Local fire departments are looking "very heavily" at ways to keep their ranks safe as another fire season looms during the coronavirus pandemic.
Shasta County Fire Chief and Warden Bret Gouvea said the county's first batch of fire-season workers will start on Monday, with the rest expected to be phased in throughout June. While it might seem early, Gouvea said that's a pretty typical start time because of weather conditions in the past half-decade or so.
The new staffing brings to light the need for extra safety measures, since firefighters work closely and spend time in camps that would make social distancing harder. "We are looking at fire season very heavily right now" because of the pandemic, Gouvea said. "We are looking for all the various challenges we would face."
Those include potential exposure to firefighters at camps and having to work closely on fire lines, Gouvea said.