On Firewise Communities: Ready for Wildfire

At Tuesday's city council meeting, I made this statement in general public comment:

We had a scare Sunday afternoon when the Brava fire started not far from here. My phone lit up with messages from concerned neighbors and pings from the Watch Duty app. I kept an eye on the smoke plume and started thinking about what we needed to take if we had to evacuate – I’ve been remiss in creating a go bag. Thankfully it didn’t come to that. We’re all grateful that firefighters were able to get this blaze under control before it threatened homes.

The Brava fire, like the Barcelona fire before it, demonstrated the urgent need for Pismo Beach to be ready for wildfire. It’s a matter of when, not if, we get a blaze that’s hard to stop.

A growing group of residents are coming together, with the help of FireSafeSLO, to make our city safer. And it takes all of us, because most homes aren't directly lost to flames – they catch fire from wind-blown embers landing within a 100-foot zone around the house.

FireSafeSLO is currently helping residents to form a Firewise Community in each of the north, central, and south regions of Pismo Beach that include Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. That’s part of Shell Beach, Pismo Heights, and Oak Park Heights.

A Firewise Community is a formal recognition for neighborhoods that organize around reducing wildfire risk through creating defensible space, home hardening, and fuel management. This recognition opens doors to grant funding and improves the odds of maintaining fire insurance.

Residents who want to get involved can visit firesafeslo.org, or email baxter@firesafeslo.org to learn more.