What should you do if your home is in a high fire severity zone? To answer that question, neighbors near San Luis Obispo's Irish Hills went straight to the source, having fire officials come out to talk with them.
“You guys taking your time and inviting us to this meet-up is fantastic. It's probably the best meet-up I've ever seen," said San Luis Obispo City Fire Emergency Manager Joe Little to the group of curious residents.
At the base of the Irish Hills Open Space, community members near Royal Way and Rubio Lane have formed what’s called a “Firewise community.” They invited San Luis Obispo City Fire officials to speak to them about how to protect their homes and what to do if a fire breaks out.
“It just helps us immensely by getting the neighborhoods involved," Little said.
Rubio Lane is one of many areas in San Luis Obispo that are in a high-risk area for wildfires, according to newly updated fire severity maps.
“We're all concerned about the rating of our neighborhood right now, the risk level," explained neighbor Jackie Garza. She attended a Wildfire Preparedness Community Forum back in May, sparking the idea of a community information session in the neighborhood cul-de-sac.
In an attempt to combat that risk as well as tackle high insurance rates that are plaguing homeowners across the state, this neighborhood is trying to become the first Firewise community in the city.
“Firewise community is basically a committee that's just taken on vegetation management," Little explained. "They've accepted the role of home hardening and how it buys the fire department time to come in and commit our resources to help them.”
It also gives the community ownership and accountability for ways they can be fire-ready in their own backyard.
“Hopefully, the result will be that we can possibly get home insurance rates lower, but definitely feel safer," said resident Karen Morgan.
Insurance companies in the state are required to offer discounts to Firewise communities but in addition to that, residents say it’s important information.
“For all of us who are in those red zones, it's quite a danger. We're worried," Garza said. "People will see that it's really not a daunting endeavor to just ask, 'Can you come out and talk to us?'"
At least eight homes are required to become a Firewise community. For more information on how to best prepare your home in the event of a wildfire, you can visit the SLO City Fire Department website.
