Tuesday, August 25, 2015

County Fire Chief Urges Extreme Caution as Foothills Enter Fall Fire Season

Los Angeles County Fire Chief is circulating a letter to all county residents to advise them to prepare for the upcoming fall fire season.

“You play a vital role in protecting your life, the lives of your loved ones, and property,” County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby writes. “Through advance planning and preparation, we can all be ready for the next wildfire.”

Osby is warning that the combined effects of years of drought, high temperatures, low humidity and dry Santa Ana winds have the potential to cause devastating consequences during the fall fire season.

“Southern California continues to be one of the most desirable places on earth to live. However, many challenges, including longer and warmer summers, fast-moving powerful storms, and an on-going drought continue to challenge our ability to live safely in the wildland-urban interface areas of Los Angeles County,” Osby writes in the message.

He further warns that as the numerous fires that have impacted Northern California have proven, any fire that gets established near homes will quickly threaten lives and property.

The county Fire Department has prepared a “Ready! Set! Go! Personal Wildfire Action Plan” that provides guidance on retrofitting homes with fire-resistant features, creating defensible space around homes and developing an emergency plan should any home be threatened by a wildfire and residents need to evacuate.

The action plan is available for download from the county Fire Department website, www.fire.lacountv.gov.

Fire Chief Osby also wants to encourage residents in the wildland-urban interface to judiciously water plants and ornamental vegetation in accordance with local water restriction ordinances. He considers this another step in wildfire prevention.

“Proper maintenance and removal of dead material is equally important as it only takes a single ember to ignite dry vegetation,” Osby said.

For more information about wildfire prevention and emergency procedures, visit the Los Angeles County Fire Department website, www.fire.lacountv.gov, or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LACoFD