No kidding around

Suzie Harrison

Mike Phillips, the city and a herd of goats recently received a

commendation for an innovative fire prevention program.

The Office of Emergency Services presented the city with the

commendation at the Disaster Resistance California Conference on May 8.

As the environmental specialist for the public works department,

Phillips expanded an existing fire-prevention program after the

devastating Laguna Beach fire of 1993.

The goats are the main players in the city’s basic, yet efficient and

cost-effective program. There are 550 of them who graze and graze and

graze a little more in specified areas. The technical name for their task

is fuel modification -- maintaining the vegetation at a safe level.

After the fire, OES worked to get Laguna a federal hazard mitigation

grant that the city used to expand the goat program it already had.

Phillips said the initial cost of the program was $528,000 with

$396,000 paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He said it

costs the city $198,000 yearly to maintain it.

He said last year the city did a comparison and had a hand crew

maintain the foliage in a area equal in size to an area maintained by the

goats.

“The goats were faster and much cheaper. It’s the most cost efficient

and effective program we can come up with,” said Phillips.

The goats can be found in North Laguna, Mystic Hills, Top of the

World, Rim Rock Canyon and South Laguna with the exception of areas that

are sensitive and have protected plant species.

The program started with Phillips who was a fire prevention specialist

at the fire department and moved with him when he took a position as the

environmental specialist for the city.

“There is the possibility the program might go back to the fire

department as a practical matter,” Phillips said.