17
May/June 2018
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
DRG ASSISTS WITH NAPA WILDFIRE RESPONSE
During the 2017 Northern California fires, PG&E called
on 30 Davey Resource Group (DRG) employees to lead
inspections of the affected areas. DRG was a part of the
base camp set in a Napa vineyard with rows and rows
of trailers, equipment, generators and trucks. The trailers
brimmed with bunks, dining halls and offices for the
contractors because there was no time for inspectors to
go back to their homes — this would be their home for
the duration of the project.
Inspectors were tasked with surveying the areas that had
already been affected by the fires and determining which
trees presented imminent hazards. Meanwhile, fires burned
throughout Northern California. Because of the dangerous
conditions, safety precautions demanded that everyone
work in pairs, essentially reducing a core of 60 surveyors
down to 30 and increasing the time spent in the field.
For the first few weeks, employees worked seven days a
week. The work prove redundant, as they went through areas
at least three or four times. Some of the fires that ripped
through the area were very low, so the trees would appear
healthy at the top, but weeks later, another inspection
would reveal that the fire had scorched the roots. The
importance of accurately identifying dangerous trees
was heightened by the fact that these were trees in
neighborhoods and around people.
Though many think of wildfires as burning forests and
uninhabited areas, the path of the 2017 Northern California
fires was much more vast.
"It was emotionally heavy because this wasn't just fire
burning in desolate areas. This was fire ripping through
people's neighborhoods and causing massive devastation,"
said Jonah Schwartz, project coordinator, DRG. "We were
dealing with people who had just lost everything."
DRG employees were stationed at base camp and performed
tree inspections throughout the affected areas for about
five weeks. After base camp was broken down, wildfire
management was ongoing, but on a smaller scale.
Above: Officials established the base camp for the wildfire response in a
Napa Valley vineyard.
Below: Employees worked seven-day work weeks early in the wildfire
response.
