Residents of San Carlos hills talk fire prevention

A resident of Crestview Park Estates, Bitmansour said she found several other residents living in or near the Crestview neighborhood with the same worries on Nextdoor and soon connected with resident Andi Vachss, who lives on Melendy Drive. Driven to address the suspicious activity at the parks, which close at sunset, Bitmansour and Vachss worked with resident Ken Castle to coordinate a meeting Monday at the Crestview Park Estates Clubhouse to discuss wildfire safety.

With the goal of gauging interest in a neighborhood safety group, Bitmansour, Vachss and Castle invited those living in or near Crestview, Big Canyon and Eaton parks to the meeting to hear from Mark Duri, captain of the San Carlos Bureau of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and Dave Pucci, deputy fire chief with the Redwood City Fire Department, which also serves San Carlos.

Bitmansour and Vachss said after the meeting they were surprised to see dozens of residents turn out for the meeting, during which they were encouraged to report suspicious activities to sheriff’s deputies and work with neighbors to form emergency plans in case of a wildfire.

“I think that just speaks to the fact that everyone shares that concern and wants to make sure that the neighborhood was safe,” said Bitmansour.

Duri said sheriff’s deputies have patrolled Vista and North Crestview parks nightly since residents started calling with reports of gunshots and trash in recent weeks. He said they have largely encountered high school students from San Carlos who are looking for a place to hang out without their parents.

Duri said the deputies are letting those they encounter at the parks know they are closed at night, and have worked with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to post new signs with the park hours on them. He confirmed the shells residents have been finding near the area are from Simunition ammunition, which the company’s website said are non-lethal and used for training law enforcement and military officials.

“When we’re contacting the kids, truthfully it’s really about education,” said Duri. “A lot of them don’t think they’re doing something wrong, so we let them know that you don’t belong here, there’s other places to hang out.”

Duri said deputies have encountered a few individuals who have been cited for being in the park multiple times after sunset, and added he is working with San Francisco officials to repair a hole in the fence separating North Crestview Park and land owned by the San Francisco Watershed. He encouraged residents who observe or see evidence of suspicious behavior to his office so the three deputies and one sergeant working on the bureau’s night shift can respond.

“I’d rather you call us up here for something that’s nothing then you not call us and it actually was something,” he said.

For Pucci, who has responded to major wildfires across the state, the risk of wildfires for the homes in the city west of Alameda de las Pulgas was top of mind. Though he acknowledged recent winters have brought more rain, Pucci said California is still dealing with the legacy of the drought, which left many trees dead or dying. With the fire season extending into November and December, Pucci said fire officials are preparing for a year-round fire season.

Pucci said a fire of less than 1,000 acres raged in Devonshire Canyon decades ago in 1970, and noted history can repeat itself in the area, which has become populated with many more homes in the last 50 years. Though he said the county’s fire departments have a strong mutual response to major fires in the region, Pucci advocated for residents to be realistic about the hazards that may be associated with their homes and encouraged them to work with their neighbors to create evacuation plans in advance of any potential emergencies.

“You want to live in an area that has a really nice view and you get to see the stars … but the cost is there are fire hazards,” he said.

Pucci advised residents to pay close attention to summer wind reports indicating offshore winds on days when the temperatures are warmer in Half Moon Bay or Pacifica than they are in San Carlos. He said maps are currently being drawn across the county to determine what resources and evacuation routes would most effectively address fires in specific geographic areas. He encouraged families and neighbors to talk about what they might take with them, how they would communicate and what routes they would take in event of a fire so they have a plan that works for them.

“We really want the community to be able to support each other,” he said. “You need to look at your neighborhood and talk to your neighbors about this stuff.”

Pucci also noted residents in high-risk fire zones can take steps to protect their homes from the spread of a fire, such as clearing brush and creating a defensible space around their homes as well as using fire-resistant roofing materials.

Having participated in the FIRE SAFE San Mateo County Council, Castle said counties across the state are crafting wildfire safety plans and testing the use of technology such as early detection cameras and weather stations, which may be able to help gauge weather conditions and cut down on response times if they are effective.

Vachss said she and Bitmansour plan to follow up with those who attended the meeting to see what kinds of safety measures they can work on together and noted they were thankful to Duri and Pucci for taking the time to spread the word about what residents can do to prevent fires in the area.

Vachss said her concerns had been growing since she spotted more cigarette butts at Vista and North Crestview parks in recent weeks and found at the meeting she wasn’t the only one with those concerns. She was also gratified to see so many concerned residents attend the meeting, especially at a time when she’s felt more intense winds in the neighborhood lately.

“It’s just a reminder that it’s time to think about this,” she said.

San Carlos residents can call (650) 802-4277 to report suspicious activity to the San Carlos Bureau of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. Visit redwoodcity.org/departments/fire-department/fire-prevention/defensible-space for fire planning tools such as the homeowners checklist and strategies for establishing defensible space around one’s home.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106