Saving Lives and Property through Advance Planning

San Bernardino County is one of the most beautiful places to live, but for those living in what are called “urban interface areas,” it does not come without risks. Fire is, and always has been, a natural part of this landscape.  Many of us have chosen to live in brush-covered canyons and on hillsides which have historically burned long before homes were built. The fire season is now year-round, requiring firefighters and residents to constantly be on heightened alert for the threat of wildfire. Download PDF

In 2007, the City of Big Bear Lake, California, was named a Fire Safe City by the national Firewise Communities program.  Firewise Communities/USA is a project of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team that involves homeowners, engineering professionals, home builders, planners and community leaders to take measures to reduce the risk of wildfires through the proper maintenance, design, landscaping and construction of homes.  Approximately 300 cities in the United States participate in this program.

In Part 1 of her story about Big Bear Lake's fire safety measures, FDNNTV.com's Brie Tennis outlined the two major components of the Big Bear Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan, fire fuels reduction and the replacement of shake shingle roofs.  In Part 2, Brie goes in depth to discuss the community's chipping program, the educational program that they offer to residents  and contractors for fire safe construction and landscaping, and aspects of their Fire Resistant Construction Ordinance for new structures.