Firefighting Agencies Step Up Campaign Promoting ‘Defensible Space’

• Malibu Property Owners Urged to View Wildfire as a Year-Round Phenomenon

BY ANNE SOBLE

Now that wildfire is a year-round phenomenon in California, and resources are being utilized as never before, there is increased emphasis on public preparedness for what is seen as the inevitability of runaway conflagrations. The mantra for the role of citizens in firefighting readiness is “defensible space.”
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is spearheading the defensible space campaign, aided, even if the terminology differs, by county and city agencies that stress that firefighters are impeded in their efforts if property owners don’t fulfill their predetermined responsibilities.
CAL FIRE crews have already responded this year to several wildfires statewide that have destroyed homes. The heat wave two weeks ago has exacerbated dry conditions locally.
Although the public may become inured to annual public agency statements about being in ”the worst fire season ever,” CAL FIRE and the Los Angeles County Fire Department say residents should now keep a 100-foot zone of defensible space around their homes at all times.
“The devastating Southern California wildfires in 2007 highlighted the importance for homeowners to prepare their homes for a wildfire,” said Ruben Grijalva, the director of CAL FIRE.
“By simply removing dead vegetation 100 feet from homes and following a few simple steps, homeowners can drastically increase their homes’ chance of surviving a wildfire.”
As Corral Fire burnouts were told last week at a local meeting with top county fire officials, these practices also make it more likely that firefighters can make the kind of stand that saves homes.
This year’s fire season is arriving after a wetter winter than 2007. The downside to what would traditionally be good news is there is now more fuel to burn.
Add to that the National Weather Service is predicting higher-than-normal temperatures from May through September, just in time for the Santa Ana winds, which have also been occurring on more of a year-round basis.
Fire experts stress that these winds will be the key determinant of the severity of what is always the potential for a catastrophic fire season in Malibu.
CAL FIRE is in the process of hiring about 2000 seasonal employees for the summer. The U.S. Forest Service expects to have more than 4000 firefighters in the state as well.
CAL FIRE has issued some general tips to help make homes fire safe:
• Remove all flammable vegetation 30 feet from all structures.
• In an additional 70 feet create a reduced fuel zone by spacing trees and plants apart from each other.
• Clear all needles and leaves from roofs, eaves and rain gutters.
• Trim branches six feet from the ground.
• Remove branches 10 feet from all chimneys.
• Use trimming, mowing and power equipment before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m., not in the heat of the day.
• Landscape with fire resistant plants.
More information on defensible space and other fire-preparedness tips is available at the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov.