Homeowner firefighters

Re “Fire chiefs debate ‘stay and defend’ � Jan. 13

The Witch Creek fire hit the area west of Ramona in October 2007. The night before, it was easy to call the path from the wind direction, so I sent off the family and waited with my shovel and hose. I was able to save my house. Generally, within a radius of several miles, the houses left standing were those where someone stayed behind.

As usual, the first to panic were public officials, who ordered a massive evacuation. Only a small percentage of those ordered out were in any significant danger.

Those who built America carved a nation by building homes and communities and holding them against all comers. They would have been nonplused to see their descendants consign exclusive responsibility for defense of modern settlements to “professionals.�

John Stevenson

Ramona

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Mops, garden hoses and buckets don’t cut it. You need more serious ammunition. I know: Our house was untouched in the recent Santa Barbara Tea Fire while neighbors were tragically left with nothing but ashes. It wasn’t luck.

Here’s some of what worked for us:

Prepare in advance. Write up a plan and rehearse it.

At the first word of fire, open electric gates and garage doors and get out flashlights.

Don’t just clear brush; install high sprinklers at the brush line on all sides and aim them into the brush.

Have a plumber install a pipe to the roof and connect it to sprinklers.

Buy a gasoline-powered pump and 100 feet of 1-inch canvas fire hose. Soak structures and landscape with water from a swimming pool if you have one. If not, install a cistern.

All this costs a tiny fraction of the median Southern California home’s value.

It’s your choice: Get serious or get out.

Geoffrey Moore

Santa Barbara