What is the Fallbrook FireSafe Council?

FALLBROOK IS NOT FIREPROOF...
LET'S MAKE FALLBROOK FIRESAFE

• Fire Disaster Prevention

• Fire Disaster Preparedness and

• Fire Disaster Recovery

2008 Happy New Year

Update on the Vegetation Abatement Program

Fuel reduction is the first line of defense for the communities of Fallbrook, Rainbow, De Luz, Bonsall. The natural vegetation of this area is among the most highly flammable vegetation in the world with its chaparral; coastal sage; avocado and citrus groves; and abandoned agricultural lands.

Unfortunately, some of the 'natural growth' is up to 90 years old: dense, dry and a perfect fire wick winding through the community.  Our topography can be steep and rugged and many homes are situated at the top of overgrown hillsides. One spark + one Santa Ana wind can result in one large disaster.

The Fallbrook FireSafe Council has partnered with Greg Holdridge of the North County Fire Protection District and Matt McCullough, an eradication expert to alleviate key fire vegetation hot spots. Using part of the Bureau of Land Management $100,000 grant award vegetation abatement activity is happening in Fallbrook.

2000 notices to homeowners identified by the Fallbrook NCFPD to be at highest risk were sent out to offer to help create a 100' safety clearance around their property. Activity is continuing to get rid of hazardous vegetation, while still preserving the rustic look and feel of the area. Every quarter Fallbrook FireSafe Council meets with the state of California FireSafe Council to review progress to date, project plans and before and after photos of areas completed.

We need your help to continue this program! The grant requires matching contributions by the community to be a true partner in this endeavor. Fallbrook FireSafe Council is a non-profit 501C3 organization and all proceeds go back to the community. Please send any contribution (business, personal, organization) to:

Fallbrook FireSafe Council
P.O. Box 763
Fallbrook, CA 92088

The FFSC is recognized by the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce

Pictures are worth 1000 words.
Photos from the Gavilan 2002 Fire and the 2003 Firestorm

Fallbrook FSC 2005 Accomplishments

Fire Fighting Heliport Base in Fallbrook -- November 2005

The Sheriff's Department is building a heliport at Fallbrook Community Airpark, giving North County fire personnel a new tool to fight blazes.

The package includes the heliport, a tanker truck for helicopter fuel, shelter for the fire crews and security upgrades for the site. Fallbrook Community Airpark is north of Fallbrook High School off Mission Road.

Since July 2004, there was a county-operated helicopter on a trial basis at the Fallbrook Air Park. With this helicopter permanently based in Fallbrook, our community will no longer have to worry about relying on far away San Diego emergency support airfields. These helicopters can drop water on fire, as well as empower the fire chief to be in the air within minutes to direct the ground operations.

The heliport is expected to be completed by spring 2006.

Links to stories: Supervisor Bill Horn's Dec. 9th newsletter, San Diego Union Tribune, November 19, 2005.

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Community Forum for Pro-Active Disaster Preparedness

Held Monday, November 21, 2005, 7:00 pm

"Disaster is about anything and everything that can cause us trauma, and to flee our homes. We want to be proactive, to have our eyes and ears open, and to respond appropriately," said Phyllis Sweeney, Fallbrook FireSafe Council member at the first Fallbrook preparedness forum.

Only with a large group of people can we get more done to help ourselves and the communities of Fallbrook, Bonsall, DeLuz, and Rainbow survive future disasters.

Fallbrook is not yet prepared for the next big disaster, even after going through the Gavilan fire in 2002.  The agencies that help in disaster response and recovery count on the impacted individuals to be able to take care of themselves for some period of time. One of the best ways to prepare is to develop and communicate a community plan. This plan should include a list of things to do and have on hand, taking into account that help might not arrive for days.

One outcome of the Fallbrook FireSafe Council and the North County Fire Protection District combined efforts is an Evacuation Map that was distributed to homeowners in late October listing Fallbrook's escape routes and temporary safe zones in the event of a disaster requiring exiting the area.

