The Firebreak
The Newsletter of the Olivenhain Fire Safe Council
January 2024
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From the President
Happy New Year from OFSC, and many, many thanks to the community members who responded to our appeal and generously donated to support us last year!
We’re looking forward to some great events, activities and initiatives in the coming months. Some are still in the discussion stage, and others still need to be planned, but one of the most exciting is set: a two-part workshop the evenings of February 26 and March 4 at the Meeting Hall. At last (after trying for two years), we have a mini version of the Last Chance Survival Simulation Workshop scheduled in Olivenhain. Given the significant evacuation challenges we face here, this workshop could save lives, so we highly recommend attending. (See article below.) Space is limited, so if you want to attend, make sure to register. (We’ll also be serving desserts, and we need a headcount.)
In addition, we’re hoping to have a joint event with the fire department (date TBD) that will combine a community gathering (including food) with educational sessions. Our plans also call for overhauling our website and updating our evacuation brochure. We expect to continue our monthly gig at the Cardiff farmers market. And we’ve been considering options for a fundraiser. (Chocolate, anyone?)
Looking ahead, we’re still keen to promote Firewise USA recognition for as many Olivenhain neighborhoods as possible, and to do that we are relying on our Neighborhood Ambassador program. So if you’re interested in engaging with your neighbors about wildfire preparedness and prevention (which will make everyone safer), contact Lou Obertreis, our Neighborhood Ambassador coordinator, who can get you started. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbors and work together for a safer community. (And watch for future Ambassador/Firewise meetings in the coming months.)
In this issue of our newsletter, we’re pleased to share information about the new home inspection program being offered by the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County. You’ll want to apply if you have any questions about preparing your home to survive wildfire.
We’re also introducing a new, periodic feature—the OFSC Book Club. A number of interesting books about wildfire have been released over the past couple of years. I’ve read most of them and from time to time will share my impressions of them here. (If anyone else would like to participate and submit reviews, let me know.) First up: Fire Weather by John Vaillant, which centers around a catastrophic 2016 fire in Alberta, Canada, that decimated much of the small city of Fort McMurray, which not so coincidentally was founded to serve the oil companies eager to exploit the region’s tar sands.
Happy reading, and we hope to see you at the LCSSW and the farmers market.
—Sarah Lifton
P.S. Our next OFSC board meeting is Monday, February 12, at 7 pm, so please email me for the Zoom link if you'd like to attend.
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County FSC launches free home assessment program
Have you ever wondered how effectively your house is protected against wildfire? Have you thought about how to minimize your home’s vulnerability and what resources are available to help?
Now you can get the answers…for free.
Beginning this month, the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, in partnership with the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, will be offering free home assessments to residents throughout in the FSCSDC’s service area, which encompasses virtually the entire county. The program, which is funded by San Diego Gas and Electric and the California Fire Safe Council through CAL FIRE, is educational only and non-regulatory—there is no requirement that you carry out the recommendations (though knowledge is power!).
The home assessment will review the vulnerability of your home and landscape to wildfire and ember ignition. During the assessment, a trained staff member will review defensible space, home hardening and fire-smart landscaping principles and make specific recommendations for improvements based on the current condition of your property. The assessment will take about 30 to 45 minutes, and upon completion, you will receive recommendations, educational resources, and program referrals that can help you meet your wildfire resilience goals.
The aim of the program is to help residents identify priorities for wildfire resilience and connect them to resources to increase their safety. Having your home inspected is also a prerequisite for participating in the FSCSDC’s free chipping program, as well as its free defensible space program for seniors, the disabled and low-income homeowners.
The program is being implemented across 12 geographic zones in the county, and the FSCSDC website has a map and schedule. If you’re interested in an inspection, apply now!
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Attend the Last Chance Survival Simulation Workshop!
Mark your calendars now for the Last Chance Survival Simulation Workshop (LCSSW), which will be presented as an abridged version in two mini-sessions on Monday, February 26 and Monday, March 4 at the Meeting Hall from 7-9 pm.
And once you’ve marked your calendar for both dates (the content will differ), please RSVP so we know how many to expect.
Each year, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is a need to enhance wildfire safety and evasion training for at-risk communities like ours. We’ve been trying for two years to get this workshop scheduled and are thrilled that 2024 is the year!
The LCSSW was developed to empower residents in high-risk, wildfire-prone communities to prepare for evacuation and potential wildfire entrapments. Free to Olivenhain residents, it will cover a variety of practices that may enhance the likelihood of surviving a fire entrapment scenario. It will include case studies and principles applied to Olivenhain’s unique topography, challenges, evacuation corridors and temporary refuge areas. The workshop expands upon “Ready Set Go,” a widely accepted statewide standard for wildfire preparation.
It’s no exaggeration to say that attending the workshop could someday save your life.
In addition to the course, we’ll be having desserts and door prizes.
So come, eat, and mingle with your neighbors and learn critical information from some of San Diego’s leading wildfire experts.
For more information, contact Morgan Dioli at the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County: morgan.dioli@rcdsandiego.org or 619.562-0096.
