Highway 330 may soon have a special designation. Legislation introduced by Senator Bob Dutton to honor former Battalion Chief Steve Faris of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has made its way through the Senate and is now in the Assembly. If passed, the resolution would designate Highway 330 as the Steve Faris Memorial Highway; he died in September 2006 in an automobile accident. In a statement from Senator Dutton, he says, “Chief Faris was intimately involved in the establishment and operation of local Fire Safe Councils along with the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce bringing together local, state and federal agencies in order to enhance public safety in the mountain communities. His efforts contributed significantly to the successful evacuation and life saving efforts during the Old Fire in 2003.” The former Battalion Chief is said to have spent endless hours driving thousands of miles up and down Highway 330, promoting safety in the mountain communities. His legacy includes the formation of the Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council, the Inland Empire Fire Safe Alliance, and the example for more than 14 Fire Safe Councils now active in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Of Faris, Dutton adds, “He was a friendly, giving and passionate person who found a way to work with anyone and everyone who shared his goal of saving lives and establishing defensible spaces for mountain properties. It is an honor to support the recognition of a person who was so willing to work hard to better the lives of others.”
