Heed the words of Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber:
“What we’re finding with these fires is that homes with good defensible space around them are surviving and homes without that defensible space are being lost in these fires.”
He’s said it before.
We also have all seen it before, the destruction and death caused by out-of-control wildland fires that have swept through towns and neighborhoods.
This summer, the news has been filled with all-too-familiar accounts of teams of firefighters — on the ground and in the air — trying to stop the latest wildland fire.
Drought conditions have raised the risk.
But Marin homeowners are still having trouble getting the message from Weber and other fire officials, who have returned from those wildland fires with sobering warnings that it could happen here.
Last year, Marin voters approved a tax measure that launched the formation of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.
That was a start, not the end of what homeowners need to do.
The authority has started to fulfill its promise to work with Marin homeowners to make their properties more “fire safe,” taking reasonable preventive steps aimed at improving firefighters’ chances of saving your home, or stopping a fire from spreading to a neighbors’.
But after starting out and conducting about 25,000 evaluations, the authority says only 30% to 50% are heeding their advice.
That’s below the state average for similar fire-prevention initiatives.
The authority has been reluctant to start writing citations, but it has that authority.
It would rather homeowners show reasonable responsibility on their own.
The authority’s plans to provide property owners with financial assistance should help improve compliance. While they may own property in Marin, there are many households whose income falls far short of today’s lofty real estate prices.
Others need helpful resources to help them get started on the recommendations outlined by the authority’s inspectors.
The goal — for homeowners, firefighters and neighbors — is to improve safety, to save lives and property.
The authority also needs to put part of its focus on public property, advising local and state municipalities that they also need to do their part in clearing brush and thinning thick stands of trees.
Marin’s hillsides are not immune from the disastrous wildfires we’ve witnessed across the state.
The authority’s early experience is evidence that local residents are slow in doing their part. Officials need to make sure residents understand the possible consequences of their lax attitude. They also need to pursue opportunities where a helping hand — such as connecting residents with resources — can help prompt action.
Weber is right. He’s trying to prevent the loss of lives and property.
The success of the authority and local fire departments in helping property owners create “defensible space” could be the critical difference. The heartbreaking losses in recent wildland fires should be enough proof.
