Shasta Fire Safe Council takes over Shingletown’s fire protection program

SHINGLETOWN, California — The Shasta County Fire Safety Council will take over the Shingletown Slash Program at the Shingletown Solid Waste Transfer Station at Ritts Mill Road and Highway 44 beginning Tuesday, August 27.

This will help Shingletown residents dispose of combustible debris and other yard waste generated during the creation of defensible space at no cost.

“The program is essentially about helping residents dispose of their materials, both wood and leaves,” says Doug Young, “as part of the work to defend the habitat around their homes.”

Young is the council’s deputy project manager and a former firefighter. He said the program is funded by a grant from Cal Fire and is part of a broader effort by both groups to make communities more fire-resistant.

“We’re trying to minimize the financial impact on people,” Young explained. “We’re letting them come out and clean up the debris. They’re doing the work and they’re going to clean up the area around their homes. That defensible space is the most important.”

Young said they would take over the 10-year-old program from the Shingletown Fire Safety Council, which he said had to be disbanded this year due to lack of funding.

“The community here knows about it and was really upset when it was eliminated,” he said. “So we were able to direct some of our funding to this site and this program and hope that this program will resonate throughout Shasta County.”

They will accept any brush, branches, and other plant debris, but there are some exceptions. Logs over 20 inches in diameter, poison oak, and oleander are not allowed, as are lumber and general trash.

They will be offering this program at the Shingletown Waste Transfer Station on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the next two months.

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