Wildfire Awareness Week

                                 

SACRAMENTO – With fire season around the corner, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. will declare May

1-7, 2011 “Wildfire Awareness Week”. During that week, CAL FIRE is urging homeowners to be ready

for wildfires. Wildfire Awareness Week is designed to not only remind Californians of the dangers

wildfires pose, but also to educate them on how to prepare their property.

So far this year, California has experienced above average rainfall across the state. The increased

precipitation has left many areas abundantly green and overgrown. However, as warmer temperatures and

drier conditions occur, the grass and brush will begin to dry out and the fire danger will dramatically

increase. “This year’s fire season has not started as early as it has in years past,” said Chief Ken Pimlott,

CAL FIRE acting director. “That's why residents should take the time now, while the grass is still green, to

make sure they are ready for California's wildfires.”

This year’s theme for Wildfire Awareness Week is once again the nationwide fire preparedness campaign

of “Ready, Set, Go!”. Being Ready for a wildfire starts by maintaining 100 feet of Defensible Space and

hardening homes with fire resistant building materials. “This week is a great time for residents to start

getting themselves ready for wildfires,” said Chief Pimlott. “It’s the combination of both Defensible Space

and the hardening of homes that give a home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.”

Last summer, CAL FIRE launched a new website, http://www.readyforwildfire.org/ to assist homeowners in

preparing for wildfires. The site offers steps residents should take to make their home more resistant to

wildfires and to ensure that their family is ready to evacuate early and safely when a wildfire strikes.

CAL FIRE will use Wildfire Awareness Week as an opportunity to answer questions about fire safety and

how to be better prepared in an emergency situation.

Wildfire Awareness Week schedule:
 Friday, May 6: Press Conference, CAL FIRE / San Diego Rural Fire District Fire Station, Jamul at 11 a.m.