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Local fire councils honored at county event
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — As the threat of forest fire
heats up, local and countywide fire officials are campaigning
for a cool season.
At a special event held Wednesday, Sept. 13, fire
officials from the California Department of Forestry, the U.S.
Forest Service, and Farmers Insurance Service gathered at the
new Alpine Fire Station to honor local fire safe councils.
Since October 2003, when the Cedar Fire stormed through
the area fanned by the Santa Anas, singeing more than 280,000
acres of the county and destroying more than 2,200 homes,
residents have started to coordinate local fire resources. In
Alpine, four local fire safe councils have formed to address the
issue of fire safety on a community level.
“Since the Cedar Fire over 25 new community fire safe
councils have been formed,” said Marty Leavitt, Executive
Director of the San Diego Fire Safe Council at a press
conference held at the new Alpine Fire Station on Tavern Road.
“Some of those groups are represented here today.”
Representatives from local fire safe councils
representing Carveacre, Palo Verde, Crown Hills and Greater
Alpine attended the event and were lauded for their efforts in
the Alpine area.
“There are now more than 55 fire safe councils
throughout the county working to prevent damage from future
fires,” Leavitt said.
Part of the pomp included the promotion of a wildfire
awareness public service campaign by Farmers Insurance.
According to Farmers California Southern State Executive
Director Charles Dabelgott, the company is trying to bring
awareness to the dangers of wildfires and to encourage residents
to take action to prevent loss.
Leavitt and Dabelgott were joined by Alpine Fire Chief
Darrell Jobes; and Fire Safe Council Board Chairman Bruce
Turbeville in recognizing fire safe councils that work
year-round with homeowners to implement fire safety programs
designed to save lives and property.
“We know some of the hardships that many homeowners and
communities faced following the fires of 2003,” said Dabelgott.
“We just want to acknowledge the arduous work San Diego County
Fire Safe Councils have accomplished in making their local
communities more fire-safe.”
Following the firestorms of 2003, homeowners have
worked tirelessly to recover from their sometimes total
destruction losses and retain insurance coverage in an area
prone to fire through projects for defensible space clearing
around structures and other fire-safe projects.
“This marks yet another gap bridged between residents
and insurers as we all fight to protect our properties and
possessions from the ever-present threat of wildfires,” Leavitt
said. “We here in Southern California, we know we’re going to
have to live with wildfire, but we’re trying to minimize the
damage to people and property by educating people about what
they can do to protect themselves.”
To help reduce damages from wildfire, fire safe
councils throughout California and San Diego County are working
to create 100 feet of defensible space around homes on both
private and public lands, creating accessible roadways for
emergency vehicles, improving address signage, implementing fire
prevention curriculums into schools and communities, and raising
greater awareness of the threats imposed by wildfire.
“Although wildfire season comes every year, a recent
poll by the Insurance Information Network of California found
that only 22 percent of Californians consider themselves
prepared for a disaster,” said Dabelgott to the crowd.
“That is why we are taking this time to stress the
necessity for homeowners around the state to be prepared by
keeping their property free and clear of brush and creating a
home inventory.”
Fire safe councils will again be honored at an event
this Saturday, Sept. 30 for the first annual Fire Safe Council
of San Diego County Awards event.
For more information about local fire safe councils, or
about how to organize your own community group check online at
www.firesafesdcounty.org or
www.firesafecouncil.org.
 E-mail
Christy Scott
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