Fair focuses on prevention and planning in case of emergency
Standing in a lush canyon on a warm Friday morning, it seems
hardly necessary to ask organizer Sandra Davidson why she’s going
to the trouble to help put together the first Fire Safety Fair for
San Juan Canyon residents.
Fair focuses on prevention and planning in case of emergency
Standing in a lush canyon on a warm Friday morning, it seems hardly necessary to ask organizer Sandra Davidson why she’s going to the trouble to help put together the first Fire Safety Fair for San Juan Canyon residents.
Davidson was leading visitors around Pioneer Park, a bucolic site about half way up the steep canyon, at 5335 San Juan Canyon Road. Oaks and madrones knit together into a dense canopy, overtopping thick undergrowth. A sunny hillside nearby wears an almost impenetrable mantle of shrubs that are the definition of chaparral. A sign that has toppled over near a community fire pit warns that open fires are forbidden by the California Department of Forestry, under threat of a $5,000 fine.
The thought of the inferno that the canyon would become in the event of a wildfire is inescapable.
The fair will take place Sunday, Sept. 14 from 3 to 6 p.m., with – ironically – a barbecue planned for 5 p.m.
“This is being modeled after something Sandy Lydon put together over in Santa Cruz County,” Davidson said. “He’s been instrumental in getting this going.”
Davidson and Lydon taught together at Cabrillo Community College. Lydon, a former Hollister resident himself, recognized the special threat posed to San Juan Canyon and the roughly 100 homes located there.
The only paved access to the canyon is a winding track that leads nearly to the summit of Fremont Peak. In the event of a fire near the bottom of the canyon, residents would have to evacuate via one of two dirt tracks through a state park or private property.
“We know about the fire danger here,” Davidson said. Davidson, a member of the San Benito Fire Safe Council, said the council already has established prominent address markers that include notations indicating if people own pets, horses or share a home with a handicapped person. The signs also indicate if a water source is available.
Even in a good year water is a precious commodity in San Juan Canyon, and residents guard their supplies carefully.
Lydon will serve as master of ceremonies at the event. Mike O’Connor of the Hollister Fire Department and Mike Marlow of CalFire will speak, along with representatives from Red Cross and insurance services.
Lydon is a retired history professor and the author of “Chinese Gold,” a book detailing the history of Asian immigrants to the Monterey Bay area.
He will discuss the history of fire in San Juan Canyon.
The county Fire Safe Council is comprised mostly of firefighting professionals. For several years, the council has offered free brush chipping to areas of the county where fire danger is high. The chipped materials can be left or hauled away through the program.
People attending the fair are asked to call the council at 623-1677 or e-mail [email protected]
In addition to the council, sponsors include CalFire, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the San Juan and Hollister fire departments and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Those attending will learn how to escape the canyon should fire block the road, what items should be packed out in the event of evacuation, what will happen to animals belonging to absent homeowners, how to prepare an evacuation plan for families and their animals, how to evaluate homeowner’s insurance coverage, and how to create a defensible space around structures.
The council will provide meat and beverages, and those attending are asked to bring a salad, bread or dessert to share, along with table service.
