Residents take precautions in case of fire
Inspectors looking to make sure residents are removing debris
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

In the wake of one of the driest years in recent history, Simi Valley firefighters and residents alike are beginning to take precautions and prepare for the worst.

"The engine companies have already been doing their inspections," said Fred Ponce, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department.

The city is no stranger to fires, having suffered through at least two major incidents in the last four years. The October 2003 fire that began in Verdale and the September 2005 fire that began in Topanga together consumed more than 120,000 acres.

"You never know how close it will get," said Kevin Shin, a Simi resident. "There's nothing you can avoid."

Shin's home is in a neighborhood off Kuehner Drive in east Simi Valley, at the base of the Santa Susana Mountains.

Neighborhoods like Shin's that are prone to fire hazards are monitored by the county fire department in compliance with the annual Fire Hazard Reduction program, which focuses on weed abatement and other methods of fire prevention.

The countywide program requires homeowners in certain neighborhoods to keep 100 feet of clearance behind their homes and to remove hazardous debris from their treetops, roofs, gutters and around their houses. The homes targeted by the program are usually the ones that are up against the hillsides.

"A lot of residents already know," Ponce said. "Before they get their notices they're already doing it, and it helps out a lot."

If two or more homeowners share the area of land that needs to be cleared, each homeowner is responsible for his portion of the parcel, he added.

Notices are usually sent out to homeowners in early May, with a deadline of June 1 to complete the cleanup. After the deadline, local engine companies inspect the homes to make sure they're in compliance. If not, the residents are issued warnings.

If they still don't comply, the fire department sends out a private crew to do the cleanup, and the cost is tacked onto the homeowner's property taxes for the following year, Ponce said.

Shin said that sometimes residents just have to wait "if it's someone else's land that has the dry stuff."

Across the street from his house is a large, vegetated hillside that belongs to a neighbor, whom he says has been "very good" about making sure the weeds are trimmed down.

"We've seen it more than once so we're not going to worry about it too much," Shin said. "(But) you can do your part."

Ponce said homeowners should pay extra attention to their surroundings this year and, if they smell smoke, report it right away.

"If there's a brush fire, just be prepared because fire can do some strange things," Ponce said. "Have a plan."

To find out more about the county's Fire Hazard Reduction program, call (805) 389-9710.