By Mary O’KEEFE

The public is invited, and encouraged, to come to a meeting of the Crescenta Valley Fire Safe Council (CVFSC) on Oct. 22 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s of the Mountains – Sadler Hall, 2563 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta. A parking lot is located off Cross Street, just north of the building, and there is some street parking as well. 

Since 2009, CVFSC has worked to educate the public and be a proactive organization regarding wildfires. There is also another arm of CVFSC, CV Ready, that helps residents prepare for all types of natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. 

“CVFSC provides a voice for our local community to engage directly with local and federal emergency service providers (at the city, county and national levels) to help identify community fire safety needs and get resources assigned to reduce fire risk in our community,” said Daniel Limonadi, CVFSC president. 

By hearing from local residents CVFSC can tailor its proactive actions toward specific problems in the area. It is also important for community members to join in the work CVFSC is doing as its members move forward in emergency preparedness.

“[We] can apply for grants from state and national fire safe council funding sources that other civic organizations and private citizens typically can’t access – federal and state program grantors view FSCs as trusted, vetted multipliers capable of executing projects across multiple private properties. This would bring resources to bear to increase community safety that otherwise wouldn’t be available,” Limonadi said. 

In the past, CVFSC has sponsored emergency drills, outreach events on fire preparedness and neighborhood abatement support. With the recent wildfires and the possible effects of a strong El Niño, the CVFSC has an important role in protecting the community. 

“CVFSC provides a way to educate the community on the importance of preparedness – for fire risk, you are often only as safe as the most vulnerable property near you, so by reaching out and helping educate the community you can help make your block and neighborhood safer,” Limonadi added. 

All are invited to find out how to help, how to prepare and what the community is facing in the future regarding wildfires and flooding. LA County Fire Dept. will be making a presentation at the Oct. 22 meeting.