Protect and Prepare
Fire experts tell us that it’s not a matter of if a wildfire will strike but when.
While we can’t stop the next fire, we can take steps to minimize the threat to our families, homes, and neighborhoods. In this way, we can help increase the odds that our homes will remain standing and that our community survives if a wildfire burns through our area.
Because we never know when or where a fire will break out (though Santa Ana weather is a time of greatest risk), what we can do as residents of the wildland-urban interface, or WUI, is remain aware, mitigate the hazards to our homes, and prepare our families in case an evacuation is ordered.
Mitigating hazards to our homes falls into two categories:
1. Creating and maintaining defensible space around structures.
There are many resources available to guide you in creating defensible space. Fire experts recommend particularly focusing on the 0-5’ non-combustible zone.
2. Hardening structures so they are better able to withstand ember storms, direct flames, and radiant heat.
Key ways to harden your home include installing ember-resistant vents and/or enclosing exposed eaves to deny embers access to your home (open eaves are common on many older structures); ensuring that you have a Class A roof; and installing double-paned windows, especially where one pane is tempered glass, and the window frame is metal. See California Fire Safe Council brochure and CAL FIRE’s home hardening page for more information.
If you’re unsure what you need, you can schedule a free assessment through the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County.
Without question, evacuation is the top concern among Olivenhain residents, driven by the extremely limited options we have for ingress and egress. Most of the road infrastructure dates back to the community’s rural origins, and the narrow roadways are inadequate for the number of vehicles that will take to the roads in the event of evacuation. As a consequence, Olivenhain faces significant evacuation challenges.
Preparing for wildfire in advance is a matter of creating a plan and packing “Go Bags” for everyone in your family (including pets) so you’re ready to leave if a fire is threatening Olivenhain and an evacuation warning or an order has been issued.
Packing a Go Bag
Pack in advance
✓ Documents (copies of identification and insurance; other papers important to you; photos). Identify in advance what you can’t live without, and consider packing what can’t be replaced.
✓ Cash (including small bills—$1, $5, $10)
✓ Medications list (include all prescriptions and other important medical information)
✓ Appropriate seasonal clothing
✓ Your contacts list
✓ Essential supplies such as personal hygiene products
✓ N95-type masks
✓ First aid kit
✓ Supplies for your pet(s)
Pack as you leave
✓ Wallet or purse and keys
✓ Phone and charger, cables and portable power banks
✓ Medications
✓ Glasses and/or contact lenses
Grab if you already own (recommended)
✓ Portable radio
✓ Flashlight
✓ First aid supplies
✓ Portable computer/mobile devices
Also compile a list of additional items you should bring for everyone in your household, including your pets, and make sure they are packed.
PACE routes are the ones you should consider if a wildfire is threatening, and you’d like to leave, but before an official warning or order is issued.
In the event of a wildfire, authorities advise evacuating early to minimize congestion on our limited evacuation routes.
During an emergency that requires an evacuation, residents must follow the directions of local authorities. Neither the Encinitas Fire Department nor the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department publishes pre-planned evacuation routes because evacuation corridors are subject to change due to many conditions such as:
· Location of fire · Road conditions
· Size and intensity of fire · Traffic conditions
· Weather conditions · Traffic conditions
· Traffic patterns · Day of week
Official evacuation routes are determined during an assessment of the emergency incident by the Encinitas Fire Department, with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responsible for implementing the evacuation and controlling the flow of traffic. Similarly, the Red Cross does not announce shelter locations until an actual incident is underway.