Residents need to know what to do to combat the year round phenomenon. 

By Mary O’KEEFE

Fire season in California is all year long with peak activity expected from July through the fall. The Eaton and Palisades fires were wind-driven. Some reports have wind gusts during the Eaton Fire recorded of up to 170 miles. This type of event is what firefighters and officials have been warning residents about for a long time. It is now known there were a lot of guardrails that were supposedly in place that did not work, including residents being notified of evacuations; however, this fire should be a wake up call to everyone in California: If there was ever a time to harden your home, make a plan for evacuation and to get “Ready. Set. Go” it is now. 

Every year fire departments conduct abatement inspections. For the City of Glendale those inspections begin in March and continue into April.

With the new (March 2025) CAL FIRE-created fire zones and Zone Zero updates, many fire departments have seen the number increase of properties that need abatement inspections. 

“In Glendale we inspected 8,900 [properties] but with the new zones we have an additional 7,400 [that need to be inspected] so that is 16,000-plus for next year’s inspections,” said Fire Chief Jeff Brooks, GFD.

Two bills make up Zone Zero, which creates new requirements for defensible space zones to be created at houses within the “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.”

Zone Zero is mandated by CAL FIRE to create an “ember resistant zone” around houses to protect them from wildfires. 

Brooks added that GFD is working to educate the public on fire safety including how people can harden their house. 

“‘Home hardening’ is the term used to describe vegetation management compliance and building materials used to resist the intrusion of flames or embers projected by a wild land fire. It can be applied to new construction or for retrofitting an older home. Home hardening considers the relationship between your home and its exposure to nearby combustible features such as vegetation, vehicles, accessory buildings or even miscellaneous structures like a fence,” according to CAL FIRE.

Brooks added that examples of clearing a house, or hardening a home, would be to make certain firewood is not stacked near the house and, if the residence has a deck, making certain that beneath it is clear of vegetation. He also said that it is important to have a 1/8 inch mesh that covers attic openings due to embers that can travel miles. 

Although firefighters’ main abatement inspections are in the spring, making certain a house is protected from fire is a year round exercise. 

Brooks said people in the Glendale area can reach out to the Glendale Fire Dept. if they would like someone to come to their house to inspect it, or can reach out if they would like the fire department to share information at meetings like Neighborhood Watch. 

Residents and business owners can find their Fire Hazard Severity Zone by going to https://tinyurl.com/hfcuxa8p. Click on the magnifying glass at the far upper left portion of the website to search an address.