Ventura County Fire Department

CAMARILLO, Calif. – On April 20, the Ventura County Fire Department will mail nearly 14,000 weed abatement notices to property owners with land covered under the Fire Hazard Reduction Program. The notices inform property owners that they must establish a 100-foot clearance on their land to protect against wildfires.
“That 100-foot clearance is a critical tool for fighting wildfires,” said Fire Prevention Officer Craig Morgan. “It establishes what we call a defensible space, a buffer zone around a home that gives firefighters a much better chance of saving the structure.”

Homeowners face a June 1 deadline for clearing their property or having the county do it at the homeowner’s expense.

The program has taken on added urgency in the county as more development has occurred in what the fire service calls the Wildland Urban Interface, the area where development borders a natural area. Homes and property in these areas are at a much higher risk from a wildfire and the Fire Hazard Reduction Program was initiated to minimize that risk.

The Ventura County Fire Department started the program in 1965 and the statistics show that voluntary compliance with the program is extremely good thanks to the efforts of the engine companies and fire inspectors who supervise the work and, secondly, that the compliance continues to improve even though many more notices are now being sent than were originally mailed when the program began.

The Fire Hazard Reduction Program is operated out of the Fire Prevention Bureau. It is led by Fire Prevention Officer Craig Morgan and staffed by one full-time, and one part-time fire inspector, an office assistant and about six seasonal fire control workers. Local engine companies also assist in the compliance inspections.