CAL FIRE to establish year-round base at Los Guilicos

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will establish a year-round operational base in the Sonoma Valley. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors authorized a three-year lease agreement use of facilities at the Los Guilicos Campus near Oakmont.

The presence of CAL FIRE personnel and equipment in the Los Guilicos area will significantly improve response times and resources in the event of wildfire or other emergencies, officials said.

“It is exciting to see the unused facilities at the Los Guilicos campus put to such good use for the community,” said Supervisor Susan Gorin. “The CAL FIRE camp will provide the Valley and County an additional critical resource in building fire protection.”

The site will provide one acre of outdoor space and more than 10,000 square feet of indoor multi-use building space, including the former Sierra Youth Center building.

CAL FIRE plans to occupy the space in the late spring of 2022.

Once open, the site will be CAL FIRE’s first fire camp in Sonoma County since the 1990s. A firefighting team is expected to occupy the camp during fire season, which lasts about nine months a year, and a fuel abatement team would occupy it during the wet season, about three months a year.

The state will pay for ongoing maintenance, utility and janitorial costs as well as any tenant improvements.

“As a Tubbs Fire survivor, I am so grateful to CAL FIRE and the County’s real estate team – the more fire resources in the county the better,” said Caroline Judy, director of the General Services Department.

 The lease agreement will end March 31, 2025.