Workshop to provide guidance on safeguarding homes and open spaces from wildfires.

Residents of San Diego Country Estates are poised to take significant strides in wildfire preparedness with the upcoming Firewise Educational Training Workshop. Scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2024, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the event will be held at the International Equestrian Center Rotunda located at 16911 Gunn Stage Road. The workshop, which is free to attend, aims to provide crucial information and tools for creating a comprehensive fire plan to enhance community safety against wildfires.

Organized by Richard Drewery, a long-term resident of the Estates, the workshop seeks to foster a proactive approach to wildfire risks. In collaboration with San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson’s office, Drewery envisions the Fire Plan as a means to prepare residents and first responders to better protect homes and neighborhoods from wildfire dangers. The session will feature notable guest speakers, including Cal Fire Captain Thomas Shoots, who will address effective fire prevention strategies, and Lieutenant George Crysler from the Ramona Sheriff’s Office, who will present details on the Genasys Protect App, an innovative tool for emergency communication.

Drewery’s commitment to wildfire safety stems from a personal awareness of the threats posed by wildfires in the area, influenced by his decade-long residence in San Diego. Four years ago, he recognized the need for a unified fire protection strategy for the community, prompting him to engage with the San Diego Country Estates Fire Safety Committee, of which he is currently the chairman of the Firewise Subcommittee.

In recent months, efforts have been underway to clear overgrown vegetation in open spaces vital to fire safety. Nancy Zadrozny, landscape open space manager for the Estates Association, has been overseeing the removal of highly flammable non-native vegetation, thereby aligning the community with fire code requirements mandating defensible space around properties. This initiative reflects a growing recognition of the crucial need for enhanced fire safety measures in the Estates, which includes more than 1,400 acres of open space.

Drewery explains that the dual efforts of the Fire Safety Committee and the Firewise Subcommittee are designed to create a community-wide risk assessment plan. This comprehensive approach will not only provide homes with enhanced protection against wildfires but may also offer residents the opportunity to lower their property fire insurance rates once the plan is approved by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The upcoming workshop will cover essential topics such as clearing defensible space and making fire-resistant improvements to homes, in addition to strategies for safe evacuation during emergencies. Shoots emphasizes the importance of resident involvement in wildfire mitigation efforts to maximize the effectiveness of community resources.

As the San Diego Country Estates community prepares for the workshop, the collective endeavor to improve fire safety highlights a growing commitment to protect both lives and property from the persistent threat of wildfires. Active participation from homeowners, in conjunction with HOA initiatives, will be integral to fostering a safer environment.

To register for the Firewise Educational Training Workshop, interested residents can visit RamonaWestEndFireSafeCouncil.org and access the “Events” tab for registration details. For further inquiries, Drewery can be reached via email.