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Dangerous communities in San Diego County
Are you aware of
what the County has already done?
Unbeknownst to most residents living in the Rancho Santa Fe communities
of Cielo, The Crosby, The Bridges, 4S Ranch and Santa Fe Valley, these communities have already been designated "Shelter-in-Place."
That means that residents are expected to remain in their houses in the event of
wildfire because adequate evacuation routes have not been provided. The designation of "Shelter-in-Place"
was done quietly and most residents remain unaware that such a "fire protection" policy applies to them.
The Rancho Santa Fe Fire District provides the following Shelter-in-Place instructions:
"When the fire front
approaches, go inside your home, take a deep breath and remain as calm as possible."
"Dress properly to shield yourself from the heat, embers and flames. Wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt or jacket,
gloves, boots and a damp cloth to cover your nose and mouth."
"Move interior
furniture away from windows and sliding glass doors to prevent radiant heat from catching the furniture on fire."
"Do not attempt to pick up your children from school or daycare; staff members are trained
to protect your children and will institute proper emergency procedures on site."
"Take a deep breath and stay in control of your situation. With adequate planning and practice
you can be confident in your skill to survive the disaster."
Shelter-in-Place is being marketed
as the "modern approach to living safely in the wildland-urban interface community." Be sure to read the article
in the section of this website entitled "Exploding the SIP myth" and you will learn otherwise.
The use of Shelter-in-Place is yet another scandal in San Diego County.
It is common knowledge that
wildfire is one of the most dangerous, unpredictable and uncontrollable forces of nature. The combination of steep
terrain, Santa Ana winds, and a high fuel load of natural vegetation and chaparral makes Southern California one
of the most fire-prone areas in the world. The 2003 firestorms should have taught us all a lesson
about what will happen if dense developments are crammed into wildland areas.
People living in SIP communities
will instinctively seek to flee, only to find evacuation routes woefully inadequate. Approving new developments based
on a Shelter-in-Place strategy is one of the most dangerous ruses of modern planning and will result in untold numbers
of injuries and deaths.
Note: The above does not even include a discussion
of those developments that make no mention of evacuation or Shelter-in-Place. Escondido Highlands (690 homes)
and Rancho San Pasqual (580 homes) were each approved with only one main road in and out. Both
developments are located in steep, high-fire-hazard areas. Harmony Grove Village, approved and lauded by the Board of Supervisors
on February 7, 2007, will have 742 homes with only one main road in and out. This project has been
described as "urban densities parachuted into a rural valley," with its one twisting road "woefully inadequate"
to handle the project's extra traffic. In the event of wildfire, the residents of these limited-access developments
are set for disaster.
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