But what to do when you find yourself in a disaster area? Questions like these are gathering attention and are being addressed in FireSafe Council meetings, and newly created 'Community Emergency Response Teams' (CERT) in the Fallbrook area.  Bob Leonard, director of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce, cautioned that during an emergency, standard communication tools (land line phones, cell phones, sirens) might not work. And without a plan, and tools for the protection of human and animal life, the community would suffer great loss.

Fred Luevano (Certified Disaster Planner) took the first steps and presented a plan to coordinate and complete a community disaster plan for the Fallbrook, Bonsall, DeLuz & Rainbow area - covering all potential disasters with emphasis on the first 24 - 72 hours.   Community volunteers are needed to learn what can/should be done and to carry the message to their neighborhoods and places of work.

Those that attended the forum included:

Representative of Supervisor Bill Horn's Office

Sheriff's Department Lt. Grant Burnett

North County Fire Protection District Chief Bill Metcalf

California Highway Patrol Representatives

Fallbrook FireSafe Council Representatives

Elementary and High School Transportation Representative

Sheriff's Senior Volunteer Patrol Representative

Bob Leonard, an individual

Animal Awareness Evacuation Representative

Come to the next Fallbrook FireSafe Council meeting; check out the volunteer local CERT opportunities (760-723-2010); visit www.ready.gov or www.72hours.org.

Get Ready. Get Involved.

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October 2005... Fallbrook received a significant grant for vegetation abatement. This grant will allow areas of Fallbrook that are fire hazards due to vegetation to be cleared out, lowering the risk of wild fires. See update at beginning of this column.

Evacuation maps were also created, completed and distributed (mailed to residents and businesses) in the month of October. See side-bar to the left for links to the maps in both English and Spanish.

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Feb. 10, 2005 ...a community awareness and fund raising kickoff was held at 518 Hilbert Drive , Fallbrook ( E. Mission to Santa Margarita to Hillbert) in commemoration of the 2002 Gavilan fire.

Our Master of Ceremonies was Chaplain Ron Ritter , U.S. Navy Retired, with Eagle's Wings. Speakers included:

Dr. Claudia Luke , SDSU Field Station, recent co-recipient of the TOP grant, discussing plans for installation of fire sensors in the Santa Margarita ecological preserve.

Vera Moldt with Ambient Technologies, sensor manufacturer. These 17lb. sensors can detect and report the location of a fire up to six miles away.

Fire Marshall Steve Abbott , commending the Fallbrook FireSafe Council for pulling the community and various fire agencies together with the goal to educate and prevent (or at least minimize) future fire devastations. Steve warned however that the beautiful green grass growing after the rains will become this summer's fire wick, and steps need to be taken now to deal with it.

Fallbrook FireSafe Council Chair, Tracy Ragsdale , discussing the council's next round of activities including vegetation abatement, early warning sirens, and validated home/street address maps to be used for evacuation planning.

"These crucial elements require money and time. Today is the beginning of our 2005 fund raising campaign,watch for FireSafe collection bottles around town and give generously.

I beg you to find some time in your schedules to help our community. It doesn't take much, all efforts tend to multiply when we are working together."

We invite you to learn about efforts being made to prevent or slow the
potential of devastating wild fires.

See our History page for events from past years.

Thank you to

The Village News for hosting this web site

The information presented in this web site is believed to be accurate and of practical value in preparing for fire disasters, but no guarantee can be given that guidance presented here will provide complete protection.

Liability for any losses that may occur in a fire, or as a result of applying the information contained in this web site is specifically disclaimed by the Fallbrook FireSafe Council. Please use your own judgment in fire safety and consult the appropriate organizations listed below for specific information.

North County Fire District, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, San Diego FireSafe Council

Copyright, Fallbrook FireSafe Council, January 1, 2007

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