The Firebreak
The Newsletter of the Olivenhain Fire Safe Council
August 2023
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From the President
As I write this, the world is reeling over the devastation in Maui, especially the decimation of the historic town of Lahaina and the deaths of 67 people (so far) due to wildfire. Earlier this week, a vegetation fire outside Ramona forced a brief evacuation, and the York fire in the Mojave National Preserve, which started in late July, is finally 98% contained, after burning for two weeks and destroying over 93,000 acres and torching countless Joshua trees.
Clearly fire season is in full swing here and elsewhere in the world, and any respite after the exceptionally wet winter we just had is over. So now is a good time to revisit the defensible space around your home, and make sure you are maintaining it, as well as start taking steps to harden your home, if you haven’t already. (See advice from our fire department, below.)
This is also a good time to make sure you have an evacuation plan in place, that you have go bags packed for everyone in your household (including pets) and that you know where you will go if you need to leave in case of wildfire. (See Did You Know, below, for advice from FireSafe Marin.)
Living where we do, in the wildland-urban interface, we can’t afford to be complacent or to take time off from preparedness. Typically, our greatest fire danger manifests in October and November, when we’re most apt to have Santa Ana winds. But the 2014 Cocos and Poinsettia fires took place in May (along with seven other fires in San Diego County), and the 2017 Lilac fire took place in December. So it’s critical to remain vigilant year round.
I urge everyone to download the Watch Duty app (available for Android and iOS), which alerted me to the Bunnie fire near Ramona, as well as a recent very small, quickly extinguished fire near Bonsall. Everyone should also make sure they’re signed up for Alert San Diego so they’re notified in case of an emergency.
Our friends with the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Safe Council are having two important events on September 9 and have invited Olivenhain residents to attend: an emergency livestock preparedness clinic, and a wildfire safety fair. See Events, below, for more info, and mark your calendar.
The Olivenhain Fire Safe Council is here to help connect you to information and resources. (And we'd love to recruit more Neighborhood Ambassadors as point people in our various neighborhoods; contact Lou Obertreis, OFSC Neighborhood Ambassador coordinator, for more information.)
But ultimately it’s up to each of us as individuals to follow through and take the necessary steps to keep us and our families and property safe.
—Sarah Lifton
P.S. Our next OFSC board meeting is Monday, August 14, at 7 pm, so please email me for the Zoom link if you'd like to attend.
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Olivenhain hosts wildland fire training drill
It wasn’t an emergency, but it was an eye-opener for many residents of Olivenhain on June 26-28. That’s when four local fire agencies—Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Vista—converged on our community to take part in a training drill designed to hone firefighters’ wildland skills in advance of fire season. Residents who hadn’t gotten the word about the training were a bit perplexed by the unusual number of fire engines on the streets and a helicopter circling overhead.
Each day’s training began with a morning briefing in the Meeting Hall. Participants then adjourned to Little Oaks Park as a staging area before converging on Knightsbridge, where they simulated triage at preselected homes as if a fictitious fire was half an hour away. The triaging consisted of assessing the different properties to determine whether they were accessible and occupied and whether there was a water source onsite; firefighters also noted any special conditions, such as vegetation that was encroaching on structures, and recorded their findings on special forms they left at each home.
Following the triage drill, participants headed for open space along Summit Drive, where they practiced laying hoses—a more complicated process than it sounds, as it required them to clamp off 100-foot hoses already filled with water before attaching another 100-foot length of hose and removing the clamp to let the water flow into the new section. Depending on the day, they laid between 1600 and 2000 feet of hose. At the same time, a helicopter from the San Diego Fire Department circled overhead, sounding an alarm to signal when it was about to drop a load of water. (No water was actually dropped, but it gave the firefighters practice with getting out of the way, as they would have to in a real incident.) Another part of the drill involved an “incident within an incident” (IWI), calling on some of the participants and the helicopter to evacuate a fictional mountain biker who was injured at the same time they were fighting the fire.
In addition to the triage, hose lay and IWI, the firefighters practiced using communication protocols.
At the end of the training, the firefighters rolled up the hoses and gathered for a debriefing on Summit Drive before calling it a morning.
Two OFSC board members had the privilege of riding along on the training on Tuesday and Wednesday, each time learning more about how firefighters are trained to work in a wildland-urban interface community like Olivenhain and some of the inner workings of the fire department. They also learned to identify where Encinitas rigs are based (the last digit in their number indicates their home station), and the kind of rig each is. (BR for brush rig, E for engine, etc.)
The fire department is planning another training drill sometime next year.
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Fire Season is Heating Up!
The following information was provided by the Encinitas Fire Department.
Are You Ready?
- Help protect your home and your neighbors' homes by having proper defensible space.
- Do your part by safely removing dead trees and vegetation from around your home. Be especially careful with power tools; one spark can start a wildfire.
- Remember to mow before 10 am, keep an extinguisher or shovel nearby, and to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated when working outside.
