Are You Ready for Santa Ana Wind Wildfires?

September 15th, 2011, 1:02 pm • posted by Pat Brennan, O.C. Register science, environment editor

As Santa Ana winds begin to blow and wildfire danger rises, firefighters hope to teach Orange County homeowners a new phrase: ember storm. It’s a horizontal blast of sparks that can spread deep into neighborhoods, igniting shrubs, red mulch or wooden roofs as much as a mile away from the wildfire’s leading edge.

And its hidden dangers are one of the lessons learned from the devastating wildfires that have scorched Orange County in recent years. “It’s like a rainstorm, except it’s orange and it’s going sideways,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone. “Your house does not have to butt up against wildland. You can be blocks, or many houses, from the wildland.”

To kick off their new campaign in time for what could be a windy fall, Fire Authority experts hope to persuade homeowners to make changes — from spark arrestors on chimneys to double-paned windows — that could help reduce damage to homes and block those flying embers.As part of their web-based “Ready, Set, Go” program, the Fire Authority is trying a bold experiment on the fire-prone Cowan Heights neighborhood. Homeowners can punch in their address and pull up an assessment of their fire risk. And by checking off different home improvements, such as boxed eaves or properly spaced vegetation, they can watch their color-coded fire risk diminish from red to orange to yellow to green.

For now, the pilot project just covers 1,200 homes in Cowan Heights, although if it proves popular Fire Authority officials hope to expand it to more Orange County neighborhoods.

The agency is also working with OC Parks to reduce vegetation starting Oct. 3 in Peters Canyon Regional Park, which runs along the edge of Cowan Heights — and also provides a perfect corridor for Santa Ana winds from the northeast. Parts of Peters Canyon Trail and Creek Trail might be closed. And residents might notice work crews thinning both native and non-native vegetation, in part to improve the wild habitat, in part to reduce wildfire risk.“We’re trying to get to the point where we get rid of these big pines, palm trees and eucalyptus,” said Nick Pivaroff, a fire prevention specialist, on a visit to the neighborhood this week.

The trees are especially dangerous during wildfires, although it is up to homeowners to decide whether to remove or trim them on private property. The message for the rest of Orange County: wildfire preparation isn’t just for urban edges anymore. “A lot of people have the misperception that if they don’t live right on the interface, they’re safe: ‘It won’t happen to me,’” said Assistant Fire Marshal Dennis Grubb. “It does happen.”

Source: http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/2011/09/15/are-you-ready-for-wind-whipped-wildfire/138208/