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Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World
By John Vaillant
2023
Alfred A. Knopf
In May 2016, two and a half years before the Camp fire leveled Paradise and seven years before the record fires that burned across Canada in 2023, the Fort McMurray fire devastated the city of the same name, located in north Alberta, in a region known for its boreal forest, oil sands and the industry that developed to extract oil from them. The fire forced the evacuation of some 90,000 people and destroyed 2,500 structures and damaged another 500. It produced phenomena that had never before been seen in a wildfire, and smoke from the fire traveled clear across the continent to the East Coast. It wasn’t officially declared extinguished until 15 months after it started,
Fire Weather is a meticulously researched account that documents not only the fire and the city’s response to it, but the history of the region and the exploitation of the oil sands that has contributed to climate change and helped create the perfect storm that allowed the fire to wreak such havoc. It draws heavily on the science of fire behavior and cites the oil industry’s own research into climate change (they knew about it decades ago) and the warnings issued by a host of scientists, including the late Roger Revelle, whose name is well known in San Diego.
The book is divided into three parts: The first, Origin Stories, traces the history of northern Alberta and the rise of the industry that developed to extract oil from the bitumen deposits in the region, for which Fort McMurray is the epicenter. The second, Fire Weather, is a mind-boggling account of the fire itself and how its atypical behavior confounded the firefighters who were combating it. (In places it got so hot that concrete was vaporized. Water did nothing to check the fire—it evaporated before it could reach the flames.). The third, Reckoning, is heavy on the science of climate change and also references subsequent fires for which the Fort McMurray fire was the precursor.
Fire Weather is a compelling and sobering book, one that is hard to put down even as it sounds the alarm about the changed world we’re living in. For anyone concerned about wildfire, Fire Weather is a wakeup call that we ignore at our own peril.
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Saturday, February 3. OFSC will be at the Cardiff farmers market at MiraCosta College, from 10 am to 2 pm. Come do your shopping and visit us there. We'd love to chat with you, and you can pick up some swag and informational materials!
SAVE THE DATES—Monday, February 26 and Monday March 4: Last Chance Survival Simulation Workshop, 7-9 pm, presented by the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County at the Meeting Hall. This workshop was developed to help people navigate the infinite variabilities of a wildland fire scenario and to be prepared if evacuation isn’t an option.
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FireSafe Marin recommends pruning trees during the winter, while they are dormant (except for apricot and cherry). When pruning for fire safety, prioritize Zone 0 (0-5 feet from structures) and Zone 1 (5-30 feet from structures).
- Dead and dying branches are highly flammable and pose a hazard. Prune them regularly to prevent them from accumulating and creating fuel ladders that can carry fire to the crowns of trees.
- Thinning dense areas of shrubs and trees reduces the amount of continuous fuel for fire. Proper spacing helps prevent fire from spreading quickly and creates defensible space for firefighters.
In addition:
- Avoid topping trees, as this weakens their structure and encourages dense, twiggy growth that is highly flammable.
- Remove branches within 10 feet of your chimney.
- Consider removing branches that overhang your roof to minimize plant debris (but not to the detriment of the tree’s health).
Remember, fire-smart pruning is an ongoing process. Regularly monitor your landscape and prune as needed to maintain defensible space around your home.
Source: FireSafe Marin
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There are many ways you can help make our community safer from wildfire by becoming an Olivenhain Fire Safe Council volunteer. Bring your ideas, talents, skills and connections!
Opportunities include:
EVENTS AND PROGRAMS: Brainstorm with us to create, plan, set up and staff events. We especially need volunteers to help with our monthly booth at the Cardiff farmers market at MiraCosta College.
FUNDRAISING: Help with outreach to businesses and neighbors. Identify grant opportunities, promote employer matches, develop and assist with fundraising events.
NEIGHBORHOOD AMBASSADORS: Be the point person in your neighborhood to identify unique needs and vulnerable residents and keep your neighbors informed in the event of a wildfire or other emergency. If you live in a community with an HOA, leverage the HOA structure to make your community safer through structure hardening and defensible space projects. Contact Lou Obertreis for more information.
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS: Do you have special skills and knowledge of relevant industries? We could use your help when there is a need for information, services or referrals (e.g. , insurance agents, lawyers, accountants/bookkeepers, Realtors, contractors, tradespeople, handymen, videographers, writers, PR professionals, artists, graphic designers, etc.).
OTHER IDEAS? Let us know!
Click here to find out more or sign up as a volunteer.
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The Olivenhain Fire Safe Council relies on donations to carry out its mission of enhancing wildfire prevention, safety and preparedness for all residents, through ongoing outreach, education and collaborative interventions, projects and activities. Help us build capacity by making a generous tax-deductible contribution. (Check to see if your employer will match your donation.)
To donate through PayPal, click here.
To donate by check, make checks payable to Olivenhain Fire Safe Council and mail to Olivenhain Fire Safe Council, 2240 Encinitas Blvd., Ste. D, #165, Encinitas, CA 92024.
You can also donate through Zelle. Email us for specifics.
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Join our email list (scroll down on page for signup form).
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