Come to the Second Annual Olivenhain Wildfire Preparedness Fair!

Although preparedness for wildfire is a year-round necessity in wildland-urban interface communities like Olivenhain, May is National Wildfire Awareness Month. That’s why on Saturday, May 7, the Olivenhain Fire Safe Council (OFSC) will hold its second Wildfire Preparedness Fair. Featuring first responder agencies, community organizations and professionals to help attendees identify their preparedness needs and find vendors who can help them, the fair will take place from 10 am to 2 pm, at the Olivenhain Meeting Hall, 423 Rancho Santa Fe Road, in Encinitas.

The event, designed to appeal to adults and kids alike, will include representatives of the OFSC, Encinitas Fire Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Forest Service, San Diego Humane Society, Nature Collective, Encinitas Trails Coalition, the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, United Policyholders, CERT and the Olivenhain Town Council, among others. A special guest will be Smokey Bear, and there will be fire engines on display and the Humane Society’s Incident Command vehicle. Fairgoers can take home informational materials to help prepare their homes and families, and there will be popcorn, water and giveaways.

A new feature this year will be presentations in the Meeting Hall about evacuation, fire-wise landscaping, and preparedness for pets of all sizes and species. (Schedule posted on olivenhainfsc.org/events-one.)

Professionals will be on hand to explain new real estate laws governing sales in the wildland-urban interface, how to harden homes and create defensible space to protect properties, and landscaping considerations to make homes more fire-safe.

“The lifting of COVID restrictions has really opened up the possibilities for our preparedness fair,” said Sarah Lifton, OFSC chair. “We’re thrilled there has been so much positive response from the agencies, organizations and professionals who can help educate the public. We hope everyone in the greater Olivenhain area and neighboring communities will stop by to see what we have to offer.”

The Olivenhain Fire Safe Council was established in April 2020, when a group of concerned residents came together to begin consolidating fire safety efforts in the community. The following month, the OFSC was certified by the executive board of the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, which oversees all fire safe councils in the county. With certification, county FSC resources, such as free wood chipping, became available to Olivenhain residents.