A California resident signed up for a new program to help protect their home from wildfires and was shocked at the work that was done to keep their home safe.
According to Fox 5 San Diego, a new pilot program under the Office of Emergency Services in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is offering grants to retrofit homes to be fire-resistant.
"I took a flyer, I saw a sign and I applied for it. I didn't know what I was going to get," said Chris Bilbray of Dulzura, a small town where the home became one of the first completed projects in the state. "The work that's been done is work that probably would have taken me and my family 10-plus years to complete. … A lot of it I would have never even thought of to do to make my home safe."
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No way 😨 The steps taken included replacing the porch with one made of treated, fire-resistant lumber; installing fiber-cement skirting with a non-combustible crawl space door and attic vents that are ember-resistant; and replacing nylon window screens with ones made from aluminum.
Contractors also implemented a five-foot space around the house, which is known as "zone zero" and is free from any flammable materials to offer more defensible space in the event of a fire. In Bilbray's case, that was done with a gravel path.
Wildfires are becoming more prevalent in California and elsewhere because of our changing climate, which is caused by the burning of dirty energy sources such as oil and natural gas. Los Angeles was recently ravaged by multiple sizable fires, and insurance companies are sounding the alarm on the potential ripple effects from the devastation.
The fires have also left scientists expressing concern about the health of those returning home, as particulate matter and ash in the air can cause major health issues. As those sorts of events happen more frequently, programs such as this one will be increasingly important.
While the program is limited to just San Diego, Lake, Shasta, and Siskiyou Counties, there are plans in the works to expand it.
"What we have found is that if one home does everything right and the next-door neighbor does not, both homes still remain at risk," State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said. "We have to make sure our preparedness is at the neighborhood level."
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