Fire council formed in Oak Park





Realizing that wild fires are a part of Southern California life, the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Committee has decided to form a local fire council, a group responsible for garnering resources and improving the community’s safety.

“After the Oakland fire, the California Fire Plan was updated to encourage communities to work on their own fire plans in order to help reduce the loss of property and life from wild fires,” said Diane Morgan, Ventura County Fire Marshal.

“Fire councils allow community members to identify things they can do together to make the community safer,” Morgan said.

Oak Park witnessed first hand the unbridled power of the wild fire during last September’s Topanga blaze. The fire burned nearly 25,000 acres in East Ventura County and West Los Angeles County and forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

Unlike a homewners association, the fire council will have no power over homes and private property. Nor can it raise dues. The council will flex its muscle by raising funds through grants and by implementing creative, fire-safe programs.

The fire council for Ojai recently received almost $70,000 in grants and used the money to clear brush and trim trees.

In addition to grants, the council can raise funds by forming coalitions between Oak Park and private businesses. Officials said that power companies, insurance companies and other business groups are often willing to invest in fire mitigation programs in order to help their investments and keep costs down.

Fire councils also help to prevent structure damage by teaching residents ways to make their property fire safe. Ornamental vegetation often leads to structure loss when it catches fire and the fire councils can help reduce risk by notifying homeowners about the proper distancing and maintenance of the vegetation.

Some native and orn a m e n t a l plants, such as creeping sage, poverty weed, blue hibiscus and Norfolk Island pine, need to be almost 100 feet away from structures to be considered fire safe. A list of potentially dangerous plants can be obtained from the Ventura County Fire Hazard Reduction Unit.

“State and county resources can’t put a fire engine at every home, so the best thing to do is to address the overall community and to figure out how to best use our resources when they’re needed,” Morgan said.

The Ventura County Fire Department will provide the council with advice and expertise on fire safety, but will not retain control of the group.

People interested in joining the Oak Park Fire Council should contact the Todd Haines at (818) 597-2240.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *