ALPINE, Calif. (KGTV) — How can you best protect your home from a wildfire? That's a question many of you might be asking yourselves after what happened in Los Angeles and right here, in San Diego.
Brush and branches can be fuel for a wildfire, and in places like Alpine, this can be a concern.
Saturday, dozens showed up for a town hall where officials talked about clean-up, evacuation plans and insurance policy.
For Steve Hales, all of this is important as he's trying to make his house as fire resistant as possible.
"When we bought it, it had none of the fire safe features that they're talking about today," said Hales. "Over the years I've been remodeling it and we've been adding to make it fire safe, so coming and hearing the tips they have on how we can further prevent wildfires and mitigate the risk of wildfires is very important to us."
This mitigation effort should be a priority, according to Jason McBroom, the Fire Marshall for the Alpine Fire Protection District.
To make your home safe, McBroom said to create a non-combustible zone by replacing mulch and bark with rock and gravel and substituting wood fencing and gates with metal, concrete or vinyl.
Also, remove tree limbs that extend into the area.
He said it's also important to know the ins and outs of your property.
"They don't understand what are their structural vulnerabilities, and when I go out and conduct an ignition zone assessment, I'll help them identify what are their hazards, what are their risk and what steps they can take to be able to reduce and lower both of those potential vulnerabilities," said McBroom.
As for Hales, he's trimming trees and continuing to refurbish his property. He wants to be prepared just in case.
"I'm doing the best I can given the money and time and I honestly think that I am the best partner the fire department can have for this property because I am doing all this," said Hales.
Officials from the California Department of Insurance also presented at the town hall.
Several tips for people who are wildfire victims:
First, make sure you have a copy of your homeowners insurance policy.
Second, document all of your conversations with your insurer and adjuster about your claim.
Third, track all of your additional expenses that come up.
