Greater Valley Center Fire Safe Council

05/29/2023

06/11/2022

09/06/2018

Month is about having a plan for even the four-legged members of your household. Don’t forget to have a current picture of your pet so that they can be easier to locate if they end up separated from you during an emergency. Practice and post your pet selfie below! Learn more at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Animal-Evacuation/

03/21/2018

http://sdgenews.com/safe-community-wildfire-preparedness/community-roundtables-addressing-wildfire-risk

02/15/2018

Almost 275,000 customers are receiving a bill discount through SDG&E’s CARE and FERA programs. Simply fill out an online enrollment form and find out if you’re eligible. You might also qualify for free energy-efficient home improvements. Visit sdge.com/Assistance, call 1-800-411-7343 or email [email protected].

02/15/2018

by Jim Courter

The Valley Center Fire Safe Council held another in its its series of successful Chipping Day events Saturday, with residents bringing in 143 loads - a new record - of branches, trimmings and other yard debris. Several residents were amazing with their efforts by bringing in multiple loads, with the record for a single individual being 8 full size pickup truck loads.
All the chips are being returned to the community, either by residents taking them home from the event, or by the dumpster load.
The chipping events are open to all residents and there is no charge for the service. They are held on the second Saturday of each even-numbered month, with the next one being April 14.
Funding for the events is provided by CalFire, with generous support by the Valley Center Municipal Water District and Valley Center Fire Protection District. For more information see the FSC website, vcfiresafecouncil.org.

12/17/2017

With dry conditions expected and no rain in the forecast throughout California, the time is NOW to put together your emergency supply kit. Remember the 6 P’s to help ensure that you do not forget the important things. Keep your kit in an easily accessible location or in your car, and keep your car’s gas tank full. More: ReadyForWildfire.org

12/01/2017

The Greater Valley Center Fire Safe Council will run its last Community Chipping Day of the year on Saturday, December 9 from 9 am-3 pm. All residents are invited to bring cut bushes, branches and yard trimmings to the site for free disposal. The site, as usual, will be the field across from the Community Center on Lilac Road.

The event is free to everyone.

We ask that you do not bring bagged yard waste or palm fronds as they cannot be handled by the chippers. Branches up to 6 inches in diameter can be chipped if they are fresh.

Chips are available to be blown directly into trailers or other means of transport of your choice. If you intend to have chips blown directly into a truck bed, please bring some means to protect the rear windows such as a sheet of plywood or heavy cardboard cut to fit into your truck. The chips are sharp and can damage windows and window gaskets, as well as scratch paint.

The updated schedule for the rest of the year and 2018 will be the second Saturday of each even numbered month. The next 3 are:

* December 9
* February 10, 2018
* April 14, 2018

We will keep an updated schedule of chipping and other events posted on vcfiresafecouncil.org. Or please contact the Fire Safe Council directly at [email protected].

These events are sponsored by the Greater Valley Center Fire Safe Council with support from the Valley Center Municipal Water District, in coordination with the Valley Center Fire Protection District and funding through CalFire.

09/15/2017

Chipping Day!

October 14

All residents are invited to bring cut bushes, branches and yard trimmings to the site for free disposal. The site will be as usual the field across from the Community Center on Lilac Road.

28237 Lilac Road, Valley Center, CA. 92082.

The event is free to everyone.
We ask that you do not bring bagged yard waste or palm fronds as they cannot be handled by the chippers. Branches up to 6 inches in diameter can be chipped if they are fresh.
Additionally, we will have information on Barricade Fire Blocking Gel available, and information on the Fire Safe Council's program to distribute free gel to area residents.
Regarding taking home chips: Chips are available to be blown directly into trailers or other means of transport of your choice. If you intend to have chips blown directly into a truck bed, please bring some means to protect the rear windows such as a sheet of plywood or heavy cardboard cut to fit into your truck. The chips are sharp and can damage windows and window gaskets, as well as scratch paint.

06/25/2017

04/26/2015

Photo: Jim Courter
Evacuation route safety: fuel reduction work along Lilac Road.

VC Fire Safe Council approved for $188,000 in state grants

Remember those $135 payments we make to the State Board of Equalization each year for State Responsibility Area “ fire fees “ ? Some of that money is coming back to help Valley Center better prepare for wildfires.
The Greater Valley Center Fire Safe Council has been approved by CalFire to receive 3 grants totaling $188,000 for three projects, funded from a $10,000,000 allocation of the money approved by the state legislature.
The first grant, for $130,000, will be for a continuation of the Fire Safe Council’s ongoing project to improve safety along routes that residents would be likely to travel in the event of an evacuation, with the work on this phase being concentrated on Woods Valley and Paradise Mountain Roads. A contractor will be hired to reduce flammable vegetation along the road rights of way.
The second, for $50,000, will be to continue the series of popular Community Chipping Days, where local residents bring freshly cut branches and other potential wildland fuel from their properties to be chipped and disposed of by contractors hired by the Council.
The third grant, for $8,000, will be to fund a wildland fuel reduction project in the Eden Valley area of Valley Center.
A time frame for work on the projects has not been established, but will follow the completion of needed environmental assessments of the areas to be worked on to comply with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
A number of people were involved in the effort to apply for and land these grants. The areas for fuel reduction were chosen in consultation with Valley Center Fire Protection District Chief Joe Napier, Valley Center Fire Marshal George Lucia, and Cal Fire Battalion Chief Cristina Williamson. Chief Williamson, Amy Meyerchik of the Valley Center Fire Protection District, Fire Safe Council Grant Coordinator Mike Ostanik and Fire Safe Council President Jim Courter all were critical in identifying, developing and submitting the grant proposals and in bringing the money back to Valley Center.
Current information on schedules and work areas will be available on the Greater Valley Center Fire Safe Council’s page as planning progresses.