Topanga Tim’s Survival Tips —Defensive Space

In the Santa Monica Mountains, it’s pretty much always fire season. But the Fall months often are extra dangerous, with more instances of Santa Ana winds and hot, dry conditions. Even though Fernwood Fred has lived in Topanga for a number of years, he still struggles with the proper way to clear vegetation from his property, without creating a moonscape. This year, he downloaded a great booklet called “A Road Map to Fire Safety: How To Create Defensible Space in the Santa Monica Mountains” (www.fire.lacounty.gov/Forestry/RoadMaptoFireSafety.pdf). He followed the brush clearance and fire hazard reduction tips and now his property is a model for how to protect a home in a wildfire.

“Topanga Tim” is brought to you by the Topanga Emergency Management Plan as a public service.