Chief Brian Fennessy @SDFDChief:
We’ve got you covered #SanDiego. We (San Diego Fire Rescue) have elevated staffing this week in preparation for the increased fire threat because of the Santa Ana winds. Practice your emergency plan with your family! Get our #ReadySetGo guide at https://www.sandiego.gov/fire/ready-set-go
Fire Safety courtesy of Ruth DeSantis:
As part of our Neighborhood Watch and in light of the recent fires in northern California, Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Barbara Gellman and I met with Battalion Chief David Connor of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to talk about fire safety.
Our meeting just happened to fall on an extremely hot Santa Ana day when the risk of brush fire was high. We primarily wanted to discuss a fire-retardant product called Therma Gel. Our focus was how we can best be prepared for and avoid wild fires. The hot Santa Ana prompted a more comprehensive discussion than we ever expected. Here are the key points from our very enlightening meeting.
Wild fires will continue to be part of our lives and Chief Connor would like to see us actively and continually manage our properties:
- Remove dried brush and dead trees.
- Keep weeds and trees trimmed, especially palms. The mesh-like material that palm trees have can catch an ember. The mesh ignites and the wind then blows that burning ember miles away to start more fires.
- Check your property monthly for new fire hazards as landscape conditions change.
- Remove stacks of firewood near your home.
- Move plastic sheds away from your home as they catch fire easily.
- Remove flammables such as fertilizers and chemicals and discard appropriately.
- Box-in open eaves that lead to the attic whenever possible and use fine mesh over ventilation openings in the eaves to prevent embers from entering.
- If you live on a canyon, maintain brush that is 100 feet from your home’s back wall. For complaints contact the Fire Hazard Advisor at (619) 533-4444
- Watering down your property is helpful BEFORE the Fire Department is in your area. Please refrain from doing so when the Fire Deptpartment needs water pressure to fight fires.
- Above all, when you are asked to evacuate, do so quickly. Delaying puts not only your life, but also the lives of the first responders in further jeopardy.
It would be helpful to have a sign printed and ready to hang on your front door that reads, “EVACUATED. NO PEOPLE OR ANIMALS INSIDE”. When you evacuate, place that sign on your front door. Wasting seconds during a fire can be fatal so helping our firefighters to save time is important.
Products like Thermo Gel are a good enhancement to fire prevention but they are only another tool in our arsenal. They must be applied correctly and ONLY if there is enough time. Once you can see fire or are being asked to evacuate, it’s too late.
Fire Chief Connor said the fire department does use fire retardants in their aerial drops and they do work, but they want to stress that no one should attempt to ride out a fire or delay evacuating in order to apply such products.
For more information, visit https://www.sandiego.gov/fire
Visit the NWS Forecast Office San Diego at http://www.weather.gov/sgx/#
For related posts, visit https://www.universitycitynews.org/category/sdfd/
