Protecting Our Homes — Together

Sunday, September 13 • 11:00 AM–1:00 PM • Rancho Cielo Common Area

Living where we do has many advantages. The hills and open spaces surrounding Rancho Cielo are part of what makes our community special. But living next to wildland also means accepting the reality that, sooner or later, there will be another wildfire nearby.

Fortunately, we have an outstanding fire department and tremendous resources available to respond when that happens. But firefighters can’t do everything. As homeowners, there are things we can do before a fire ever starts that can make their job easier and give our homes a better chance of surviving.

And much of that battle comes down to something very small: embers.

It’s Often the Embers That Matter Most

When we picture a wildfire threatening our homes, we tend to imagine a wall of flames coming over the hill. But wind-driven embers can travel well ahead of the actual fire and find surprisingly small places to ignite a home.

They can enter through vents, collect beneath eaves, land on combustible materials, or find other vulnerable areas around a house.

That’s why so much of today’s wildfire preparation focuses on home hardening and the area immediately surrounding our homes.

There is an enormous amount of information available about all of this. Sometimes, perhaps, too much.

What kind of vents should we have? What should we do about plants near the house? What about fences, decks, patio covers, windows and roofs? Which improvements really matter? What are the alternatives? And how much will they cost?

Our goal for this event is to bring the conversation back to the basics.

Learning From the Experts — And From Each Other

On Sunday, September 13, we’re inviting Rancho Cielo residents to join us in the common area for a casual community gathering about protecting our homes from wildfire.

We’ve invited representatives from the Orange County Fire Authority to participate and share their knowledge and experience.

We’ve also invited a couple of vendors who can explain some of the products and options available for home hardening. This isn’t about promoting one company or telling anyone what they should purchase. It’s an opportunity to see what’s available, ask questions, understand the differences, and become better informed.

But the professionals and vendors are only part of the event.

We also want to learn from each other.

Many Rancho Cielo homeowners have already been doing their own research and making improvements. Some have changed landscaping. Others have addressed vents, roofs, fences or other areas around their homes. And many of us are still researching our options and deciding what makes sense for our particular homes.

Come share what you’ve discovered.

What did you do? Why did you choose that approach? What worked well? What would you do differently? What products or resources did you find helpful?

Nobody has to have all the answers. That’s the point.

If each of us shares a little of what we’ve learned, all of us can become better informed.

And Then There’s Insurance…

There is another reason this conversation is becoming increasingly important.

Insurance companies are taking a much closer look at wildfire risk and at the steps homeowners are taking to reduce that risk. Requirements and policies vary among insurers, but home-hardening improvements are increasingly becoming part of the insurance conversation.

That doesn’t mean we should make improvements simply because an insurance company tells us to.

It does mean that understanding our home’s vulnerabilities — and the options available for addressing them — is becoming more valuable than ever.

The choices remain ours. Our goal is to help everyone have better information when making them.

Helping Our Firefighters Help Us

When a wildfire occurs, OCFA and the other agencies responding will bring extraordinary resources to protect our community.

Our part begins long before they arrive.

Every vulnerability we eliminate and every reasonable step we take to reduce the possibility of an ember igniting our home improves the odds — not only for our own property, but potentially for the homes around us.

That’s one of the ideas behind being a FireWise community.

It isn’t about eliminating wildfire risk. We can’t.

It’s about understanding the risk and doing reasonable things, together, to reduce it.

And Yes… There Will Be Cars!

Fire preparedness may be the purpose of our gathering, but there’s no reason we can’t have some fun while we’re together.

Many of our Rancho Cielo neighbors share another passion: interesting and vintage automobiles.

So we’ll also have a neighborhood car show featuring a collection of very cool vehicles owned by people who live right here in our community.

Come look at the cars, talk with their owners, learn a little about protecting your home, share what you’ve discovered — and spend some time with your neighbors.

If you own an interesting vehicle you’d like to display, please contact Hal Reisiger at hreisiger@gmail.com. Display space is limited.