In the aftermath of the January wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles, firefighting specialists in Contra Costa County have warned that residents here, too, need to be aware of the risks our region faces — and to prepare in the face of potential fire emergency.   

“A lot of people get to the point where they don’t think it’s going to affect them, but it will affect you, especially fire in your area,” said Thomas Zurflueh, Wildland Battalion Chief at the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, or Con Fire, based in Concord.

“One of the most important things” that civilians can do to prepare for a potential wildfire, he said, is to “be prepared to leave and evacuate at a moment’s notice.”

In an effort to make the county more resistant to massive fires, Zurflueh said Con Fire performs controlled burns, setting fires intentionally to destroy brush buildup that can make future wildfires worse. The agency also creates fire trails whereby all vegetation is removed, leaving just dirt behind. 

“We put in over 400 miles of those fire trails throughout the area,” Zurflueh said, which makes it more “easy for our crews to access and drive down if they have to go out into open spaces, but also provides essentially a blockade for the fire” to prevent it from spreading.

To prepare for a potential evacuation, Zurflueh recommended that residents make a “go-bag” that contains important documents, medications, a change of clothes, drinking water, shelf-stable foods and other items someone would need if their house were to burn down. 

“That seems like a lot, but a little bit can go a long way,” said Zurflueh.  

Another effort to help citizens prepare locally for wildfire is Firewise, a community-led program of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) to educate homeowners about wildfire preparedness and encourage neighbors to “get organized, find direction, and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community.”

Lafayette community organizer Jim Cervantes has led his neighborhood to become one of the newest Firewise communities.

He said Firewise is “a huge community organizing project, and it’s all done at the grassroots.”

“I was just very conscious that our part of Lafayette is in a very high fire severity zone, and that in our neighborhood, we have one way out,” Cervantes said.

One way citizens can be more prepared for a wildfire is to be aware of “zone zero,” which refers to “zero to five feet [of] space around a home” that needs to remain clear of brush, said Cervantes. 

Zurflueh also emphasized the importance of zone zero to prevent fires from raging out of control.

“If you keep that clean and clear away from [zone zero], so that it’s not combustible materials right up against the house, that’s a good thing,” said Zurflueh. 

Zurfleuh said other methods of preparing a house against fire would be to keep “the gutters clear of leaves, [and] keep the roof lines free of debris,” such as tree branches and vegetation that could catch fire.

At Diablo Valley College, buildings and greenery are well-maintained and the concrete parking lots provide a makeshift fire trail surrounding the school. However, Zurflueh warned, “if there’s a big fire in the area, [DVC’s buildings] may not be affected, but the infrastructure that supports the college would be affected.”

“There would be, you know, food services or water service, the power system could go out. Internet could be lost,” he said.

To be prepared for any eventual wildfire that could threaten campus, Sara Parker, the school’s vice president of business and administrative services and co-chair of the Safety Committee, said DVC is doing everything it can to ensure the school is ready.

“We try to keep the campus informed about how to be safe on campus,” Parker said. “We have a great grounds team. They’re very attentive to [fire safety] issues.”

In the event of a fire, Zurflueh advised citizens to leave as soon as they get notice that it is time to evacuate.

For structure fires, Parker explained, “our evacuation map divides the Pleasant Hill Campus into four quadrants, [and] lets people know if you’re in any of those four quadrants, which parking lot you should go to.” 

According to Zurflueh, it’s all about encouraging people’s preparedness to leave on short notice.

Putting out a fire is “labor intensive and it takes a lot of equipment,” he said.

“The longer you stay, you put the firefighters at risk. You also put the community at risk, because we [have] got to evacuate the residents first to make sure people are safe,” Zurflueh added. 

“That’s our first priority.”