U.S. Representative Pettersen aims to increase wildfire prevention

“An ounce of preven­tion is worth a pound of cure,” was a pithy saying of one of the nation’s founding fathers, Benja­min Franklin. However, if Franklin were to see the smoldering ruins of the suburbs of Los Angeles and the quarter of a trillion dollar damage assessment from the grass and forest fires earlier this month, he would undoubtedly update his saying to “an ounce of prevention is worth several tons of cure.”

The fires in Los Ange­les are a recognizable fact of life for us in the Valley, and discussions locally continue to focus on how to engage with better fire mitigation and earlier detection of fire to prevent similar damage to the for­ested homes in the region.

To that effect, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen, who represents this region, reintroduced two bipartisan bills – the Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency through Satel­lites Act and the Post-Di­saster Reforestation and Restoration Act – to better utilize early detection tech­nology to prevent wildfires from spreading and help our communities recover and rebuild more resiliency to future threats.

These bills are in the early stages of the legisla­tive process, and the Tribune will continue coverage as they progress.

– Jordan Hedberg