Ag Commissioner cautions about wine grapes and fire retardants on Oct. 20, then deletes it

The notice about fire retardant has been removed from the Ag Commissioner’s update of this page.

 

This statement was posted at the bottom of the Ag Commissioner’s page on 10/20:

“Be advised that according to CalFire officials, grapes that have been contacted by flame retardant are not safe for humans and should not be harvested. (emphasis added).”

 

The statement may have been removed because no one from Cal Fire may have actually said that. A top Cal Fire representative emailed WII this morning to say:

 

“I have found no individual from CAL FIRE that has made that statement at this point. I will continue to work on this for you and will give you a call around 8:30 this morning for an update,” said Scott McLean Cal Fire Deputy Chief of Information.

Full statement: New Property Access Requirements – 10/20/17 Ag Fire Access Update

The Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office will be open for business this weekend, Saturday October 21, and Sunday October 22, from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.  Permits to gain access to properties affected by the fires will be issued in the office during this time period.  Permits can also be issued on site at the road closure check points by Ag Commissioner staff.  There will be less of a delay at the check points if permits are secured ahead of time.    These permits are only issued for ag business related access.

 

Monitor Nixle alerts for the most up to date information on which roads are open in the fire affected areas throughout the County.

All information provided below is subject to change  with high frequency and may not be the most up to date information. We are doing our very best to provide updated information in as timely a manner as possible. To verify any information, please contact our office directly at (707) 253-4357 or email us at agcomfire@countyofnapa.org.

 

As of Thursday 10/19/2017 at 9:30am our office is issuing permits for ag-business related access to the following areas:

 

NUNS FIRE AREA:

 

Dry Creek Road from Orchard Avenue to Trinity Road. Access via Oakville Grade Road or Orchard Avenue

 

Redwood Road from the junction with Mt. Veeder Road

 

Mt. Veeder Road from Redwood Road to Dry Creek Road. Access via Redwood Road or Oakville Grade/Dry Creek Road.

 

ATLAS FIRE AREA:

Atlas Peak Road from Westgate Drive will have unrestricted ag-business permitted access during the hours of 7:00pm to 5:00am starting tonight Wednesday October 18, 2017. During this time, all ag-business related activities will be allowed with a permit from our office.

Soda Canyon Road from Silverado Trail will have unrestricted ag-business permitted access during the hours of 7:00pm to 5:00am starting tonight Wednesday October 18, 2017. During this time, all ag-business related activities will be allowed with a permit from our office.

TUBBS FIRE AREA:

 

Franz Valley School Road to the Napa/Sonoma County Line

 

SODA CANYON AND ATLAS PEAK – RESTRICTED ACCESS

 

Between the hours of 5:00am and 7:00pm crews are going to be working on large infrastructure projects to restore these regions’ access as soon as possible. Due to the nature of this work, heavy restrictions are being placed on ag-business related access.

 

Our office is allowed to issue a limited number of ag-business related permits for the next four days: Thursday October 19, Friday October 20, Saturday October 21 and Sunday October 22, 2017.

 

Please consider performing any access during the less restricted periods of 7:00pm and 5:00am listed above. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity freeing the restricted day access appointments for critical work only. We have more entities than appointments so please be considerate of your neighbors should you be able to complete your tasks during night access.

 

 

Restrictions for “daytime” permits to Soda Canyon and Atlas Peak include:

We have space for five entities per region each day listed above (October 19-October22).

 

Each entity is allowed one passenger vehicle. No large vehicles or equipment will be allowed up or down these regions during restricted access.

Each vehicle is limited to two persons only.

 

Permitted entities will be escorted up between 10:00am and 11:00am and escorted back down between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. You will be able to leave the hill during the 10:00am to 11:00am hour should you be able to complete your tasks during that very short time period. Otherwise all personnel are to stay on their site until escorted back down during the 4:00pm and 5:00pm access window.

 

All persons are required to stay on site and not allowed back out on the roads unescorted. No movement along the roads during restricted time periods will be allowed unescorted.

 

We are taking requests for these restricted access appointments. No appointment can be guaranteed as such a limited number are available.

 

Safety is the number one priority while these special access permits are being used. Please remember to take all necessary precautions to provide safe work environments for employees. All permitted areas are under ongoing repair work by numerous entities – please be aware of the safety concerns of these crews and yield to any authority in the region.

 

Please contact our office (707) 253-4357 or agcomfire@countyofnapa.org  to obtain a permit or if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we are processing a large number of requests at this time.

 

Be advised that according to CalFire officials, grapes that have been contacted by flame retardant are not safe for humans and should not be harvested. (emphasis added).