- Several OPFSC board members attended the California Wildfire Conference. The Ventura County Resource Conservation District, in partnership with the non-profit Coastal Quest, presented the first California Wildfire Conference as a project of the Ventura County Wildfire Collaborative. This three-day exchange brought together a diverse community of wildfire practitioners to focus on understanding, preventing, and recovering from wildfires.
The conference was held from October 24-26, 2023, in Ventura County at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and included sections on:
- Fire-adapted and fire-safe communities
- Federal priorities
- Community planning
- Insurance and managing risk
- Wildfire grant funding
- Fire Technology
- Many keynotes, panels, and receptions
2. Firewise communities – This month we had three HOA communities (Canyon Cove, Country Glen, and Country Meadows) continue the Firewise process. In each community, several people had gotten together to drive the program, which will benefit residents with improved wildfire resiliency (protection of property and life); help them qualify or stay qualified for homeowners’ insurance; and be eligible for possible discounts for both community participation (Firewise) and individual improvements that homeowners make to their structures and defensible space (yards).
3. Assessments – More and more homeowners are requesting free home wildfire assessments, which can benefit both communities working to become Firewise recognized and individual homeowners looking to improve wildfire resiliency and possibly qualify for reduced insurance rates. The assessments are recommendations only (the council is not a compliance organization), but they provide an improvement blueprint and can help residents in their discussions with insurance companies.
4. Grants – We have received a County Coordinator Grant of $8,000 from the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council. We hope to use some of this money to do a mapping project of Medea and Lindero Creeks in Oak Park. This would identify areas of the creek that would require fuel mitigation when within 100 feet of a structure.
5. Donations – With our new website, we implemented a donation button for residents who want to contribute to our cause and in October collected approximately $175 in donations that will augment our continuing grant efforts and help us become a safer community. Thank you to all who contributed!
