Awareness is key to preventing and preparing for wildfires

October is National Fire Prevention Month, a month when many big wildfires have happened in California, including the Rice Fire in 2007. While prevention is crucial, (according to Cal Fire, approximately 95 percent of all wildfires are sparked by the activity of people), being prepared when a fire does start is also important.

As part of Fire Prevention Week, North County Fire Protection District is holding its annual Fire Prevention Open House on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 315 E. Ivy St. Companies involved in fire-resistant construction will have representatives there, and there will also be information on disaster preparedness as well as fire engines, helicopters and ambulances on display, as well as Smokey Bear.

Also in an effort to help local residents be prepared for the next wildfire, the Fallbrook Firesafe Council, North County Fire Protection District and Mission Resource Conservation District sponsored a fire safe workshop last month at Fallbrook Library. Sixty-two residents attended the talk to gain an understanding of wildland fire and preparedness in San Diego County.

Patty Koch, North County Fire Protection District deputy Fire marshal, reviewed the elements of “Ready, Set, Go!” in dealing with wild fire threats. Being ready for a wildfire begins with creating 100 feet of defensible space around one’s home which includes clearing brush and debris, using fire resistant building materials, limiting the amount of fuel around a home by planting drought and fire resistant landscaping spaced out away from structures.

It was fire safe measures like these that paid off for the residents of Rancho Monserate in May 2014 when the Highway Fire burned right up to the mobile home park but did not destroy any homes. Koch talked about the combination of fuel, wind, topography and hot, dry Santa Ana winds that has created more and more fires, and fire behavior with an intensity that firefighters have never seen before.

Koch said that a new building code requires that any fence attached to a house cannot be combustible. To prevent embers from entering vents (including those in the eaves, roof and sub-floor areas), they all need to be retrofitted with screens or covers and windows must have metal reinforcements and tempered glass.

Cleaning out rain gutters or covering them as well as replacing flammable shrubs and palm trees and removing unnecessary items on decks, porches and patios where dry leaves collect limits the amount of fuel that embers can burn.

Koch explained that while the standard fire risk used to be living within one mile of a natural area, the Rice Fire taught firefighters that embers can easily travel two to three miles on windy days.

Being set means residents have an evacuation plan in place as well as a Wildfire Action Plan. When it is time to evacuate, going early is preferable to waiting until firefighters make the announcement. She explained that situational awareness is key and includes having gas in the car, being registered with Reverse 911, and knowing what is happening by following North County Fire on Facebook and Twitter.

Knowing two ways out of town, having arrangements already made for large animals and knowing local methods of emergency communications all need to be planned ahead of time. When evacuating, she said to remember the six P’s: people and pets, papers, phone numbers and documents, prescriptions and vitamins, pictures, eye glasses and irreplaceable memorabilia, all of which should be already packed and ready to go.

Koch also said that before leaving the house, one should shut all windows and skylights, and inside doors besides locking exterior doors and leaving lights on so firefighters can see the house.

A free wildland home inspection can be arranged with North County Fire by calling (760) 723-2010. Family disaster plans, checklists and more information can be found at ReadySanDiego.org and evacuation maps can be picked up at North County Fire’s office in Fallbrook (330 S. Main Ave.). More information can also be found at www.ncfireprotectiondistrict.org.

Increasing the fire risk is the number of dying trees in the area from the continuing drought and the growing spread of pests. Dr. Tracy Ellis, San Diego County entomologist, reported on the goldspotted oak and shot hole borers and the devastating threat they are to trees in California. She warned everyone to be wary of trees falling over due to the damage caused by these pests.

The adult goldspotted oak borer (GSOB) beetle is hardly ever seen; its larvae live just under the bark of oak trees. The beetle lays its eggs on the bark; the larvae crawl inside and eat the layer under the bark. The beetle travels with firewood as it lives in the moist layer of wood. It is devastating for live oak, black oak and coastal oak trees.

GSOB was first detected in San Diego County in 2006 in Cuyamaca, then in Pine Valley before reaching Julian. Right now, the Hidden Meadows area north of Escondido is the infested area closest to Fallbrook. [When asked, Ellis said that the trees in Live Oak Park have been inspected and are not infested at this time.]

Large trees are the most infected; after a rain, they will have staining on the wood with black oozing patches from the larvae. With the drought, there is less oozing she said. If one sees a lot of thinning trees, they need to be looked at closely for signs of GSOB. There are some insects that feed on GSOB but not enough of them to control the beetle.

Ellis recommended that residents look at their own trees and keep an eye out for GSOB. When new adult beetles emerge from the tree bark, they create D-shaped exit holes about 3/16 of an inch in diameter. If residents think they see signs of an infestation, they should take a picture of it, 10 feet from the trunk, then take another photograph with a dime or hand in the picture for size comparison and send it to the county through GSOB.org.

There is a barrier insecticide treatment that can be put on the trunks of large diameter trees but an arborist has to do it, Ellis said. Spraying it on in May prevents eggs from surviving and pupae from emerging from the trunk. Recommended by the EPA, this treatment works and can be used safely if instructions are carefully followed.

It is important to not transport firewood – that is how trees in Idyllwild got infected. Other ways to control the spread of GSOB is by tree removal and debarking the wood to “cure” it, then burning the bark or grinding it up. An alternative is to tarp the wood to season it for up to two years but drying it out creates a fire hazard. For more information on this threat, see GSOB.org.

The Kuroshio shot hole borer (KSHB) is not as simple as GSOB, Ellis said. It attacks a bunch of different kinds of trees, is smaller, very deadly and quick. It eats fungi on 14 kinds of trees including willow, sycamore, oaks and avocado. Pruning trees to remove infected branches is the first step when lots of little holes are seen. There is no cure so preventing the spread of the pest is crucial.

The avocado commission is funding research into KSHB at UC Riverside, which has set up traps in several areas. Found in several counties as far south as Riverside, it is expanding its range into San Diego County. Researchers have found that KSHB infestations are happening in water sheds and there are signs of them in avocado trees on private property in Bonsall, Ellis said.

The KSHB attacks smaller diameter trees, burrowing deeper into the trees. Sap suffocates the beetle but the drought means trees can't produce enough sap to protect themselves. Keeping an eye out for the little holes caused by the beetle and removing infected trees is recommended.

Report suspected tree infestations to [email protected] (regional task force) and/or [email protected] (local San Diego County Agriculture Weights and Measures).

Whether the threat is from fire or pests, learning their causes and also means of prevention are important for the safety of both people and trees. When it comes to homes, it is also important for homeowners to make sure they have the correct insurance coverage for their homes. Agent Pete Bardeen recommended that homeowners contact their insurance agent once a year to review and re-understand coverage to insure their policies will pay enough to rebuild their houses.