John Faucher (Chairman), and Ed Reiner (Operations) of the Oak Park Fire Safe Council attended a meeting of the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) on Thursday evening, 2/27/2025.
John gave a synopsis of what the Fire Safe Council is, and what it does. We are a group of volunteers who seek to protect life and property from wildfire by educating the local population about wildfire safety, helping neighborhoods to self-organize, and working with local, state, and national agencies to promote fire hardening and wildfire education.
We are taking on four major initiatives:
Firewise. We currently have at least seven Firewise communities recognized in Oak Park (Country Glen, Country Meadows I, Country Meadows II, Regency Hills HOA, Canyon Cove, Mae Boyar East, and Tract 3141). These communities have been created because some residents have taken action to minimize fire danger, and have been certified by the National Fire Prevention Association. The communities have created a plan to educate the residents and carry out various fire-mitigation actions over the next three years. Certification may mean insurance discounts. The fire-mitigation actions help with fire safety: installing 1/8 inch mesh against embers, replacing plastic dryer vents with nonflammable aluminum vents, moving flammable sheds and furniture away from houses, and creating a vegetation-free zone in the first five feet around a house.
Education. We attend Station 36 open houses, and other community events, hold town hall meetings, and discuss wildfire safety precautions.
Grants. We partner with Cal Fire, Ventura County Fire Department, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, Santa Monica Resources Conservation District, and other entities to locate, apply for, and manage grants to help with fire defense. For instance, Rancho Simi Parks and Recreation District maintains almost all the open space around Oak Park, as well as Medea Creek; but it doesn’t have the funding to keep these areas clear. We helped to get and manage a Cal Fire grant of almost $700,000 to clear vegetation in Medea Creek.
Assessments. We have a team of three assessors who will inspect residents’ houses on request and make recommendations for fire-hardening action.
The MAC council members expressed their appreciation for the work our FSC is doing and asked some questions to clarify how communities get certified as Firewise communities.
For further information on how to become a Firewise community, please contact Lori Gunn at [email protected], (818) 681-7596, or John Faucher at [email protected], (805) 217-2967.
