Fire season is upon us; be prepared

We are now deep into the fire season. Santa Ana winds are blowing and we all watch the eastern horizon nervously, especially those of us who can remember the Cedar, Paradise, and Rice wildfires from a few years back. Those fires cost dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of homes and caused billions of dollars in damage. Needless to say, we don’t want to repeat those tragedies.

Sadly, more wildfires will occur. After a long dry season, our hillsides are tinder dry. Fortunately, there are steps homeowners can take to reduce the danger to themselves, their property and their families, including removal of combustible vegetation from within 100 feet of structures. Please visit the following websites for additional information: http://www.usfa.fema.gov

The Federal Emergency Management Authority’s section devoted to fire prevention: http://www.fire.ca.gov

Cal Fire’s website has information on fire safety, the state’s fire plan, fire season emergency declarations and much more: http://www.calfiresandiego.blogspot.com

San Diego County information on wildfires: San Diego County CERT homepage ; http://www.citizencorps.gov/cc/showCert.do?id=46690

While it would be nice to think we will never have another wildfire in this region, we know that wishful thinking will not protect us when a fire emergency occurs. Preparation and planning are the best defense against wildfires.

By Calif. State Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R-75th District)