Take Your Spring Cleaning Outside

The recent rain is a welcome reprieve from the dry conditions that aided in propelling the devasting Palisades Fire near Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire in the foothills of Altadena. 

But this is no time to rest on our laurels. 

“A few inches of late season rain are not enough to significantly move the needle in reducing our wildfire risk,” said Montecito Wildland Fire Specialist Nic Elmquist. 

In addition to being one of Montecito Fire Department’s resident experts in wildfire prevention and suppression, Elmquist is a qualified Fire Behavior Analyst. In partnership with the National Weather Service, he closely monitors weather systems, fuel moisture levels and overall wildfire risk.

Drought & Red Flag Conditions

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows the majority of Santa Barbara County is in severe drought, with a pocket of extreme drought in the southern part of the county, near Montecito. 

In 2024, the National Weather Service issued 10 days of Red Flag Warnings for Montecito between July and November. 

A quick refresher – to meet the criteria for Red Flag, relative humidity must be 15% or less with sustained winds or frequent gusts of 25 mph or greater.

Already in 2025, we have had five days of Red Flag Warnings for Montecito issued in January alone. 

January 8, the night the Palisades and Eaton Fires ravaged Southern California, Montecito flirted with the threshold of Red Flag conditions. 

“Fire intensity and weather conditions continue to materialize at levels that astound even those of us who have been in the fire service for decades,” said Montecito Fire Chief David Neels. 

While the rain is not a game changer, it does give us additional time to prepare. With that, we ask our community to join us in leaning in and preparing your properties for high fire season. 

Defining Defensible Space

You’ve heard the term “defensible space,” but what does that really mean? Where do you start? How do you create defensible space that will actually help your home survive the next conflagration? 

Defensible space is the buffer you create around your home that is free of flammable plants and objects. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire, and it protects your home from catching fire – either from direct flame contact or radiant heat.

Defensible space also creates a safe zone where firefighters can work to protect and defend your home during a wildfire. 

Creating defensible space is essential to improve your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire, and Montecito Fire Department is here to help you accomplish it. 

Firefighters Inspect for Fire Hazards

As we usher in spring, we remind our community members of the responsibility to prepare for fire season by ensuring your structure and property comply with the regulations set by the state Fire Code.

Each year, we mail a postcard to Montecito residents identifying the date by which all requirements must be met. These requirements include mowing dead grasses to less than two inches, removing dead trees, and ensuring tree limbs are at least 10 feet away from chimneys. 

Additionally, flammable vegetation must be cleared along roads and driveways to provide adequate clearance for fire engines to access your property.

The amount of clearance that is sufficient for a typical civilian SUV is often not nearly enough space to accommodate a large fire engine. If our engines collide with tree limbs and brush along roadways, it may damage the engine, endanger firefighters and delay our emergency response. 

Due to the standard width and height of fire engines, 10 feet of horizontal clearance and at least 13.5 feet of vertical clearance are required by state Fire Code. 

After the designated deadline (typically late June/early July dependent on rainfall and weather conditions), you will see our engine companies driving throughout Montecito visually inspecting over 1,600 properties for compliance. 

Our fire captains divide Montecito into six areas and say the project doubles as a great training opportunity for area familiarization. As they drive the district, firefighters become very familiar with the narrow, winding neighborhoods that comprise much of Montecito. 

Their main priority is to identify access issues and verify that the fire engine can reach a home in the event of an emergency, including wildfire.

Access problems often present as low-hanging tree limbs that would be clipped by the fire engine. These hazard tree limbs are tagged for removal, and the property owner is notified of non-compliance. 

Our firefighters also frequently find leaves and debris on roofs and in gutters, tree branches touching chimneys, dead trees, and tall, cured grass in need of trimming. 

When non-compliance issues are identified on a property, we send a letter to the property owners detailing the necessary actions to remove the hazards and a date for a follow-up inspection. 

In Montecito, our firefighters spend about 150 hours a year completing these inspections, all while staying in their response areas to be ready for any emergency calls for service.

This important work occurs throughout Santa Barbara County. According to Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Fire Marshal Fred Tan, approximately 17,000 parcels are inspected and evaluated for defensible space standards and state Fire Code compliance in the entire county. 

By and large, our firefighters report that our community does a superior job meeting, even exceeding these standards. 

“The defensible space inspections are great because our community is very compliant and that has to do with our residents’ awareness of the fires that have happened here historically and our ongoing risk,” said Montecito Battalion Chief Ben Hauser. 

Still, Chief Hauser estimates that on average, we issue over 100 violations per year. He says most are for poor access.

“We lean on our Prevention staff when we run into a unique situation that needs to be mitigated,” Chief Hauser said. 

Be it a large, dead tree or a vastly overgrown property, Montecito Fire has resources available to assist with mitigation and removal. 

Wildfire Preparedness Property Consultations

Our Wildland Fire Specialists, Maeve Juarez and Nic Elmquist, visit 50-100 properties in Montecito every year to conduct more comprehensive site analyses, known as Defensible Space Surveys. 

“Our unique role as Wildland Fire Specialists enables us to dedicate ample time for consultations with homeowners,” said Maeve Juarez. “We prioritize discussions about structure hardening, defensible space, and evacuation planning without the stress that often accompanies active wildfire threats.”

A Defensible Space Survey is an in-person assessment of your property, examining structures, surrounding vegetation and access routes. 

After each property visit, our specialists provide a thorough report detailing vulnerabilities and specific recommendations for improvement. 

“These site visits give us the opportunity to work closely with homeowners, helping them improve their defensible space and harden their homes against wildfires,” said Juarez. 

For some property owners in Montecito, these Defensible Space Survey reports have been helpful in acquiring or maintaining wildfire insurance. 

“Many residents even benefit from multiple consultations throughout the year, ensuring they utilize all available strategies to safeguard their properties against wildfires,” Juarez said.

Community-Wide Home Hardening

Increasingly, wildfires are spreading as embers fly from structure to structure.

The Palisades and Eaton fires demonstrated the rapidity of home-to-home ignitions. The heat and embers from a structure fire are greater than any vegetation fire of similar size. 

Your home is itself the greatest potential threat to your neighbors’ homes if it ignites. 

As you think about where to start on preparing your property for wildfire, remember that Defensible Space begins from your home and extends outward. Post-fire studies have proven repeatedly that the first five feet from your home, known as “Zone Zero,” are the most critical to address. 

Our Wildland Fire Specialists are here to help identify vulnerabilities unique to your property, advise which upgrades to prioritize, and provide recommendations of trusted contractors to assist with completing the work. 

“By building strong community relationships and empowering residents with knowledge, we aim to enhance Montecito’s resilience and readiness against wildfires together,” Juarez said.

To schedule a Defensible Space Survey with the Montecito Wildland Fire Specialist, go to www.montecitofire.com/defensible-space and complete the form to request a site visit. 

Have a question you’d like to have answered at our upcoming Wildfire Preparedness Community Meeting? Email it to info@montecitofire.com. Meeting details to come.