December/January was again a busy time for the Oak Park Fire Safe Council (OPFSC). This article will be a mixture of a 2023 year-end review, and share a bit of our 2024 plan.
In December 2023 we voted for new officers. In January we held a 2024 Strategy Planning Session to lay out our strategy and objectives for 2024. The 2024 priorities will be identified under the categories below:
1. Firewise Communities – In 2023 we engaged 3 Oak Park communities in the Firewise Program Application Process. All of these communities have completed their applications, and simply need to hold their annual event in order to submit their applications for Firewise Recognition.
2024 Priorities:
- Hold Initial annual event for 3 communities in February
- Start and complete another 4 Firewise Communities in 2024
- Strong social media and Marketing push regarding the benefit of the Firewise Program to Homeowners
2. Assessments – Many people are signing up for Home Wildfire Assessments. In 2023, there were approximately 75 assessments completed (50 by OPFSC, and another 25 by partners).
2024 Priorities:
- Ventura County Fire is considering aligning with Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) for Home Assessments. This may involve some changes in the recommendations provided in our home wildfire assessments
- Identify another 2-3 Home Wildfire Assessors for Oak Park
- Strong Social Media and Marketing push to educate Oak Park residents on the benefits of the assessments, in order to substantially increase the number of assessments performed
3. Fundraising – We have been somewhat successful in grant awards and donations to our website with approximately $85,000 in awards over the past two years. In collaboration with Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and the Ventura County Wildfire Collaborative, we recently applied for a large grant to mitigate brush in the defensible space areas of homes along Lindero and Medea Creeks. We also received several generous donations on our website, which are all used for our programs since we are a volunteer group.
2024 Priorities:
- Apply for 3 new grants
- Continue to solicit donations from the community to help in our efforts
4. Special Projects – In 2023 we engaged the Center for Geospatial Science and Technology group out of Cal State Northridge to map the home defensible space adjacent to the riparian areas of Lindero and Medea Creeks. They created an interactive map that we intend to make available on our website.
2024 Priorities:
- Further develop the interactive map to reflect HOA’s, assessments performed, and Firewise Communities
- Develop, design and build a community garden with recommended Fire-Resistant, Drought Tolerant Garden that supports pollinators.
We are well-positioned to build on the successes of 2023 with the help of the community and additional volunteers.
