Fire Safe Council completes two workdays

FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Fire Safe Council recently completed two defensible space clean-up projects on properties that the North County Fire Protection District fire marshall had identified as being out of compliance with current wildfire prevention regulations.

The workdays were supported by volunteers from Camp Pendleton and local high schools all coordinated through the Camp Pendleton Community Volunteer Program.

The first workday activity was on a property on Womack Lane that included the removal of dead brush and grass, trimming and removal of bushes that were adjacent to the house, trimming low hanging tree branches and the chipping of all trimmed material. It was a full workday for the crew and brought the property into compliance with the current fire regulations.

The second workday activity was performed on a property owned by a 107-year-old woman on North Ridge Drive who has been a resident of Fallbrook for over 30 years. The crew utilized two chippers to clear out previously trimmed citrus tree branches and numerous other bushes that were within the defensible space limits and deemed as a fire hazard.

One of the chippers was rented from Fallbrook Equipment Rentals and used to handle the larger branches while the other chipper was provided by a member of the council and used to chip the smaller branches and twigs. Between the two chippers, over 10 cubic feet of mulch was created. The homeowner committed to spreading this mulch around the citrus grove to help maintain the defensible space requirements.

The council is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 volunteer organization that received a grant from the San Diego Fire Foundation to support community fire safety projects and education. The council coordinates its efforts in this endeavor with the North County Fire Protection District's fire marshall to prioritize and schedule workdays on properties that the fire marshall has deemed are in violation of established wildfire codes.

For more information about the Fire Safe Council, visit fallbrookfiresafecouncil.org or email http://[email protected].

Submitted by the Fallbrook Fire Safe Council.