Olivenhain Fire Safe Council invites the public to expanded Wildfire Preparedness Fair

Although preparedness for wildfire is a year-round necessity in wildland-urban interface communities like Olivenhain, May is officially National Wildfire Awareness Month. That’s why on Saturday, May 7, the Olivenhain Fire Safe Council (OFSC) will hold its second Wildfire Preparedness Fair. Featuring first responder agencies, community organizations and professionals to help attendees identify their preparedness needs and find vendors who can help them, the fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Olivenhain Meeting Hall, 423 Rancho Santa Fe Road, in Encinitas.

The event has been designed to appeal to adults and kids alike and will include representatives of the OFSC, Encinitas Fire Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Forest Service, San Diego Humane Society, Nature Collective, Encinitas Trails Coalition, CERT and the Olivenhain Town Council, among others. A special guest will be Smokey Bear, and there will be fire engines on display and the Humane Society’s Incident Command vehicle. Informational materials will be available for fairgoers to take home and help prepare their homes and families, and there will be popcorn, water and giveaways.

A new feature this year will be presentations in the Meeting Hall about fire-wise landscaping, evacuation and preparedness for pets, from livestock to reptiles and everything in between. (Schedule to be posted on olivenhainfsc.org.)

Professionals will be on hand to explain new real estate laws governing sales in the wildland-urban interface, how to harden homes and create defensible space to protect properties, and landscaping considerations to make homes more fire-safe. There will be ample opportunities for attendees to engage with the experts through Q&A sessions and one-on-one interactions.

“The lifting of COVID restrictions has really opened up the possibilities for our preparedness fair,” said Sarah Lifton, OFSC chair in a news release. “We’re thrilled there has been so much positive response from the public agencies, community organizations and professionals who can help educate the public. We hope everyone in the greater Olivenhain area and neighboring communities will stop by to see what we have to offer.”

The Olivenhain Fire Safe Council was established in April 2020, when a group of concerned residents came together on a volunteer basis to begin consolidating fire safety efforts in the community in an organized, deliberate manner, according to a news release. The following month, the OFSC was certified by the executive board of the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, which oversees all fire safe councils in the county. With certification, county FSC resources, such as free wood chipping, became available to Olivenhain residents.

The OFSC’s mission is to mobilize the Olivenhain community to enhance fire prevention, safety and preparedness for all residents, through ongoing outreach, education and collaborative interventions, projects and activities. — News release