Strength in numbers
By Dave Mason
SR Fire Safe Council
We made significant progress since the devastating wildfires of 2003 and 2007, but there is still more to do. One example is Zone 0, the first five feet around your home or other structure. CAL FIRE considers this the most important area for preventing wind-blown embers from igniting materials next to a building. Its recommendations include keeping that area clear of dead vegetation and combustible materials, using non-combustible surfaces such as gravel, pavers or concrete, and moving items such as firewood away from structures. California is also continuing to formalize statewide Zone 0 regulations. But wildfire preparedness cannot stop five feet – or even 100 feet – from your home. Homeowners are increasingly being asked to reduce wildfire hazards on their own properties. Public agencies have responsibilities, too.
Some vegetation-management and brush-clearing programs were disrupted during the COVID years, and we continue to see public areas around Scripps Ranch where overgrown vegetation raises questions about maintenance and wildfire risk. Who is responsible for those areas? Are they being inspected? Are brush-management programs operating again? Have high-risk locations been identified, and when will the necessary work be completed? We encourage you to contact your local representatives and public agencies to ask what is being done to reduce wildfire danger in Scripps Ranch. If you see an area of public property that concerns you, find out who maintains it and report the problem.
The Scripps Ranch Fire Safe Council is a group working to identify risks, improve preparedness and find practical ways to help keep our community safer before the next wildfire. But no single organization can accomplish that alone. Wildfire safety requires homeowners, neighborhoods, firefighters, public agencies and elected representatives to work together. It requires residents to keep asking questions and bring potential hazards to the attention of those responsible for addressing them. There really is strength in numbers. The more of us who maintain our own properties, report potential problems, learn about programs such as Zone 0 and encourage government agencies to fulfill their responsibilities, the better prepared Scripps Ranch will be. Wildfire preparedness is not something we finish. It is something we continue working on together. Contact us: srfiresafecouncil@gmail.com; srfiresafe.org