Preview of the Table of Contents of 

 "The Politics of Fire - The San Diego Catastrophe"

♦ Chapter 1

        Introduction

        Fire Threat in San Diego County

        The San Diego County Board of Supervisors

        The Stonegate/Merriam Mountain Development

        The Early Stonegate Saga Chronology

        The "Stonegate Papers"

        The Community Becomes Involved

♦ Chapter 2

        The Deer Springs Fire Protection District Board

        Stonegate's Fire Protection Plan

        A Shot Across the Bow: the May 10, 2006 Presentation to the Fire District Board

        Reaction to the Presentation

        A Glaring Conflict of Interest

        Investigating the Fire Board Records

        Stonegate's "Conceptual Wildfire Life Safety & Sheltering Plan"

        Community Fire House Meeting of July 11, 2006

        Transcript of Board Comments

        The Media Becomes Interested

♦ Chapter 3

        Shelter-In-Place (SIP) & Involuntary Shelter-In-Place (ISIP)

        The Variables of ISIP

        Examples of SIP

        Fire Scenarios on Merriam Mountain

        Attempts to Promote SIP (actually ISIP)

        Exposing SIP (actually ISIP)

        Smoke and Shelter-In-Place

        The Potential for Loss Of Life In Wildfires

        Physics of Fire and Evacuation

        General Notes on Evacuation

♦ Chapter 4

        Stonegate’s Fire Protection Plan (FPP)

        FPP Rejected by County (Bad Publicity)

        The August 31st Rejection Letter

♦ Chapter 5 

       The Political Race for Supervisor (Horn vs. Thompson)

        The District Fire Board Elections

        The New Fire District Board and Quite a Surprise

        Another Fly in the Ointment

        The Meadowlark

♦ Chapter 6

        Exposing Stonegate to the Government

        Federal Contacts

        State Contacts (What is wrong with CalFire?)

        Local Contacts

♦ Chapter 7

        Stonegate's Fire Protection Plan Approved by San Diego County in the Dark of Night

        Content of the Stonegate's Final Fire Protection Plan

        Rejection of Stonegate's Fire Protection Plan by the Fire District Board

        The Fire Chief Too?

        Evacuation Revisited

        Shelter-In-Place Returns

♦ Chapter 8

       The Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

        An Attempt at an End Run

        The Deer Springs Fire District Board Responds to the EIR

        The Community Responds to the EIR

        Contortions by San Diego County to Hide the Truth

        A Fire Board Member Resigns

        The Fox In Charge of the Chicken Coop?

        Fire Board Elections of 2008

        Conclusion