Backed up against miles of overgrown wildlands on the Ventura River sits around 100 mobile homes. They’re nestled in an area that is no stranger to the dangers of wildfire season.
“I’ve lived in Ojai a long time and we’ve seen quite a few fires,” said Ventura County resident Tina Drennan. “At one point, I even watched a river of embers flow down the street.”
The continued run-ins with wildfires have driven her to take a more proactive approach to preparation.
“The last fire scared us to death,” Drennan said. “We saw flames and knew it was time to evacuate. After that, my husband and I worked on putting together a wildfire safety plan for the community. We need to be ready for the next one.”
Now, they’re on a mission to help educate others on why brush clearance is such an important part of wildfire preparedness.
They’ve encouraged their neighbors and friends to have their properties inspected and asked local officials to remove overgrown greenery near the community.
Miles of overgrown wildlands along the Ventura River makes surrounding homes susceptible to the dangers of wildfire season.
The California Conservation Corps and CAL FIRE helped clear 100 feet of brush from behind their homes, creating defensible space that helps crews protect buildings during a fire by putting space between flammable brush and homes.
Defensible space is required by state law and regulations in certain areas, with some local ordinances being even more restrictive. Best practices for removing vegetation and potential fuels around homes call for clearances up to 100 feet of defensible space — increasing beyond 100 feet in more hazardous areas.
As an extra line of defense, homeowners can also install fire-resistant doors, double-paned windows and ember-resistant screens and vents.
The Drennan’s reached out to the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, a community-led organization that empowers residents to protect their homes and communities, which provided their community with funding to purchase wildfire defense mesh, thanks partly to a $15,000 grant from Edison International. The mesh helps prevent embers from entering a home and starting a fire.
“Over the next few months, we will provide funding for a chipper and crew to help residents remove vegetation,” said Stephen Watson, executive director of the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council. “We will also purchase fire-resilient vents and wildfire defense mesh to give to residents to install. This encourages them to take further steps around their property to reduce the wildfire risk.”
At the Golden Oaks Mobile Home Estates, most residents are older and need help implementing these prevention measures. The community has set up a group of volunteers who cut and install the donated mesh, if needed.
“Here, there is only six feet of space between you and your neighbor, so your house could be totally cleaned up but if your next-door neighbor is not doing their part, then you are at risk, too,” Drennan said. “That’s why we are trying to involve everybody.”
The Golden Oaks community is in year two of its three-year safety plan. The goal this year is to get more residents involved in wildfire preparedness and continue to harden homes ahead of wildfire season.
Drennan’s message: preparation is the key to prevention.
Fire crews use a woodchipper to break down branches during brush clearance.
Wildfire Safety Tips:
- Develop a plan to keep your family safe.
- Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from structures in severe fire risk areas and extend the clearance distances, if necessary.
- Install ember-resistant screens and mesh on vents around your home.
- Please call 800-655-4555 or email safetrees@sce.com if vegetation is growing near or around power lines and SCE will conduct an inspection at no cost to the customer.
For more information on SCE’s wildfire mitigation work, visit sce.com/wildfire.
