Kern County Fire Chief Brian Marshall says his department is looking at ways to improve evacuations during an emergency, including what he calls a “last resort” siren. Marshall told Supervisors Tuesday evacuations have become a “hot-button topic” following the recent wildfires in California. “As we saw in some of these communities, the roads got log-jammed and people died alongside the roads. As your Fire Chief, I do not want that to happen.” Marshall said he will present the staff report to the board when it’s ready.

Suzanne Grant