Well-maintained vegetation is our best defense against disastrous fires. A job training program at East Mesa Reentry Facility is helping to reduce risks and hazards from wildfire around radio towers.
There are 51 sites in the Regional Communications System across the county. They support 24,000 radios operated by nearly 100 safety and government agencies in San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Participants in the program clear brush and trim trees around radio towers. Their landscaping efforts remove combustible fuel supply for wildfire and create buffer zones. This defensible space helps firefighters by giving them a tactical advantage in stopping a fire. This is crucial because our fire-risk is year-round.
A Sheriff’s Deputy supervises the landscaping crew while providing structure in a job-like setting. Participants develop good work habits, learn responsibility and teamwork while providing community service. An instructor from Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College teaches inmates horticultural and landscaping skills. Inmates graduate with a certificate of participation. Today’s inmate is tomorrow’s neighbor. Sheriff’s Reentry Services Division offers more than three dozen educational, vocational, wellness and psycho-social programs to help inmates transition back into our communities and reduce their likelihood of returning in our custody.
