How to prepare for ‘wildfire season' in San Diego County
Above: FOX 5/KUSI video on wildfire emergency preparedness.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The so-called 'wildfire season' has become a year-round phenomenon for Southern California as the environment reacts to a changing climate.
Even so, with the beginning of summer, the region is entering the time of year when risk reaches its highest points — heat leads to the drying out of vegetation, relative humidity dips and Santa Ana winds pick up to speeds capable of stoking fast-moving fires.
This year has the potential to be an even more active year for brush fires than in years past, between last winter's unusual dryness and a build up of vegetation from the abnormally wet few years that preceded it.
These San Diego areas now considered 'very high fire hazard' zones by Cal Fire
As the peak of fire season approaches, there are a number of things San Diegans can do ahead of time to prepare for the event of a wildfire.
California emergency and fire officials have repeatedly urged property owners across the state to take steps to 'harden' the space. This generally means taking steps to address vulnerabilities that could make a property more resistant to flames in the event of a wildfire.
These steps include creating defensible space around structures; ensuring things like gutters, downspouts and decks are made out of noncombustible materials; installing flame and ember-resistant vents; and ensuring roofs have a Class A fire rating.
Cal Fire has checklists available for property owners to help harden homes and create defensible space on its website.
Another step people should take to prepare for the event of a wildfire is to sign-up for emergency alerts or opt in to some other method to automatically receive up-to-date information from officials.
San Diego County centralizes these alerts, which are used for events like wildfires, floods, earthquakes and more, through AlertSanDiego.
Residents need to opt-in to receive emergency notification text messages, phone calls and emails providing the latest information in the event of a disaster. This could look like updates on evacuations for a wildfire, whether a Red Flag Warning is in place, and more.
The county also has a mobile app, SD Emergency, compiling these updates and other tools in one place.
Some may also have preferred applications to track potential disasters outside of those made available by public entities. For instance, the wildfire tracking app, Watch Duty, has become a go-to for emergency notifications tied to ongoing firefighting efforts.
Sometimes an event like a wildfire necessitates a quick getaway from one's home. Because of this, officials urge people to always have an emergency 'go bag' on hand in case disaster strikes.
The go bag should have supplies to sustain the needs of you and your household for at least 72 hours — or three days. This includes things like water, non-perishable foods, blankets, a first aid kit, cash, important documents, a flashlight and dust masks, among other things.
Prescription medications are also recommended to be added to a go bag, but officials suggest having a two-week supply on hand as opposed to three days.
An interactive checklist is available to guide people creating an emergency supply kit on AlertSanDiego's website. Although Cal Fire has a pneumonic device — the six P's of evacuation — to help people remember what items should be ready to go in the event of an emergency:
People and pets
Papers, phone numbers and important documents
Prescriptions, vitamins and eye glasses
Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
Personal computer, hard drive and disks
'Plastic' like credit cards and cash
Wildfire Quick Links: ➡️ Forecast | 🗺️ | ⚠️ Alerts | 🌫️ | 🔥
In tandem with these supplies, officials recommend putting together a wildfire action plan, mapping out what your household plans to do in the event of an evacuation and how you plant to communicate with each other.
This could look like identifying a predetermined meeting point or escape routes, figuring out boarding arrangements for any pets, and naming a point of contact for the entire family outside the high-risk area in case of separation or difficulty with phone networks.
More information on how to approach crafting a wildfire action and communication plan is available on Cal Fire's website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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