2/18/2005 2:37:09 PM

On the third anniversary of the 2002 Gavilan Fire, a press conference was held at the site of one of the burned homes to kick off the Fallbrook Fire Safe Council’s “Thermometer” fundraising drive. The funds will be applied toward their joint “Vegetation Management” and “Vegetation Fire Buffer” projects. The goal of the fire buffer project, which will take years to implement, is to eventually surround the Fallbrook area with a vegetation fire buffer. Some funds will also be used to install and maintain early warning mechanical sirens.

The council will be placing coin boxes in local stores and will also hold fundraising events in order to collect the $300,000 needed to cover the project expenses. The Fire Safe Council’s President, Tracy Ragsdale, who lost her home in the Gavilan Fire, is confident that fire preparation is “something that everyone needs to prepare for and think about.” Even though the press conference was dubbed “Gavilan 2002 Fire Remembrance,” the theme was one of prevention and early warning, not really remembrance.

Most of the 43 families who lost their homes don’t want to remember, especially Dorothy Roth, whose house is still lying in rubble. The press conference was held at the site of the Roths’ burned home and chairs were set up in what was formerly her driveway. She hit a snag with her insurance company, which has refused to pay for rebuilding.

One of the principal speakers for the event was Dr. Claudia Lake of San Diego State University’s Technology Opportunity Program, who is promoting the use of technology for early warning systems. “The sensor network will alert the public and emergency response personnel to dangerous weather conditions, locate and report ignitions, provide a basis for community preparedness programs and allow us to pursue our common goals of educating the public and safeguarding lives and property.”

Ms. Vera Mount of Ambient Corporation, the company that manufacturers the early warning system that will be installed in the Fallbrook area, is confident that her product will save lives and property by detecting a fire with an infra-red sensor, then transmitting the address to the fire station. The units have a ten- to twenty-year life and are solar-powered with enough energy stored to work at night.

“We are focused on protecting communities with significant historical assets,” said Jonathan Luck, also of Ambient Systems, who developed the early warning device. “It’s a 24/7 emergency response network,” he added. The units can also be purchased by homeowners.

Chief Steve Abbott of the North County Fire Protection District mentioned that the district is working on making the community safer than it was three years ago and this early warning system is part of that effort. “This is a big step in the right direction,” he said. “It’s one more link in the chain to make the community safe.” Chief Abbott also warned the citizens that our community is as much at risk now as it was three years ago. “The only thing worse than a tragedy like this is having it repeat itself,” he said.

The early warning sensors are being made available through a grant from the US Department of Commerce’s Technology Opportunity Program and will be installed on an existing wireless sensor network at San Diego State University’s Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve. These sensors will serve as sentinels for both early detection of wildfire and for pinpointing the specific location of a fire.

The Fallbrook Fire Safe Council is a non-profit organization. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to PO Box 763, Fallbrook, CA 92088. Also, volunteers are always needed to help accomplish the goal to make Fallbrook fire safe.

Feb 10
North
County Times

Tracy Ragsdale with the Fallbrook Fire Safe Council looks back at the burned out ruins of the Roth home that was destroyed in the Gavilan fire that destroyed 43 homes in February 2002. She and several other officials held a press conference to discuss placing fire sensors in the area and to also address fund-raising for the fire safe council. Photo by: Don Boomer, NC Times

By: TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer

FALLBROOK ---- Thirteen infrared sensors, each with a range of six miles, will soon be placed in De Luz to aid in the early detection of wildfires, a measure that local fire-safety advocates say will help prevent disasters such as the 2002 Gavilan fire.

Unveiled Thursday on the third anniversary of the start of the Gavilan blaze, the sensor network will not rely on unpredictable batteries or the direct sight of flames or smoke, says Vera Moldt, vice president of the company that invented the foot-high sensor.

"We developed a technology that was totally battery-free, would convert light to energy over a wide range of light conditions, and store the energy in non-battery-based mediums so that we could power sensors for 10 to 20 years battery-free and virtually maintenance-free," said Moldt during a Thursday press conference on behalf of Ambient Control Systems.

Placed strategically around the 4,344-acre San Diego State University wildlife research area in De Luz, the sensors "will detect a wildfire from up to six miles away and will communicate the GPS coordinates of that fire to the fire station," Moldt said.

