THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN MAKING YOUR HOME FIRE SAFE IS THE CREATION OF 100 FEET OF DEFENSIBLE SPACE AROUND IT. This is NOT to say that we have to remove all trees or our prized landscaping and leave a scraped-earth swath around our homes . . . Refer to the following.

A MUST-SEE SIGHT FOR US ALL:

DV Neighbors, set aside some time to study this phenomenal Web site. It is a "shows-all" sight by University of California, County of San Diego, with special funding from the Board of Supervisors, County of San Diego http://www.wildfirezone.org/ . There is "must-know" separate treatment of the main topics of fire prevention: •Access zone, •Structure zone, •Interior zone [applies to our Home-Safe page here], •Animal & livestock, •Defensive space zone – accompanied with a check-out quiz. It has an extensive list of resources.

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Why 100 feet? Make Your Home Fire Safe!:

A one-page flyer with a good illustration showing the basic idea of the 100 foot rule.

Why 100 feet?:

A compact brochure with illustrations and diagrams on the application of the 100 foot clearance law.

General Guidelines for Creating Defensible Space:

Nine pages of superbly illustrated and pictured 100-foot applications. Has three case examples of fuel separation with pictures of homes.

Home Owner's Checklist – How to Make Your Home Fire Safe.

This two page fold out applies to every home. It's a "honey-do" list we should all have on our refrigerator's door. It has two checklists, OUTSIDE (access, yard, roof. . .) and INSIDE (kitchen, bedroom, living room. . .).

ONE CAN'T AFFORD TO THINK that they don't need an address sign because firefighters and EMTs can see their home, "It's clearly visible from the road." Realize, because of thick windblown smoke and flying embers, that may not be true. Too, half the time, firefighters are working in darkness AND smoke. At night, they may not see your home at all, and an address sigh may be your best hope that they do. Indeed, During our last fire, Sheriff Dias said that the smoke was unbelievably thick, the wind horrendous, and that the embers blown across Elena Lane were like a lava flow.