Fire officials, residents seek safer solutions through council
by Earl Bates

Fire prevention education and activities of particular interest to the Ojai community were presented and discussed last week at a meeting of the Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council.
Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper said the OVFSC is important because "it is community-minded members trying to get other community members to protect the area they live in. They are coming up with ideas on how to get neighbors to work together to do voluntary fire prevention."
Every community has special fire prevention needs; the OVFSC helps Ojai residents identify those needs and coordinate with the fire departments. "There are a lot of different issues that come up with each community," said Sandi Wells, chief information officer for the Ventura County Fire Department, "The idea is to work together to find the answers."
"All of the fire safe councils are designed so the community and the fire departments work together," she said. "We come up with answers to difficult questions for protection in the wildland urban interface, especially in areas like Ojai and other cities that have so much open area."
At the meeting, Roper discussed a new system for helping protect orchards and homes, especially ones bordering on wildlands. The system includes foam spraying equipment on a trailer that carries 150 gallons of water. The system will be available for farmers, ranchers and homeowners. Used in conjunction with a weed abatement program, the system could be very effective in helping prevent fire spreading from adjacent property.
Another solution Roper discussed is the simple but crucial fitting of hoses and plumbing parts. Firefighters working on private properties have had some problems attaching hoses to water tanks and lines because fittings don't match. That doesn't mean property owners need to change all of their pipes, but providing a junction with a 2-1/2-inch male National Standard thread-fitting would allow firefighters to connect with private water systems. Roper is available to help with any questions, he asked residents to call him at 389-9701.
Roper also talked about a Neighborhood Watch program to help reduce the risk of arson. Information about the arson watch program and other topics including the fire history of Ojai Valley, strategies for orchard fire protection, and the benefits of biomass reutilization will be presented Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave. The program will occur again Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. at Chapel by the Pines, 195 Mahoney Ave., Oak View. Also at these meetings, people can sign up for the truckloads of mulch that will be distributed by the C.R.E.W. Residents are welcome to call Will Castagna, secretary of the OVFSP, at 646-7307 for more information.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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