July - San Bernardino County residents took advantage of a recent free opportunity to improve the defensible space around their home by cutting away tens of thousands of pounds of vegetation from around their homes and improving the property’s potential for surviving a wildfire in the process.

As a result of publicity from County Code Enforcement, local media and the Fire Safe Council, in addition to a well-attended Community Fire Fuels Reduction Open House on June 11, many residents learned about the opportunity and began the process of excess vegetation removal. Representatives from County Fire, Public Works, Code Enforcement, CAL FIRE, and Forest Care amongst others attended the Open House and explained to residents how best to comply with the County Brush Clearance requirements. Since then, about 100 residents have improved the fire clearance around their homes, resulting in over 52,000 pounds of vegetation being chipped by San Bernardino County Fire Department crews in June.

A defensible home is one that has the greatest potential for surviving a wildfire. Specifically, defensible space around a home is the required space between a structure and the surrounding trees and shrubs that, under normal conditions, creates a sufficient buffer to slow or halt the spread of wildfire to a structure. Learn more in the San Bernardino County Fire Department Ready! Set! Go! plan available at www.sbcfire.org

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