Wildfire Public Awareness Campaign

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services (OES) recognizes the importance of personal preparation in the event of a wildfire or other major disaster. San Diego County has faced two major firestorms over the past five years and numerous other fires that have required federal assistance in the county. The last firestorm in 2007 burned approximately 368,000 acres, caused 10 deaths, and destroyed more than 1,700 homes. To mitigate the devastation of future events, the OES embarked on an aggressive Wildfire Public Awareness Campaign. The campaign was an all encompassing effort by OES to ensure county residents are better prepared in the event of a wildfire. To this end, OES created a Wildfire Preparedness Guide and mailed 1.1 million guides to residents living in fire prone areas. County residents were educated in four areas of wildfire preparation: residential defensible space, fire-resistant landscaping, fire-safe residential remodeling, and the AlertSanDiego emergency notification system.