Join me along with Ventura County Supervisor Matt LaVere for an important Wildfire Preparedness Town Hall. Get the latest updates on wildfire safety, home hardening, brush clearance, fire response, water supply readiness and wildfire-related insurance changes.

Thursday, March 13

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

County of Ventura, Government Center

Board of Supervisors Hearing Room

800 S. Victoria Ave.

Ventura, CA 93009

Attend in person or virtually — Remote access details will be emailed before the event to those who RSVP.

We'll also discuss a new legislative proposal to strengthen wildfire protections, including:

• Ensuring water tanks are topped off in high-risk areas upon Ventura County OES notifications
• Providing backup power for water pumps during emergencies
• Requiring annual fire resistance inspections of critical water facilities
• Enhancing reporting on water supply and power reliability after major wildfire losses

Have questions? Please submit them in advance to Assemblymember.Bennett@assembly.ca.gov.

Don't miss this opportunity to prepare and protect your home. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

Steve Bennett

Assemblymember, 38th District

Our Chipper Program provides chipping services for neighborhoods and individual homeowners in Ventura County free of charge. These vegetation management programs reduce the flammable fuel load and increase weed abatement activities in communities that border the wildland-urban interface threat zones.

VRFSC offers two types of Chipper Events:

Curbside Chipper Days consist of individual residents doing their own yardwork and setting all their ready-to-chip vegetation into a neatly formed stack at the end of their driveway. On the days of the event, a crew will drive by with a chipper and chip their vegetation.

Drop-off Chipper Events consist of VRFSC establishing a drop-off location and set time where residents can bring their cut vegetation for chipping on-site.

Next Workshop: Wildfire Action Plans and Resource Sharing

March 21, 1:00PM (ZOOM)

This month we'll be hearing from Firewise Leaders throughout the County about projects they completed from their Wildfire Action Plans, some funded by VRFSC. This is a great opportunity to share contractors and think of projects you'd like to have prioritize for your community.



REGISTER HERE

The Firewise USA® program, run by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and reviewed by CALFIRE, helps communities enhance fire safety in wildfire-prone areas. With 2000+ recognized communities nationwide, the decade long program has proven multiple instances of structure loss during a wildfire event.

VRFSC, in collaboration with the Ventura County Fire Department, aids communities in becoming Firewise Sites. To earn recognition as a Firewise site, interested communities must complete six steps:

This 1-day class is designed for hired vendors contracting with CAL FIRE or USFS during a wildfire incident, including water tender operators, heavy equipment operators, dozer operators, crew bus drivers, vehicle drivers, mechanics, fallers, swampers and chain saw operators. Upon successful completion of training, participants will receive a course completion card valid for one year from date of issue.

This class is being offered on two separate days:

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program teaches community members about the potential disasters that could affect them at any time—and how to safely, responsibly, and efficiently respond to them. CERT educates volunteers in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, team organization, hazard awareness, and disaster medical operations.

Upcoming Classes

From Edison International Subsidiary, SCE:

If you or a loved one uses electrically powered life-support equipment, you may qualify for SCE’s Medical Baseline Allowance program. This program can help save money for those who depend on these medical devices. sce.com/mbl

Support VRFSC Programs and make a direct impact in Ventura County!