By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District
The last few years have been marked by weather extremes — from extreme drought to extreme flooding our area has experienced the worst of a changing climate.
With this year’s rains (including rains from just a few weeks ago) it might be hard to think about fire season.
But as we move into summer, now is the time to take some steps to help protect your homes and businesses from fire risk.
What steps can you take to mitigate risk?
Wildfire! Kameika & Joey Prepare, by Misty Knightly, who was living on a two-lane road in the Santa Cruz Mountains during the 2020 wildfire season and witnessed the devastating loss. The 70-page book is $35 at mistyknightly.com. A part of net profits will be donated to the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. The book is illustrated by Ira Baykovska.
There are some things that you can do to help protect your home or business from a wildfire or a structure fire. Local and state fire agencies have put together some recommendations on how to get started.
One of the first things is to ensure that you have a home emergency plan (and evacuation plan) and practice it with your family. All homes should have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and at least one ABC-rated fire extinguisher in your home.
Ensuring the Fire Department can respond quickly also means having visible address numbers on the outside of your home and business (and if you have a sidewalk — along the curb).
All homes should be kept clear of combustible debris such as cardboard boxes, rags, paper products, flammable liquids and fireplaces and wood stoves should be maintained and cleaned and inspected annually.
The topography of Santa Cruz County, and location of homes within the rural areas, means that it’s imperative to create a defensible space around your home.
Defensible space is the buffer you create between your home or business and the vegetation that surrounds them to prevent these structures from catching fire.
The defensible space can reduce risk to both your home (from fire directly or radiant heat associated with fire) as well as to firefighters using the space to defend your property.
How do you create a defensible space?
California State law requires that you maintain 100 feet of defensible space around your home and other buildings on your property.
This is a minimum recommended amount and should be increased if your home is on a steep slope.
You can create a defensible space by ensuring that trees are the furthest from your home and that elements that are less likely to burn (or burn at lower temperatures) such as small plants/beddings/high water content plants etc. are closer to the home.
For the first 30 feet from all buildings, decks and structures you should:
- Remove or mow all dead plants, grass, or weeds.
- Create paved or gravel driveways, walkways, patios as firebreaks.
- Remove dead or dry leaves and needles from yard, roof, and gutters.
- Trim trees regularly and maintain a minimum of 10’ between canopies.
- Remove branches that overhang your roof and any dead branches close to chimney.
- Remove flammable items near any structure.
For the next 70+ feet from your home (extending to at least 100 feet from your home) you should:
- Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4”.
- Maintain 10 ft clearance around woodpiles.
- Thin trees and shrubs and leave big gaps between plants.
- Remove dead or dry leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and branches from ground.
How can you get more information?
The Central Fire Protection District website — www.centralfiresc.org — contains preparedness information on defensible space, general fire prevention and a smoke alarm program where Central Fire personnel provide and install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for the District’s senior citizens and low income residents (click on the “education and preparedness” tab on their website).
Fire Safe Santa Cruz County also maintains a comprehensive site with downloadable fact sheets and videos on how to prepare your home or business www.firesafesantacruz.org/ (click on the “education” tab on their website).
Lastly, the County’s OR3 website has a resources link with a lot of valuable information: https://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/OR3.aspx (click on the “plan and prepare” tab).
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As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue). I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook.com/supervisorfriend and you can always call me at 454-2200.