COUNTYWIDE : County Crews Take to Brush-Laden Hills to Prepare for Fire Season

Fire-prevention workers are descending on brush-laden hillsides throughout Ventura County this month and next to clear weeds and grass that feed wind-whipped fires that threaten homes every year.

County fire officials began issuing weed-abatement notices to property owners earlier than usual this year because of the large amount of winter rainfall that fueled vegetation growth, officials said.

“We’re working six days a week, 14 hours a day just to clear it all away,” said Terry Raley, head of the weed-abatement program for the Ventura County Fire Department.

“After five years of drought, we’re back to a normal fire season.”

The Ventura County Fire Protection District mailed about 22,000 notices to property owners, ordering them to clear brush from around their homes.

The required 100-foot perimeter between vegetation and homes will help firefighters protect structures from brush fires, Raley said.

If a property owner does not comply, a fire district contractor will do the work at the owner’s expense, Raley said.

A $221 administration fee plus the contractor’s fee will be added to the owner’s property-tax bill, he said.

Notices with a deadline of April 27 were mailed to property owners in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Moorpark, because those areas are usually the first to dry out, Raley said.

Owners in Camarillo, Ojai, Piru and Fillmore have until June 8, and property owners in the Lockwood area have until June 20, he said.

Officials expect that about 21,000 of those notified will clear their own properties, about 250 will request that the Fire Department do the work for a fee, and about 750 will fail to comply, Raley said.

“I have never seen more people involved in fire protection than those here in Ventura County,” said Raley, who has headed several fire-prevention programs throughout California.

“People here are more aware because of the Oakland and Santa Barbara situations.”

In 1990, the Thousand Oaks Fire Department received letters of thanks from residents of Sapa Street, where a brush fire burned more than 100 acres but did not destroy any homes.

Raley said, however, that credit should go to the residents because of good weed abatement.

“We’ve had our share of large fires, but we’ve lost only a few structures because of people’s involvement in the program,” Raley said.

The program cost the fire district about $200,000, which is later recouped from non-complying property owners.

“Paying for the costs upfront is better than paying millions of dollars later after wildfires have done their damage,” he said.