Throughout the week of May 5-11 – declared as Wildfire Preparedness Week by Gov. Newsom – Cal Fire and fire agencies throughout California are reminding residents about the growing risk posed by wildfires and the importance of taking action to prepare for and prevent them.

Cal Fire urges everyone to remember “Ready, Set, Go!”

• Be Ready: Create and maintain defensible space and harden your home against flying embers.
• Get Set: Prepare your family and home ahead of time for the possibility of having to evacuate.
• Be Ready to GO!: Take the evacuation steps necessary to give your family and home the best chance of surviving a wildfire.

Today, Cal Fire held the second in a series of six press conferences this week to mark Wildfire Preparedness Week. Our Senior Vice President of Electric Operations Dave Geier joined leaders from Cal Fire, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), and other public safety officials to spread the preparedness message at OCFA’s Station 41 at Fullerton Airport.

SDG&E serves customers in Southern Orange County and closely collaborates with OCFA on wildfire safety. Under an operating agreement with OCFA, we make available our Aircrane – the largest firefighting helicopter in the country – to fight fires in Southern Orange County, when crews are available and when it’s not occupied with fighting other fires.

SDG&E contracts for the Aircrane to be stationed year-round at Gillespie Field in El Cajon to protect the communities where our customers live. Cal Fire San Diego directly dispatches the Aircrane to where it’s needed.

Why wildfire preparedness week

In recent years, wildfire preparedness and prevention has taken on a new level of importance in California, as many communities have suffered from record loss of lives and properties due to catastrophic wildfires. Exacerbated by climate change, wildfires have become a year-round phenomenon, growing in both frequency and severity.

In his proclamation declaring May 5-11 Wildfire Preparedness Week, Gov. Newsom noted that the 10 most destructive wildfires in California have occurred in the past four years.

“Climate change has created a new wildfire reality in California,” the proclamation read. “Persistent drought, warmer temperatures, and more severe winds have created conditions that will lead to more frequent and catastrophic fires.”

Learn more

You can learn more about SDG&E’s wildfire safety efforts and what you can do to prepare at sdge.com/wildfire-safety. We urge all customers to update their contact information with us so we can notify them in the event that power needs to be turned off to protect public safety.

Visit http://www.readyforwildfire.org/ for wildfire prevention tips. Cal Fire also has an app called Ready for Wildfire available for download at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Ready-for-Wildfire-App/.