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THE TRADITIONAL START TO CALIFORNIA'S FIRE SEASON
IS IN THE FALL WHEN THE HOT, DRY SANTA ANA WINDS START TO KICK UP.
BECAUSE THE DAMAGE FROM WILDFIRES CAN BE CATASTROPHIC,
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL WORK TOGETHER
AND TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO BE PREPARED AND SAFE.
AS A HOMEOWNER, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS YOU CAN DO
TO MAKE YOUR HOME MORE FIRE RESISTANT.
AND IF FIREFIGHTING RESOURCES BECOME STRAINED,
THESE THINGS CAN OFTEN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
WITH A NEW HOME, START WITH A DESIGN THAT CAN RESIST WILDFIRE.
HOW A HOUSE IS BUILT, ITS LOCATION, AND BUILDING MATERIALS,
ESPECIALLY THE ROOF AND EAVES,
ALL INFLUENCE ITS ABILITY TO WITHSTAND DAMAGE FROM A FIRE.
YOU CAN ALSO MODIFY AN EXISTING HOME
TO MAKE IT MORE RESISTANT TO FIRES.
FIRE-RESISTANT LANDSCAPING IS A BIG HELP
IN CREATING A DEFENSIBLE SPACE.
CONSIDER THESE 3 ZONES AROUND YOUR HOUSE.
ZONE 1, THE AREA NEAREST YOUR HOME,
SHOULD CONTAIN LOW-GROWING PLANTS WITH LOW-FUEL VOLUME.
IDEALLY, THERE SHOULD BE NO TALL PLANTS
CLOSE TO YOUR HOME,
BUT SINCE WE ALL ENJOY THE SHADE OF A TREE,
SELECT YOUR TREES WISELY.
LOW-GROWING, FIRE-RESISTANT GROUND COVERS
ARE RECOMMENDED IN ZONE 2.
THIS AREA IS BETWEEN 30 AND 100 FEET FROM YOUR HOUSE.
PROPERLY MAINTAINED PLANTS WITH LOW-FUEL VOLUME
WILL HELP SLOW A FIRE BEFORE IT REACHES YOUR HOME.
ZONE 3 IS THE AREA BEYOND 100 FEET.
THIS AREA CAN INCLUDE HEALTHY, NATIVE VEGETATION,
BUT CHECK WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES
BEFORE MODIFYING ANY PLANTS THAT MIGHT INCLUDE HABITAT
FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES.
ALWAYS REMEMBER THE 3 Rs OF DEFENSIBLE SPACE.
REMOVAL, REDUCTION, AND REPLACEMENT.
REMOVAL MEANS ELIMINATING ENTIRE PLANTS FROM THE ZONE,
LIKE A DEAD TREE OR FLAMMABLE SHRUB.
REDUCTION MEANS REMOVING PLANT PARTS,
LIKE TRIMMING DEAD BRANCHES
AND CUTTING DRIED LEAVES AND GRASSES.
REPLACEMENT MEANS SWAPPING OUT POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS VEGETATION,
LIKE DENSE, FLAMMABLE SHRUBS, WITH MORE FIRE-RESISTANT PLANTS.
SDG&E IS TAKING STEPS TO PREVENT FIRES, TOO.
WE'VE INSTALLED REMOTE SWITCHING TECHNOLOGY ON POWER LINES
TO IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND SAFETY.
WE'RE REPLACING WOOD POWER POLES
WITH FIRE-RESISTANT STEEL POLES.
AND EXPANDING TREE TRIMMING AND BRUSH CLEARING
IN THE HIGH-RISK FIRE AREAS.
AND OUR WILDFIRE STRIKE TEAM FOLLOWS SDG&E CREWS IN THE BACK COUNTRY
TO HELP MAINTAIN FIRE SAFETY AT ALL TIMES.
FINALLY, TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY IS NOTIFIED AND PREPARED,
ALL COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER WITH ALERT SAN DIEGO,
THE REGION'S REVERSE 911 NOTIFICATION SYSTEM.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY,
IT SENDS IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO THE MOBILE PHONE NUMBER AND E-MAIL ADDRESS YOU PROVIDE.
YOU CAN REGISTER ONLINE
AT READYSANDIEGO.ORG.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WAYS TO BE SAFE THIS FIRE SEASON,
VISIT SDGE.COM/SAFETY.