What They Bought With the Grant:

• Pre-planning
• Community Education Programs
• Maps that Identified Safety Zones and Escape Routes

How the Grant Has Helped:

The San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District provides suppression, prevention, and emergency medical services to approximately 110,000 residents and covers a 49 square mile area in the eastern San Diego County , serving the communities of Casa de Oro, Grossmont-Mt. Helix, La Presa, Rancho San Diego, Spring Valley, and the unincorporated areas of El Cajon, La Mesa and parts of Jamul.

On October 21, 2007, the Harris Fire began its race toward the San Miguel Fire District border with a vengeance. Wind conditions were so extreme and smoke conditions were so heavy that air support was ineffective. This was to be a battle fought by the troops on the ground. Preplans established utilizing funds from a 2004 Fire Prevention & Safety Grant were studied and distributed not only among local fire suppression forces but also given to incoming firefighting personnel unfamiliar with the area. The preplans were instrumental in alerting those crews to safety zones, hazards, roadways, and topography for the region. “These preplans helped substantially in fire suppression efforts,” said Joe Ranalli, Battalion Chief at the District, who was also the San Miguel Branch Director of the Harris Fire.

The Harris Fire is a battle that was “won” within the San Miguel CFPD borders. Not a single life or a single structure was lost, or even damaged, in large part due to the pre-planning and community education programs that were put into place utilizing two FP&S Grants totaling $82,000. The Harris Fire burned 90,440 acres, cost in excess of $15.6 million to fight, and, at its peak, had 2214 fire personnel assigned to fight it.

In the area known as Millar Ranch, which is served by only one road, this home sets in a wildland urban interface area in San Diego's East County and within the San Miguel CFPD border. As the Harris Fire approached, Mr. Michael Highfill and his family evacuated safely, but spent several days wondering what happened to their home. “The District's wildland education program inspired me to provide better clearance around my home,” said Mr. Highfill. As a result, Mr. Highfill decided he wanted a 500 foot safety zone around his home, an effort that, he feels, helped save his house. Defensible space and firewise construction made his home more easily accessible for fire engine strike teams to defend and proves the value and success of the fire prevention projects funded by the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

In October of 2003, the outcome of the battle was very different. Within the San Miguel CFPD border, the Cedar fire consumed countless acres of vegetation, caused millions of dollars in property loss and displaced residents. Overall the Cedar Fire did not stop until one firefighter and 17 civilians were dead; one hundred seven people were injured; 2,232 structures and 22 commercial buildings were destroyed; and 280,278 acres of land were consumed, making it the largest fire in California State history.

Because of the Cedar Fire, San Miguel CFPD sought to prepare in advance for the next major wildfire that was sure to strike. San Miguel CFPD developed a comprehensive Wildland Prevention and Risk Assessment Program that focused on their wildland/urban interface areas. “The Cedar Fire helped identify a desperately needed program that would focus on preplanning, preparedness, evacuation, and community education in our wildland communities,” said Gary Croucher , Division Chief with the District. “We always knew the need existed, but our District did not have the funds for such a program. The only entity available to provide that funding was FEMA through their Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program,“ Croucher said.

In May of 2005, the San Miguel CFPD was awarded $23,338 from the AFG Fire Prevention and Safety Grants for a project that allowed them to assess their wildland/urban interface communities. This grant provided for the creation of maps that identified safety zones for firefighters and escape routes for citizens; preplanned expected fire behaviors, fire suppression responses, and evacuation routes; and provided citizens with Independent Action Plans to support and educate them and prepare them for emergency evacuation conditions.

But the District did not stop there. They applied for another Fire Prevention and Safety Grant in 2006, and they were awarded $58,701 for a project that allowed them to launch their most aggressive outreach program to date - the Firewise Garden and Community Education Campaign. “Community education is paramount in fostering citizen involvement,” said Augie Ghio , Fire Chief of the San Miguel CFPD. “Although written literature is wonderful, we felt we needed to present our citizens with a visual scale model on what a firewise home should look like.” Partnering with the Water Conservation Garden, a nonprofit corporation that focuses on education through horticultural exhibits that inspire the public, the District was able to tap into the expertise necessary for designing a firewise landscape.

The Firewise Exhibit opened in April 2007, and 28,000 visitors have toured the site, with the expectation of receiving upwards of 40,000 visitors each year. The Firewise Exhibit is housed within the Water Conservation Garden located on the Cuyamaca College Campus in El Cajon , California and open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., daily. The Garden staff provides docent-led tours every Saturday and Sunday. For more information, please visit our websites at: www.smgfire.org or www.thegarden.org.

Another home in the Millar Ranch area was also saved. “When we first moved in, we thought you guys (San Miguel CFPD) were pretty tough with your public education efforts and regulations for weed and brush abatement,” said this home owner. After the 2007 Harris Fire the homeowner stated, “All I can say now is thank you very much. Today we have a home because we followed the rules. We'll never complain about having to clear brush again. Keep the information coming!”

“There is no doubt that funding provided by FEMA had a direct impact on the significant reduction in loss to our District,” said Chief Ghio. “Had we not had the funding available, I am most certain we would have suffered substantial loss.”

“I do not believe that any one of these programs would have independently produced the same successful result, but rather it was the combination of these two programs and the citizen's own efforts at protecting their homes. By employing practices outlined in the educational materials mailed to them, and by having the Firewise Garden available for visual guidance, both programs produced a synergistic effect for success,” Croucher said.

When the smoke cleared out of the area, a simple but large handmade sign on this house said it all. “Thank You San Miguel Fire District”. Again the educational materials on defensible space had made their impact known. Brush was cleared away from this home and away from a rather impressive balcony and certainly contributed to this house not burning.

San Miguel CFPD is not alone. In San Diego County, the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Volunteer Fire Department also received $72,176 from a 2004 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to construct a Firewise Garden.

After the Harmony Fire claimed four square miles and 100 homes near San Diego in 1996, Chief Frank Twohy planned to avoid a repeat of that disaster.

Twohy knew that fire-resistant zones around buildings could save as many homes as a legion of firefighters with brand new equipment. Getting the message out was his challenge. “I had a hunch that a fire-resistant, acre-and-a-half garden near our fire station might do the trick,” said Twohy. “You know— if you build it, they will come—so we did, and they do.” The landscaper that built the Elfin Forest Garden claims that out of the 400 homes where they have installed Firewise gardens, only one was lost.

Downloadable Link to San Miguel C FPD Evacuation Plan Guide:  

• www.smgfire.org/pdf/Evacuation_Plan_Guide.pdf

Downloadable Link to San Miguel Water-wise, Fire-wise Garden at  Cuyamaca College:

• www.thegarden.org/firewiseExhibit.html

District map:

• http://www.smgfire.org/map.htm
• http://maps.google.com/