FireSafe December Meeting Review

An update from the December Meadows FireSafe Council Meeting:

An action plan for the preparatory phase of the Meadows’ fuel-reduction project was outlined by Greg Stanton and discussed at a meeting of the Fire Safe Council on December 21. The project’s purpose is to protect the Altadena Meadows as much as possible in the event of a brush fire, by reducing fuel in the vicinity of, and within, the Meadows Subdivision.

Each property owner in the Meadows will soon be receiving a letter inviting them to participate in an assessment program to determine which vegetation poses a danger in the event of a fire. Recommendations will be made to the property owners about which trees and/or other vegetation ought to be removed or trimmed. The final decision about action to be taken, however, rests with the property owner. Grant funds may be available to help them follow the recommendations.

The assessment will be conducted by J. Lopez of the L. A. County Fire Department, Forestry Division, accompanied by a member of the Fire Safe Council. It will take approximately 30 minutes for each parcel. It should not be confused with the inspection that is conducted annually by the Forest Service. Such inspections will continue, and property owners will be required, as usual, to mitigate fire danger according to their instructions.

The Meadows Fuel-Reduction Project is being funded by a grant received from the California State Fire Safe Council in the amount of $80,000. The first demand on these funds will be for goats and manual crews to clear brush on the hillsides in the immediate vicinity of the Meadows.

The Fire Safe Council meets on the third Tuesday every month.