By Mary O’KEEFE

The Crescenta Valley Fire Safe Council (CVFSC) has voted in a new board and new officers. 

The CVFSC, a non-profit organization, was created in 2009 soon after the Station Fire. The purpose of the Council is to highlight fire concerns of residents in the foothills community.

Initially, the focus of the CVFSC was on the Briggs Terrace area, a neighborhood that only has one way in and one way out. The streets are narrow and due to unreliable cellphone service this area was of great concern during the 2009 Station Fire … and continues to be an issue.

The CVFSC has worked on proactive programs to inform and protect Briggs Terrace residents. It has also worked on the same proactive programs to help other area neighborhoods.

The CVFSC had expanded its reach to include all of the Crescenta Valley and the areas along the foothills. The Eaton and Palisades fires of January 2025 have ignited [pun intended] former and new board members to reach out to inspire more involvement from the community. 

Last week, the CVFSC voted in a new slate of officers that includes Daniel Limonadi as president and Dede Mueller as vice president. There will be a meeting held at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church in Sadler Hall on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. until about 8:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting will be to reintroduce CVFSC to the public, offer new memberships to the board and allow the community to increase its preparedness for future fires, according to Limonadi. The meeting is only scheduled to last one hour with time set aside for questions.

There are new fire prevention requirements that have been issued, including Zone Zero. Zone Zero is the five feet of defensible space around a structure; the area is considered critical because wind-driven embers during wildfires frequently ignite items in that area rather than the building’s main walls.

These are issues in which the CVFSC can help with distributing information and partnering with fire departments, U.S. Forest Service and CalFire. In addition, CVFSC can work with elected officials on specific issues in the area and partner with other fire safe councils. 

Everyone is invited to the Oct. 22 event to learn not only how CVFSC supports the community but how to get involved.