22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 26-JULY 2, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com destroying over 117 structures. In total, eight fires ignited in Monterey County that year between June and August, burning 56,108 acres—roughly 2.7 percent of the county’s total land area. For members of what are known as Firewise communities, the accepted fire mantra is: It’s not if, but when. For John Heyl and Kathryn Greenwald, “when” came in the form of the River, Carmel, Tassajara and Soberanes fires. Since moving to their Carmel Valley home in 2010, they’ve been through multiple evacuations— many of which, they say, were positive experiences because local law enforcement coordinated staggered, orderly departures. “When the deadline came on Saturday morning, almost everybody had been willing to leave,” Heyl says. “Whereas people in L.A., the fire was on the ridge and then two hours later, the fire was at the sea. That doesn’t give you much time. If you don’t already have a plan, that’s when the panic sets in.” Heyl and Greenwald are one of 73 homes on their street, and they’ve come to know many of their neighbors through organizing a Firewise Community Group. These local, grassroots groups are formed by residents of a neighborhood or rural area who commit to reducing wildfire risk around their homes. There’s a double benefit to participating, Heyl adds: “It’s not just raising awareness about fire, but it’s raising community awareness, knowing your neighbors, knowing who has a fourwheel drive vehicle and can get out.” Considerable effort and time are demanded to form a recognized Firewise group. To earn official designation—recognized by the National Fire Protection Association and often viewed favorably by insurance providers—residents must commit time and resources. Firewise groups are popping up all over Monterey County, from Aromas to Big Sur, with the largest concentration in Carmel Valley, according to the local Fire Safe Council. There are at least 56 certified Firewise communities in the county. For Heyl and Greewald’s neighborhood, on a south-facing slope near Carmel Valley Village, Heyl’s been developing a three-year plan to address wildfire risks like clearing brush and wooden fences, tracking volunteer hours (a minimum of one hour per household is required per year), and hosting annual community workdays and completion of a neighborhood wildfire risk assessment. “The most challenging part is figuring out who all the people in your defined community actually are,” Heyl says. He used a combination of Google Maps and the county website to research and map out addresses, build a property spreadsheet, and send letters to every home— half of which were returned, revealing that many properties are rentals or owned by people living elsewhere. Some insurance companies offer discounts to homeowners who live in Firewise communities, although it’s not guaranteed. Susie Brusa, a resident of San Benancio, was unexpectedly dropped by her fire insurance—even after presenting a certificate showing her community was actively working on wildfire prevention. She’s now on the FAIR Plan, insurance of last resort. Firefighters, however, view Firewise communities as essential—not just for prevention, but for enabling effective response. They’ve seen these efforts reduce the intensity of wildfires and ease the strain on emergency resources. For Heyl, the benefits go beyond logistics—they bring peace of mind. “People are banding together because you realize you can defend your own property, but if everybody doesn’t do their part, there’s just more fuel to burn,” he says. “Your own work may be for me.” In a Big Sur neighborhood above Pfeiffer Beach, a group of about eight firefighters-in-training are evaluating tree stumps. They are covered in sunscreen, sweat and woodchips, and surrounded by the sweet scent of pine and oak. By 11am the crew had already been out working for about two hours, having started their day at 7am for physical training, breakfast at 8, and a hike up the hill at 9 carrying 40 to 50 pounds on their backs: water, chainsaws, gasoline—all the tools they’d need for the day’s training. The crew is learning forest thinning ergonomics—how to assess the diameter of a tree to determine its size and weight, and how to work efficiently while conserving energy. They considered the tree’s lean, the slope of the ground, and the direction of the wind, all to carefully angle their cuts and triangulate where the tree would fall. One crew member jams a wedge into the trunk and saws with precision, felling the tree. “You guys saw what wind did yesterday,” says Matt Harris, Big Sur Fire Chief, evaluating the level of the stump and explaining how to tell if the chainsaw was being used correctly. “We started off learning how to use a saw, now we’re thinking about what we can do with a saw. We can carve, contour, shape—we can actually make things look nice and cut around a tree.” This work by Big Sur Fire, a mostly volunteer fire department, is thanks to an anonymous $2 million donation, funding a 20-person fire prevention crew for two years. The hand crew, which wrapped up training on May 31, has been deployed to individual homes to help residents create defensible space—free of charge. Fighting fire has proven, time and time again, to be complex in this region: the terrain is steep; access roads are limited; jurisdiction is split between Cal Fire and the Forest Service. This new hand crew, made up largely of graduates from Monterey Peninsula College Firefighter Academy, is already somewhat familiar with Big Sur’s diverse landscapes, Harris says. They now serve a dual role: creating defensible space and standing ready to fight fires when, inevitably, the next one comes. A Cal Fire demonstration shows the significant difference defensible space can make in protecting a home. Resources For more on how to form a Firewise group, visit firewise.org. FSCMC is hosting a Firewise 101 series, 2-3pm every second Wednesday of the month (next is July 9) on Zoom. firesafemonterey.org Big Sur residents can submit a defensible space request online at bigsurfire-fabscabs.hub.arcgis.com. For more information on Big Sur Fire, call 667-2113. To view the Cal Fire hazard maps, visit bit.ly/CalFireMapLink. To read Cal Fire’s Guide to Zone Zero measures and other fire preparedness steps you can take, visit readyforwildfire.org. Sign up for emergency alerts from the County of Monterey by phone call, text and/or email at readymontereycounty.org. You can also text your zip code to 65513. COURTESY OF CAL FIRE THE ACCEPTED FIRE MANTRA IS: IT’S NOT IF, BUT WHEN.
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