Resources on how to be prepared:
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Evacuation Road Edge Clearing
Work has begun to remove vegetation along evacuation routes. The roadsides being cleared have been identified as being in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), which is most of Olivenhain. The removal of this vegetation from road edges will enhance safety for evacuating residents and for emergency responders during an emergency event.
What will be removed?
• Vegetation within 10 ft. of road edges.
• Dead or dying grass and weeds along roads.
• Tree branches and vegetation overhanging identified evacuation routes.
Where will this take place?
• Along identified evacuation routes within the VHFHSZ:
➢ Manchester Ave.
➢ Rancho Santa Fe Rd.
➢ Lone Jack Rd.
➢ El Camino Del Norte
When will this take place?
- Work began the week of July 17- 21.
For more information, For additional information, please contact the Encinitas Fire Prevention Bureau at 760-633-2820 .
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Saturday, September 2. OFSC will be at the Cardiff farmers market at MiraCosta College, from 10 am to 2 pm. Come do your shopping and visit us there. We'd love to chat with you, and you can pick up some swag and informational materials! | | | |
Saturday, September 9. Olivenhain residents have been invited to attend these two special events put on by our friends in the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Safe Council. | | | |
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FireSafe Marin recently sent out the following information, which is just as relevant here in Olivenhain. (We’ve adapted it slightly for our community.)
Evacuation Ready or Not? 10 Tips to Safety
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Make your plan. The most important thing you can do to get ready for evacuation is to think it through. How will you be notified of an evacuation order? What will you bring? Where will you go? How will you get there? Who will you contact?
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If you need assistance or transportation, plan ahead. During an emergency evacuation, people will not be able to drive into your neighborhood. You need to make arrangements with neighbors or a local caregiver for transportation out or other assistance. (If you need transportation, call 911, explain your situation, and the sheriff’s department tells us they will send a car to get you.)
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Make sure you will get an evacuation alert. The best option is to sign up for Alert San Diego, which will send an alert to your phone when action is needed at the address you registered.
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Know your way out. Take the fastest paved road away from the wildfire. Usually the best route is the one that you use every day to get to the store. Avoid using fire roads and follow instructions offered though Alert San Diego and from emergency responders.
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Have your go bag packed. Don’t leave packing until the last minute! Go over the items that should be in your go bag here. Put a notecard in a visible place with last-minute items to grab, such as your cell phone, charger, and medications.
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Pets need a go bag too. Review this list of items for your pets here.
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Wear protective clothes. You should wear boots, long sleeves and long pants made of cotton or wool, even if it is hot out. Goggles, hats and gloves can help protect from embers.
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Leave right away! If you get an evacuation order, it is very important to leave as quickly as possible so you are not putting your life or firefighters’ lives at risk.
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Be ready to evacuate on Red Flag Days. These are dry, windy days when wildfires are more likely to ignite and spread quickly. Review your evacuation plan with your family on Red Flag Days and be on guard for fire. (Downloading the Watch Duty app to your phone is a good idea.)
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Practice an evacuation drill. Get your things together, your family and pets in the car and drive downhill to a main road. How long did it take? What did you forget? Running through your plan will improve your readiness and help you to stay calm in the event of an emergency.
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Be a good neighbor. Will any of your neighbors need transportation or help to evacuate? Let them know you are able to help and check in on them in the event of an evacuation alert. Share this advice with your friends.
Source: FireSafe Marin
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There are many ways you can help make our community safer from wildfire by becoming an Olivenhain Fire Safe Council volunteer. Bring your ideas, talents, skills and connections!
Opportunities include:
EVENTS AND PROGRAMS: Brainstorm with us to create, plan, set up and staff events. We especially need volunteers to help with our monthly booth at the Cardiff farmers market at MiraCosta College.
FUNDRAISING: Help with outreach to businesses and neighbors. Identify grant opportunities, promote employer matches, develop and assist with fundraising events.
NEIGHBORHOOD AMBASSADORS: Be the point person in your neighborhood to identify unique needs and vulnerable residents and keep your neighbors informed in the event of a wildfire or other emergency. If you live in a community with an HOA, leverage the HOA structure to make your community safer through structure hardening and defensible space projects.
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS: Do you have special skills and knowledge of relevant industries? We could use your help when there is a need for information, services or referrals (e.g. , insurance agents, lawyers, accountants/bookkeepers, Realtors, contractors, tradespeople, handymen, videographers, writers, PR professionals, artists, graphic designers, etc.).
OTHER IDEAS? Let us know!
Click here to find out more or sign up as a volunteer.
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The Olivenhain Fire Safe Council relies on donations to carry out its mission of enhancing fire prevention, safety and preparedness for all residents, through ongoing outreach, education and collaborative interventions, projects and activities. Help us build capacity by making a generous tax-deductible contribution. (Check to see if your employer will match your donation.) Make checks payable to Olivenhain Fire Safe Council and mail to Olivenhain Fire Safe Council, 2240 Encinitas Blvd., Ste. D, #165, Encinitas, CA 92024. (Zelle and Paypal are also available. Email us for specifics.) | |
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Join our email list (scroll down on page for signup form).
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