Cal Fire

SACRAMENTO, CA. – With fire season around the corner, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. will declare May 1-7, 2011 “Wildfire Awareness Week”. During that week, CAL FIRE is urging homeowners to be ready for wildfires. Wildfire Awareness Week is designed to not only remind Californians of the dangers wildfires pose, but also to educate them on how to prepare their property.

So far this year, California has experienced above average rainfall across the state. The increased precipitation has left many areas abundantly green and overgrown. However, as warmer temperatures and drier conditions occur, the grass and brush will begin to dry out and the fire danger will dramatically increase. “This year’s fire season has not started as early as it has in years past,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE acting director. “That's why residents should take the time now, while the grass is still green, to make sure they are ready for California's wildfires.”

This year’s theme for Wildfire Awareness Week is once again the nationwide fire preparedness campaign of “Ready, Set, Go!”. Being Ready for a wildfire starts by maintaining 100 feet of Defensible Space and hardening homes with fire resistant building materials. “This week is a great time for residents to start getting themselves ready for wildfires,” said Chief Pimlott. “It’s the combination of both Defensible Space and the hardening of homes that give a home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.”

Last summer, CAL FIRE launched a new website, www.ReadyForWildfire.org to assist homeowners in preparing for wildfires. The site offers steps residents should take to make their home more resistant to wildfires and to ensure that their family is ready to evacuate early and safely when a wildfire strikes.

CAL FIRE will use Wildfire Awareness Week as an opportunity to answer questions about fire safety and how to be better prepared in an emergency situation.

Wildfire Awareness Week schedule:

· Monday, May 2: Press Conference, CAL FIRE Mobile Equipment Facility, Davis at 1 p.m.

· Tuesday, May 3: Press Conference, CAL FIRE Sunol Fire Station, Sunol at 1:30 p.m.

· Wednesday, May 4: Press Conference, Millerton Lake State Park, Friant at 11 a.m.

· Thursday, May 5: Press Conference, Bogart Regional Park, Cherry Valley at 1:30 p.m.

· Friday, May 6: Press Conference, CAL FIRE / San Diego Rural Fire District Fire Station, Jamul at 11 a.m.

For more information visit www.fire.ca.gov or www.ReadyForWildfire.org.