Fire Prevention Seminar Report

There were 166 people in attendance on Sunday for the fire preventions Sunday Seminar! PB Fire Department (CAL FIRE), Mike Niccum, Shawn Casey, Dawn Mathes, Jeff Froke, and Bill Vaughan were all present to respond to questions.

Attached is the slide presentation by Jonathan Pangburn, CAL FIRE Forester at the seminar. It is somewhat stand alone for the fire fuel reduction portion of forest maintenance.

Other topics were:

How to have trees removed from private property – retain an arborist to examine and report on the tree(s). If there is limited space on the property to replant per County requirement, ask the arborist to state their opinion on the matter in the report and the County often heeds what the arborist recommends (i.e., not having to replant). The arborist sends the report to the County. The County contacts PB Forestry (Shawn Casey) and the permit is issued. If the tree in question is eminently life threatening, the tree can be removed and the owner can get a permit after the fact, and/or the PB Fire Department can assist in the permitting process with the County.

Sign up for CODE RED through PBCSD.org to receive emergency alerts by phone. The County also has an alert notification system. The sheriff’s office is the designated authority for evacuations of Pebble Beach. They will respond door to door in the event of a fire emergency that requires evacuation.

Visit readyforwildfire.org for resources on how to prepare for an emergency fire event.

Pebble Beach Community Services District/Fire Department has performed extensive fire preparedness work throughout the forest since the 1987 Morse Fire, including a $17 million upgrade to the fire fighting water system. CAL FIRE has increased resources and sends helicopter(s) and spotter plane(s) at the first sign of fire events. The rehabilitated Forest Lake Reservoir now provides an immediate water supply for aerial fire suppression by CAL FIRE helicopters. Emergency responders now all use the same communications network and can coordinate fully with one another during major events. Fire fuel reduction efforts have been ongoing for the decades following the Morse Fire, following the Fire Defense Plan for Pebble Beach. The link to the plan is http://pbcsd.org/Important_Notices/2017/2017_Fire_Defense_Plan.pdf.

Pebble Beach Community Services District undergrounding of the 40 miles of overhead utility lines is proceeding at approximately 0.7 miles/$1.4 million per year. A more accelerated schedule is not feasible due to monetary restraints and PG&E scheduling limitations. First priority to underground are the main feeder power lines, with two phases (roughly 3 years) completed. Once main feeder lines are completed, lines along roadways will follow for this reason: When trees fall on power lines during storms, PBC nor CAL FIRE are allowed to remove them, only PG&E, sometimes causing extended road closures limiting exit routes. Once underground, PBC/CAL FIRE can then remove all trees from roadways and open up exit routes immediately.

Homeowners maintaining defensible space around their properties is crucial. The Paradise fire was a rapid succession of burning houses exploding and igniting surrounding houses. The initial one house burning set the entire town exploding house by house. Learn more about how to best protect your home, your neighbors, and firefighters with defensible space at: http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Defensible-Space/

The District maintains a Fire-safe Garden next to the fire offices at the corner of Forest Lake and Lopez Roads. The garden exhibits species of plants known to have low flammability that are well suited for forest landscaping – more at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Fire-Resistant-Landscaping/

If trees or branches are touching power lines, DMF residents should call 1-800-PGE-5000, and press 1 to “report a hazardous situation.” Prior to calling, you should note:

• Address of the tree
• Whether there are any down or broken lines
• If the line is pole-to-pole (Distribution Line) or pole-to-house (Service Drop)
• If there are any access issues (gates, dogs, etc.)

For additional information, go to https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/yard-safety/powerlines-and-trees/power-line-safety-and-trees.page

Helpful numbers to have: DMFPO Useful Phone Numbers

View power outages and estimated restoration times https://m.pge.com/#outages

Your donations to the Del Monte Forest Conservancy for the Forestry Project are most welcomed. They can be sent to DMFC, 3101 Forest Lake Road Suite 1, Pebble Beach, CA 93953. Or donations can be made on line at delmonteforestconservancy.org.