Palm Springs Fire Department urges residents to clear brush for wildfire prevention

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Fire Department is prepared to issue a strong message to residents about the importance of keeping dry brush and fuels trimmed and cleared.

Recent wildfires were still fresh in the memories of residents and firefighters alike. For example, the Prescott Fire this past February torched palm trees and brush, but did not lead to any structure damage or injuries.

Fire Chief Paul Alvarado said prevention efforts paid off in that scenario.

"That is such a prime example of how defensible space will protect homes and lives. We had a pretty significant, dramatic-looking fire. You had 54 palm trees that were burning," recounted Alvarado. "I had conversations with the people that maintain that property two years ago and laid out our expectation of 'you cannot have grass or any kind of vegetation growing within 100 feet of the homes.'"

"And they've done a great job doing that. And that's why you saw no homes were damaged."

A small brush fire on the mountainside in Palm Springs was also put out by firefighters last October. These incidents are reminders of why homeowners need to be prepared and do work to protect their homes ahead of wildfires.

Officials provided these documents to News Channel 3, showing how previous years of brush mitigation reduced the amount of fuels available to burn on different properties throughout the city.

Steve Mullen, a resident of the Little Tuscany neighborhood in Palm Springs, has lived in the area for eight years. He remembered a wildfire that burned on the other side of West Racquet Club, a road just a stone's throw away from his front door.

"It was wild, yeah, given the blustery winds and the flames and the mesquite," he recalled. "The wind was blowing away from this neighborhood, but then [it] shifted towards this neighborhood. So then they evacuated us. Thankfully, nobody was, you know, nobody suffered any property damage."

Mullen thought his neighbors, for the most part, shouldered their burden when it came to trimming brush and maintaining defensible space. Mullen, himself, was an avid gardener, and regularly trimmed his ficus. Still, he thought more could be done.

"Like the mountain communities, there needs to be some sort of encouragement from the local leaders to have full-time, or even part-time people [to] maintain these areas which are susceptible to burns," he suggested.

The Palm Springs Fire Department's brush mitigation push aims to educate about the importance of clearing brush and preventing wildfires from spreading into structures.

Chief Alvarado explained, "It's creating a defensible space where you're maintaining homes, you're maintaining brush away from homes, trees are trimmed up, you're not letting grass get out of control."

"We're not asking residents to completely remove everything but make sure that trees are growing into your roof, make sure that the natural vegetation is spaced far enough apart."

The chief said the Palisades and Eaton Fires were tragic reminders of how a brush fire can turn into an inferno of homes, where structures light adjacent structures on fire.

The fire department will host a brush clearing event at the Palm Springs Visitor Center on Tuesday, May 5th. The exercise will officially kick off the effort. The fire department and city contractors will work on clearing city-owned lots as they encourage residents to take care of brush on their property. All told, about 100 acres of land in problem areas across the city will be targeted in these efforts.

It comes at a critical time. Firefighters said they anticipated more brush growth after several winter storms brought plenty of rain to the Coachella Valley, spurring more growth of grasses and brush. Warm weather quickly dried it out – including a long stretch of record heat in March – leading to more dry fuels than usual.

Fire Marshal Taylor Teeple, who surveyed some parcels of land that needed attention with the fire chief, pointed out the amount of brush he saw this year was the most he's seen. In response, the fire chief thinks the timing is perfect to start the effort.

"That's why May is such a great time, especially in this area," the chief explained about the timing of the kickoff. "We don't really expect too much rain beyond this point. So it's time for us to get out there and start clearing."

His goal is to have all work finished by the start of July. He also hopes the city can lead by example for those who reside in Palm Springs.

"It only takes a couple of neighbors who aren't following the rules and chipping in to create a hazard for everyone," he reminded. His first goal is to educate, but he also pointed out fines could be issued by inspectors to property owners who neglect their brush clearing responsibilities.

The chief asked residents to view the department's webpage, found here, for more information on its fire prevention programs.