Go!

Its Wildfire Awareness Week!  And CAL FIRE has a 3-step strategy for people to prepare for the dangers of a wildfire: Ready, Set, Go!

Get Ready - protect your home with defensible space and fire-resistant materials.

Get Set - protect your family by preparing for a potential evacuation.

Now Go - actually evacuate.  Your home and your family have prepared for this, now its time to Go!  Properly close up your house.  Leave as soon as fire personnel tell you to.  Activate your Wildfire Action Plan.  And keep your Emergency Supply Kit handy.

Wildfires are dangerous and firefighters are working hard to contain the fire itself.  Homeowners should be the least of their worries.  So get Ready, Set and Go!

Ready, Set, Go!

Its Wildfire Awareness Week in California and CAL FIRE offers this as step 1 in wildfire preparedness - Being Ready!

Being Ready means homeowners should surround their homes with "defensible space."  In fact, at least 100 feet of space between the home and the surrounding wildland area must remain cleared.

Wildfires can spread by flying embers landing on homes up to a mile away.  Being Ready also means homeowners should cover their homes with fire-resistant materials.  The roof is most vulnerable to wildfire dangers, so roofs should be made of materials such as composition, metal or tile.

This is expected to be a very active wildfire season, prepare now to Be Ready!

Get Ready! Its Wildfire Awareness Week!

The state of California has designated this week (May 6-12, 2012) as Wildfire Awareness Week.  Four of the last seven years have been the most destructive wildfire seasons in US record-keeping history:

• 2011 - 8.7 million acres burned
• 2007 - 9.3 million acres burned
• 2006 - 9.8 million acres burned
• 2005 - 8.6 million acres burned

And this past winter has been especially dry in California.  As of May 1 the statewide snowpack was only 40% of its normal level.  And from January to April 2012 CAL FIRE has responded to 2.5 times as many wildfires (800) as in the same period 2011 (when there were just 300).  So this is expected to be a very active wildfire season in California.

CAL FIRE is continuing its theme of "Ready, Set, Go!" in which residents are asked to take fire safety measures such as Defensible Space, Family Communication Plans and Evacuation Steps.  We'll look at these in more detail this week!