much particulate matter will be released.
"And the air pollution control district, in fact, has the authority day of, right when we have boots on the ground. If they deem something out of line and no longer within healthy criteria, they can come right along and say 'Sorry, you're not allowed to burn today,'" said Freeborn.
This is why prescribed burns can take weeks or even months to complete.
"This burn which is happening right now in the later part of June, they started planning this back in February," said Freeborn.
However, it is hard to deny that these prescribed burns cause far less damage and pollution than a full-on wildfire.
"So it [a wildfire] does a lot more destruction to the natural habitat, and it puts a lot more particulate matter in the air," said Freeborn.
The process of prescribed burns along the Grapevine has been going on for months, and KCFD says they still have a few burns to conduct before they finish mitigating the vegetation alongside the highway.
IN-DEPTH: EPA GUIDELINES FOR PRESCRIBED BURNS
The Environmental Protection Agency has strict guidelines for when any fire department is planning to hold a prescribed burn.
The main requirement from the EPA is that fire departments have and implement a plan when it comes to smoke management during a prescribed burn in order to prevent impacts to the health of people nearby. They require every fire department to follow basic smoke management practices and monitor the effects of the smoke on air quality.
Fire departments must also keep a record and maintain a burn and smoke journal, as well as notify the public of any prescribed burns or expected smoke impacts, especially those people who live close to the burn site.
EPA guidelines for prescribed burns also require fire departments to carefully consider how they fuel their burns and how frequently they're burning any given area in order to reduce the public's exposure to smoke and other particulate pollution.
