2013 Shaping Up to Be Dangerous Wildfire Year, Are You Ready?

On Friday, on a Redlands hilltop with a gorgeous view of the Inland Empire, members the area’s fire agencies had a less than tranquil message: 2013 is shaping up to be a dangerous one when it comes to wild fires.

“We have had an extraordinary start to the 2013 season,” said Ken Pimlott, director with Riverside CalFire. “We’ve had over 1,100 fires and burned almost 40,000 acres in the first four months of 2013. Which is well above, actually almost double the number of fires than we had last year and (above) the five-year average.”

It’s dry this year. It’s a drought year. It’s dangerous, he and fellow speakers -- including Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins, CalFire Southern Region Chief Dale Hutchinson, California Emergency Management Agency Deputy Chief Ralph Domanski and California National Guard Deputy Commander, 163rd Mission Suport Group Lt. Colonel Carrie Colas -- told reporters.

“We have only seen conditions like these maybe three or four times in prior history that we’re aware of,” Pimlott added.

The warnings were part of Wildfire Awareness Week, a campaign created by Governor Jerry Brown. The week was officially observed from May 5-11.

Several cities across the state held similar news conferences in which they appealed to the community to follow three easy steps they are calling, "Ready, Set, Go!"

The tree steps break down as:

• Get ready by clearing brush from around you property creating a defensible space.
• Get set by putting together an emergency supply kit and an evacuation plan. Know what steps you have to take as you prepare to leave your home.
• And then evacuate, said Chief Domanski.

“Our priorities as public servants is life first and property second,” Domanski said. “So when you have residents who want to stay and protect their structures the firefighters focus is then turned from ‘How am I going to defend this structure?’ to ‘How am I going to defend these people?’ ”

Homeowners were encouraged to check out the Ready for Wildfire website, www.readyforwildfire.org for more information on how to prepare. The site offers tips for residents on how to make homes safer and on evacuations.