"It ... identifies the infrared signature in the carbon dioxide cloud that's generated by an organic fire," she continued, adding that the $12,000 sensors "don't depend on seeing flame, don't depend on seeing smoke."

Besides alerting fire authorities far sooner than the current system of relying on emergency calls and line-of-sight monitoring, the sensor network will also give firefighters the advantage of knowing exactly where a fire is located, Moldt concluded.

Thursday's announcement marked the latest fire-prevention idea to come out of a coalition of community and government groups, including the North County Fire Protection District and the Fallbrook Fire Safety Council, dedicated to minimizing fire disasters.

Hosted by the fire safety committee, the press conference occupied the driveway of what used to be Dorothy Roth's house. Behind the speakers who addressed fire safety Thursday stood a 20-foot-high chimney, a ghostly reminder of the damage to houses on the outskirts of northern Fallbrook three years ago.

"Wildfire is simply an element of life in Southern California," said Steve Abbott, fire marshal of the North County Fire Protection District. "It's only a matter of time before an event like this happens again, and if we don't want to have the same outcome, we have to learn from what's happened and be able to respond accordingly."

Other measures proposed by the Fallbrook Fire Safety Council include a community siren warning system and a Web site that would provide live feeds from several fire-sensitive areas in De Luz and Fallbrook. Those and other measures are the focus of a fund-raiser kicked off at Thursday's ceremony with the goal of raising $300,000, said Tracy Ragsdale, the group's founder and coordinator.

"We have dedicated every moment we can to try and bring fire prevention and fire safety issues to this community. By no means is it an easy task ---- it's not glamorous, it's not fun, nobody wants to think about it, nobody wants to talk about it," she said, adding that "in this county, it's a reality, and it's something that everybody needs to think about and prepare for."

Ragsdale also called for volunteers to drive around Fallbrook and verify the accuracy of a community evacuation map that has been drafted for San Diego County natural disaster officials as part of an emergency preparedness plan.

Note: Community maps can be picked up at the Council meetings.

November 04, 2004

The
Village
News

October 2004

Fallbrook FireSafe Evacuation Committee--Possible Pendelton Permission

At the November 17th, 2004, Fallbrook FireSafe meeting the Evacuation Committee made a presentation in conjunction with the North County Fire Department and Sheriff's Department regarding evacuation options in case of an emergency situation.

Sector maps are now available for local residents to help plan evacuation routes. These maps will be the focus of upcoming neighborhood forums said Neal Ausman, Evacuation Committee lead. The more prepared and connected a neighborhood is before an emergency situation, the better the odds of everyone getting themselves and their animals out safely, he commented.

Governor vetoes fire bills

A recent article in the LA Times indicates that for the near future, we are going to have to be fire vigilant locally.  Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed bills put before him to help strengthen the state's fire preparedness (October 1, 2004).

Click here for the link to the story.

Threat of fire a constant

Betty Johnston, North County Times Staff Writer, published excerpts of an letter written to the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce by Tracy Ragsdale, Fallbrook FireSafe Council about Fallbrooks' need for community involvement regarding fire safety.  The article ran Friday, October 1, 2004.

San Diego County number 3 in state for fire danger

More than half of California’s 12.5 million homes face wildfire dangers that pose a financial loss potential well in excess of $106 billion, according to state fire statistics and insurance industry analysis. (October 2003)

These dangers are illustrated in the four wildfires currently burning in Southern California. Fire conditions could be heightened this weekend as Santa Ana winds are expected to blow through the state. While other Western states have survived a relatively mild brushfire season, California typically faces its greatest danger from October through early November, when winds peak. According to new research by the California Department of Forestry, more than 7.2 million California homes are categorized in the three highest fire risk levels -- more than 6 million of which are located in urban areas. These include Los Angeles County, with more than 734,000 homes at risk, or 22.5 percent of all the homes in the county; Alameda County, with more than 244,000, or 45.2 percent; and San Diego County, with more than 619,000, or 59.5 percent.

The estimated 585,000 homes categorized in the highest risk level statewide pose a potential financial loss of at least $106 billion, according to CDF projections.

The Week of Fire...Oct 26 through Nov 1, 2003

Contact Us for more Information:

Or:
info@fallbrookfire safecouncil.org

Meetings Held At:
Community Baptist Church
731 South Stage Coach Lane
Fallbrook, California

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 2007, Fallbrook FireSafe Council. All rights reserved.

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