Fire Preparedness Assessment – Part 2

Wildfires don't wait—your preparedness can't either. Thankfully, the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County offers free, confidential, and non-regulatory home assessments to help residents reduce wildfire risk and protect what matters most.

Taking simple, proactive steps now can create a safer environment, reduce wildfire risks, and help meet future insurance requirements for the community and association. This can also help our community meet Firewise requirements. For more information, to apply for a free Fire Safety Assessment, or to see if you qualify for assistance, visit the Fire Safe Council site.

We recently underwent the assessment and were qualified to have one of their non-profit partner programs available to help implement safety improvements. We set a date and were ready for step 2: making the necessary landscaping changes to make our home fire-hardened and reduce our wildfire risk. SD Canyonlands is a non-profit organization that brought a team of seven people ready to get to work helping clean up and fire-harden our home. These individuals were paid through grants received by the non-profit.

There were a couple of areas that needed work. The first area was in Zone One—within 5 feet of the house—and was the easiest job. It required removing three large bushes that were situated against the house and would provide easy access for embers to burn our home if they made their way to the bushes.

The second area presented the real challenge; it was larger, messier, and required a lot more work. Near the horse corals stood two dead trees and a lot of invasive scrub brush, along with a thick blanket of wild cucumber vines that would cover everything! This area posed a significant threat to the horses' lives and was an imminent danger to the property.

The crew arrived at 7 am, and the lead started forming teams. It was so wonderful to have the help. We appreciated it so much. They brought all the tools needed and got right to work. They had two trucks and someone to drag and stack the trimmings in the trucks to be hauled away. They completed the work by noon and moved on to a second house in the estates that also needed help. Now, our home and our horses are safer than ever!

We are incredibly grateful to have had this work done to our home with the assistance from the program and feel much more wildfire prepared. With wildfire season just around the corner, everyone can benefit from a fire assessment.

Photos by Cheryl Schlauch.