News Release

For Immediate Release June 23, 2008

Contact: Bruce Kranz (530) 889-4010

Kranz On Frontline at Foresthill Fire

Helicopter Need Proven

FORESTHILL, CA—On Sunday Bruce Kranz, 5^th District Supervisor of Placer County, joined Brad Harris, CAL FIRE Unit Chief and County Fire Warden on a fire line off Mosquito Ridge Road near Foresthill. The fire on Mosquito Ridge Road was only one of a dozen started by lightning strikes in the Sierras Saturday night. There were hundreds of fires throughout Northern California over the weekend, some with homes in imminent danger. With various fires burning on Sunday morning, there was no aircraft available to dump water on the fire off of Mosquito Ridge Road. CAL FIRE contracted with a private helicopter with fire suppression equipment.

Foresthill Fire Protection District Chief Kurt Snyder and CAL FIRE Chief Harris say this proves Placer County needs its own dedicated helicopter, which cannot be called away to fight fires in other parts of California or the Western States. Placer County has a helicopter on order with fire suppression capability, for which Sheriff Bonner has credited Supervisor Kranz.

“I believe this fire season is going to prove we are still behind the curve in our efforts to prevent catastrophic wildfires”, said Kranz. Kranz a persistent advocate of working towards preventing catastrophic wildfires had just, Friday morning, warned his Foresthill Coffee group that it was going to be a tough fire season.

“I believe our efforts to ease regulatory obstructions of cutting dead, dying, diseased trees, and brush is just the beginning. We have not yet turned the corner.

Since taking office in 2005, Supervisor Kranz has worked with state and federal officials--Senator Dianne Feinstein, Rep. John Doolittle, Senator David Cox, Senator Tim Leslie Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa, the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency—to change laws, ordinances and statutes to allow property owners to protect their homes and lives from catastrophic wildfires.

CAL FIRE Chief Brad Harris, said, “No other public official has worked so tirelessly on the issue of catastrophic wildfires in Placer County. This is not the first time Supervisor Bruce Kranz has been on the frontline.”

Supervisor Kranz supported the Healthy Forest Act in Congress, provided county residents with chippers and wood boxes; he led the enactment of the Hazardous Vegetation Abatement Ordinance in the Tahoe area. Supervisor Kranz works closely with local Fire Safe Councils to help citizens create “defensible space” around their homes and businesses, and has worked to acquire state and federal grants to create a biomass energy production plant from forest waste.

The fire on Mosquito Ridge Road has been fully contained with patrolling units remaining on scene Monday morning.

--END--

	Fire off of Mosquito Ridge Road in Foresthill mid morning on June 22, 2008.
Mosquito Ridge Road in Foresthill on June 22, 2008 on the fire line.
	Supervisor Bruce Kranz and Fire Chief Brad Harris survey the fire.
Fire off of Mosquito Ridge Road in Foresthill on June 22, 2008
	Supervisor Bruce Kranz and CAL FIRE Chief Brad Harris.
Supervisor Bruce Kranz