The farmers and rural area landowners in Vacaville were hit hard in August 2020, when the LNU Lightning Complex Fire burned 350,000 acres, destroying nearly 1,500 structures and killing six people. A handful of those most affected were farmers. At the time of containment, the LNU Lighting Complex was the fourth-largest wildfire in the recorded history of California.
Fire is considered a significant and recurrent threat in Solano County. One major fire in a populated rural area can potentially cause several million dollars of damage as well as possible loss of life.
Locally, in response to that threat, the Pleasants Valley Agriculture Association (PVAA) launched the PVAA Community Fire Safety Council in May at the start of the 2021 fire season.
“After the devastating fire of August 2020, it has become apparent to many of us that for our own peace of mind and the safety of our community, it is more important than ever to join together and discuss the benefits of a fire preparedness plan,” PVAA founding member and co-owner of Morningsun Herb Farm Rose Loveall said in a press statement at the time.
Over 140 people attended the kickoff meeting in May at the Moose Lodge in Vacaville. The meeting included speakers from Cal Fire, the Vacaville Fire Protection District, the Solano County Sheriff’s office, the Green Valley Fire Safety Council, Solano County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Solano Resource Conservation District (RCD),
The PVAA Community Fire Safety Council was actually birthed last fall.
“We already had a core group in PVAA, and everyone in PVAA was affected by the fires,” said Loveall. “We began to meet by Zoom with groups in Yolo and Solano counties last fall. After a few months of attending those meetings we did a breakout session and Rochelle Sherlock of the Green Valley Fire Safe Council urged us back in April to jump in and get it started.”
The group, which meets on the second Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at Soul Food Farms at 6046 Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville, is open to everyone. They had 56 in attendance in July.
The Council encompasses three valleys, including Pleasants Valley, Cherry Glen, Cantelow, Gates Canyon, Mix Canyon, Gibson Canyon, and English Hills.
“Eventually we may become more than one Fire Safe Council,” said Loveall. “It’s a lot of work to start a Fire Safe Council. As we work our way out and get more training, I think people may want to have their own Fire Safe Council.”
The PVAA Council coordinates with Solano RCD, OES, and the Vacaville Fire Protection District. OES and the Sheriff’s Office keep the Council informed of fire safety steps they are taking in the community. RCD is the countywide version of the local fire safety councils and is instrumental in helping those councils attain grants.
“One of our first orders of business because we can’t apply for grants until next spring is putting together a neighborhood call tree,” said Loveall. “We will have neighborhood captains in charge of 25 landowners. A lot of neighbors have livestock and animals and older people especially may need help.”
Another project that has been very successful with other fire councils is neighborhood shipping of green waste. Residents bring their waste, such as wood chips, to a central location, either a homeowner’s or a county site, and the waste is shipped out. The wood chips can then be used for fuel.
The Council also helps people get their homes and properties ready for fire, teaching about weed abatement and lending a hand with those tasks when possible.
“This year a lot of it has to do with taking care of landscaping close to the house, teaching people to take a much closer look at where they plant stuff,” said Loveall. “They need to remove or prune so that there is space between the fuel ladder, shrubs, and trees or wooden fences. Some people are changing their fences from wood to metal.”
The law calls for 100 feet of defensible space around your residence to protect not only your home but also the firefighters battling to save it. Keep 30 feet around your house clear of all vegetation. The remaining 70 feet will depend on the steepness and type of plantings on the property.
Although there haven’t been any sizeable fires in the three valleys so far this year, Loveall said that is no reason for complacency.
“A lot of people think that since we burned last year there is no fuel, but there is plenty of fuel,” she said. “Dead trees are standing and a lot of the plants have resprouted. If we don’t get good rain in November or October like we used to then fire season can go till Christmas. A lot of people are just on wells so they can’t water all their land.”
On the other hand, too much rain this fall could cause mudslides.
“Everyone is praying for a normal season,” she said.
Loveall thinks fire prevention methods that local farmers are taking have been effective.
“Everyone is hypervigilant when they are mowing and weed whacking,” she said. “When you mow it is important to mow early in the morning when conditions are calm and there is a little more dew on the foliage.”
That way if the mower blade hits a rock, the spark is less likely to start a fire. She said it is also important to keep a water source nearby.
Loveall and others on her leadership team will be attending a risk assessment seminar on August 1 sponsored by the Green Valley Fire Council. There they will learn more about setting up evacuation routes, which will be on the agenda for the next PVAA Fire Council meeting on August 9.
Residents can sign up for emergency alerts at www.alertsolano.com.
For more information on fire safety, visit www.readyforwildfire.org.
For more information on the PVAA Community Fire Council, call Rose Loveall at 707-888-5013.
