With wildfire risk ever-growing, inspectors are hitting the streets to determine how prepared we are.

Erik Chalhoub here, nervously eyeing Cal Fire’s recently updated Fire Hazard Severity Zones Map. My North County home sits in a pocket of bright red.

According to Cal Fire, it’s considered to be in a “Very High” fire hazard area—the most dangerous level of hazard. Not surprisingly, the red area follows the eucalyptus tree forest that surrounds my neighborhood and others.

I’m expecting to see Cal Fire inspectors in my neighborhood any day now to educate residents on the importance of maintaining a defensible space—defined by Cal Fire as an area around structures clear of debris and vegetation. That’s about to happen soon in the Monterey Fire Department’s jurisdiction, as outlined in my colleague Pam Marino’s article in this week’s edition of the Weekly.

The department hired and trained six new defensible space inspectors who completed their training at the end of May, Marino reports. They’ll be going door-to-door to see what vegetation needs to be cut back, as well as bring to light new regulations requiring neighborhoods in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel to have a 100-foot defensible space.

The devastating Los Angeles County wildfires at the beginning of the year was a reminder that fire can strike anywhere and destroy entire neighborhoods in a matter of minutes. No where is “safe,” but we can take steps to minimize the severity of destruction should a fire come knocking on our doors.

I recommend you read Marino’s article to learn more.