BRACING FOR THE PERFECT STORM: FIRST RESPONDERS ANNOUNCE UNPREDECENTED FIRE PROTECTION OUTREACH
Printer-friendly versionFarmers Insurance Funds “Before the Threat” 2009 Door-To-Door Preparedness Campaign Across San Diego County May 25, 2009 (San Diego)–Fire or inferno? It’s not if, but when.San Diego County residents are urged to prepare for what could well be that “perfect fire storm.” A continued drought, thousands of acres of aged unburned brush throughout the County, and Santa Ana winds have created a “high alert” situation that demands an unprecedented effort, fire officials report. Now the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services, the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association and Farmers Insurance Group have joined forces in a public/private partnership to launch a massive, regional and unified wildfire prevention and preparedness effort: “Before The Threat 2009.” Starting in mid-July, 400,000 “Before The Threat” DVD prevention and preparedness packages will be delivered door to door throughout the County’s high-fire risk areas. “During the 2007 fires, we saw that defensible space works. The homes that were still standing in the fire perimeter area all had defensible space. The 1,700 homes that burned had a flaw in their defensible space and that’s what we are hoping to address with our campaign. We are asking residents to take action now before the threat,” said Ron Lane Director of the County Office of Emergency Services. Teams of First Responders from 65 fire agencies will be joined by an army of at least 3,000 volunteers from all walks of San Diego County to distribute the information. “The fires of 2003 and 2007 will never allow us to forget the importance of a well-prepared, well-educated community, said Augie Ghio, President of the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association. “After reviewing the Before The Threat preparedness package, residents will have a better understanding of what to do before, during and after a wild fire.” This first-time regional effort is made possible through a $200,000 grant from the Farmers Insurance Group. “Farmers Insurance is proud to be a supporter of the San Diego County of Emergency Services and the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association. We know the Farmers grant will work to save lives and property in San Diego County. Working together we all can make a difference,” said Charles Dabelgott, California Southern State Executive Director of the Farmers Insurance Group. Volunteer San Diego is also joining the Partnership by helping to organize the massive number of volunteers this project will depend on. Printer-friendly version
CITIZENS GROUP SEEKS TO BLOCK SDG&E PLAN TO CUT ALL TREES WITHIN 25 FEET OF POWER LINES
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery May 24, 2009 (Ramona)—San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) wants to expand its right to trim or remove trees within 18 inches of power lines dramatically – increasing that range to 25 feet on either side of power lines. On Friday, the Mussey Grade Road Alliance, a citizens’ watchdog group, has filed an opening brief with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) opposing SDG&E’s plan. Printer-friendly version
3 HOMES BURNED, NEW EVACUATIONS ORDERED IN PALA FIRE
Printer-friendly versionUPDATE MAY 25: The Pala fire is now 60% contained and the acreage number has not increased overnight, Cal Fire Captain Nick Schuler reports this morning. May 24, 2009 (Pala) — A fire burning along Highway 76 near Pala has reached 122 acres and burned three homes. New evacuations have been ordered this evening on Palomar Del Norte Road, following earlier evacuation at Pala Norte Road. The fire is now 15% contained, with full containment predicted by 10 a.m. tomorrow, according to Cal-Fire Captain Nick Schuler. “Investigators have determined the fire was human caused,” Schuler disclosed. Highway 76 was closed between Highway 15 and Pala Casino, but is slated to reopen tonight. SDG&E is on the scene repairing damaged electrical lines, but a threat to major transmission lines has been eliminated. Two small fires earlier today in Santee and Cedar Creek Falls, east of San Diego Country Estates, have been contained with no damage to structures and no injuries. Editor’s Note: Thanks to our webmaster for posting an earlier notice of this fire based on Cal-Fire notes while ECM’s editor was on an airplane this afternoon. Due to a software glitch involving Constant Contact, which sends out our alerts, our vigilant assistant on duty was unable to send our fire alert earlier. This is the only time in eight months of our service that we were delayed in our notification regarding a major fire and we regret this lapse. We are training three additional assistants to assure no interruption in our wildfire alert service in the future. Please watch for updates, and if you have any first-hand knowledge about these or other new fires, post in the “comments” section below. The fire, located at Hwy 76 west of Pala Temecula is now 10% contained. Palomar Del Norte Road has been evacuated and major transmition lines in the area are being effected. Printer-friendly version