A group of La Jollans achieved their wish of a local Fire Safe Council when they got approval from the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County’s executive board.
The approval, announced May 8, is pending verification of paperwork. Three other Fire Safe Councils — in Del Mar Mesa, Carmel Valley and Auberge at Del Sur — also were approved.
Fire Safe Councils, commonly referred to as the fire prevention version of crimefighting Neighborhood Watch groups, are grassroots nonprofits that partner with fire agencies to provide local education on how to best prepare for and prevent wildfires.
The groups hold meetings periodically and can potentially secure grant funding to accelerate prevention efforts such as ignition zone assessments and installing fire-resistant vents.
A notable number of new Fire Safe Councils have been formed in the past few months in the wake of an outbreak of fires in Southern California in January, according to Heather Cady, director of forestry and fire prevention programs for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County and the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County.
In March, six groups were added to the San Diego County roster of community fire safety organizations, and with four new councils added this month, there are now a total of 55.
“My observation of the groups that are forming now and the ones that were approved in March and May … they’re in canyon areas and coastal urban areas,” Cady said. “So I draw the conclusion that they are seeing this happen in [Pacific] Palisades and Altadena and it’s really hitting home that it can happen where they’re living, too.”
The process of forming a La Jolla Fire Safe Council began April 2 as about 25 community gathered to discuss applying.
They landed on several key details, including the group’s logo, name and board. Two tasks — establishing the council’s boundary map and filing paperwork to formalize the group — were sorted out in the following weeks and comfortably ahead of their self-imposed May 1 deadline.
Getting the paperwork in ahead of that date allowed it to be evaluated by the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County in May rather than the next meeting in July.
Details about forming a Fire Safe Council were presented at the Feb. 13 La Jolla Town Council meeting, and the La Jolla effort grew out of a conversation between area resident Devorah Shore and Town Council President Mary Soriano at a March 5 town hall meeting presented by San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava.
The La Jolla Fire Safe Council’s application lists Li Zhang as chairwoman, plus board Soriano, John Pierce and Eva Ellyes. Shore and her husband, Yaakov, have lent their to the group outside of leadership roles.
The group’s mission statement, written by Pierce — who is president of the La Jolla Shores Association — says its purpose “is to protect lives, property and natural resources through community collaboration, education and proactive wildfire prevention.”
It is committed, the statement continues, “to fostering a fire-resilient La Jolla by promoting preparedness, ing defensible space efforts and partnering with local agencies to reduce wildfire risk.”
La Jollans have expressed concerns about fire prevention, evacuation routes and neighbor-to-neighbor communication since the Jan. 23 “Gilman fire” in La Jolla burned three acres of brush and caused many residents to be evacuated.
Soriano said forming the Fire Safe Council over the span of a month is an indication of strong community building.
“I was just counting the amount of email addresses under the La Jolla Fire Safe Council and I haven’t even finished and I’m at 80 emails,” she said.
“I think [the council] was definitely needed,” Zhang said. “So it’s great [that] with this Gilman fire we realized the risk of fire and also how important it is for us to take initiative.”
LaCava, a La Jolla resident who represents the area in City Council District 1, has applauded the idea of a local Fire Safe Council to better prepare La Jolla for emergencies.
He was unavailable for comment this week but told the La Jolla Light after the April 2 meeting that he was “very excited” about the fire council being formed and that he appreciated the community who volunteered their efforts.
The Fire Safe Council of San Diego County was formed in 1997 as a collaboration between the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County and fire agencies on local, state and federal levels.
The Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, which consists of smaller, community-oriented groups, hosts workshops, brings residents together for bimonthly community meetings and sends groups information about funding opportunities, training and research on ways to communicate.
Its next executive board meeting and public meeting are set for Thursday, July 10, at 5570 Overland Ave. in Kearny Mesa.
Future La Jolla Fire Safe Council meetings have not yet been announced, but the first could be in the second week of June. Soriano said the group is working to include LaCava in its next workshop.
An email address for the group is being set up. In the meantime, Soriano said residents can email questions to [email protected].
To find out more about San Diego County’s Fire Safe Councils, visit firesafesdcounty.org. ♦
