San Diego Fire | Page 11 | FerrariChat

San Diego Fire

Discussion in 'California (Southern)' started by rrobello, Oct 22, 2007.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. rtking

    rtking Formula Junior

    Mar 5, 2006
    703
    Huntington Beach, CA
    Full Name:
    Bob King
    Wow... I'm speechless. I'm glad your house (and new house) are OK, and thanks for sharing the photos. My cousin and his wife married at the Cielo Club House only 2 months ago. It's eerie seeing that the fire almost got to the club house.

    Bob
     
  2. TestShoot

    TestShoot F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 1, 2003
    12,026
    Beverly Hills
    probably your bong? :rolleyes:
     
  3. hank sound

    hank sound F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2004
    5,953
    Burbank, CA
    Full Name:
    Hank Garfield
    Jon,

    The home you and your family live in---the one you're building on that hill top---the cherished old Fcars that you are bringing back to a state of "rebirth"----and all the other "stuff" of your world, through all this hellish firestorm nightmare, you never spoke of your fears and pain - other than to say "I'm nervous". The words "mine" or "the Dino cars" or "our possessions", were instead, replaced by your concern for those around you.

    I like where you're coming from------------and I'm glad that your family will be able to return:)

    Hank
     
  4. Cannoli

    Cannoli Formula Junior

    Nov 7, 2003
    356
    California
    Full Name:
    Norman
    #254 Cannoli, Oct 26, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Jon - very impressive stand the firefighters did, but I'm really impressed on the proactive approach your community has taken towards living in harmony with the fire risk. Here is what was published in today's Union Tribune rag about the "Shelter-in-place" concept:

    *****************
    Exclusive homes emerge unscathed as fire-protection concept is tested

    By Lori Weisberg, Roger Showley and Emmet Pierce
    STAFF WRITERS

    October 25, 2007

    A disputed land-use strategy designed to protect new developments from devastation in the county's exurban, fire-prone areas appears to have passed its first and most critical test this week.

    As the Witch Creek fire raced through some of San Diego County's priciest neighborhoods and crept to the edge of others north and east of Rancho Santa Fe, not a single home in the five subdivisions that have implemented the strategy was lost, fire authorities said.

    The communities, which together cover hundreds of acres, are The Bridges, The Crosby, Cielo, Santa Fe Valley and 4S Ranch.

    Officials with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District credit the lack of property damage to a defensive program called “shelter in place.” It is a wildfire protection plan that imposes construction and landscaping standards intended to be so stringent – including mandatory interior fire sprinklers and broad swaths of protective landscaping – that homeowners can remain sheltered in their houses if they cannot evacuate.

    The five communities, all within the Rancho Santa Fe fire district, are the only ones in the county where the plan has been adopted.

    Critics remain skeptical and insist that the county's continued willingness to permit development in outlying areas with little infrastructure puts people at risk no matter how strict the regulations are.

    “Shelter in place doesn't change the fact you're building in a danger zone,” said anti-sprawl activist Duncan McFetridge, president of Save Our Forest and Ranchlands.

    Keith Harrap, an assistant commissioner with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Sydney, Australia, has been watching the San Diego County fires on TV. Broader use of shelter-in-place programs would make the defense of homes in the county much easier, he said.

    After major wildfires in 1994, Australia “totally embraced” shelter-in-place strategies and property losses have greatly diminished, he said.

    “A correctly managed shelter-in-place community reduces the fuel levels in proximity to the properties to such an extent that they cannot support a fire,” Harrap said.

    The shelter-in-place concept remains a subject of debate among fire-prevention professionals in the United States, said Ronny Coleman, former California state fire marshal and vice president of Emergency Services Consulting Inc. in Elk Grove.

    The program is controversial, he said, because fire officials don't know exactly when evacuations should occur.

    “Let's say your house is set up for sheltering in place. What about the neighbors on each side of you? There is a lack of confidence on most fire officials' part about when it is safe to leave people in these areas.”

    Local fire officials say the unscathed homes speak for themselves.

    “I believe shelter in place made the difference in this case,” Rancho Santa Fe Fire Marshal Cliff Hunter said. “The bottom line is if you build appropriately and place the houses appropriately, and the landscaping and vegetation are appropriate, the homes should still be there.”

    Probably the most dramatic example of that is Cielo, a development of 178 multimillion-dollar custom homes that escaped damage despite a blaze that blackened hillsides all around it.

    “It's quite amazing,” said Mike Andrews, a superintendent for Rancho Cielo Estates, developer of the subdivision. “When you look up at the homes from the bottom of the hill, you see that the whole hill is black until you get within 100 feet of that house, and from there up to the house, it's green.

    “I was just blown away to see how well everything worked.”

    Hunter had heard that 12 families remained in the development despite an evacuation order. The idea behind shelter in place, though, is not to let people remain in their homes when an evacuation is ordered.

    But if conditions become too dangerous to leave and access to roads becomes impossible, then residents who stay in their homes will be much safer.

    Common requirements for homes built in the shelter-in-place communities include indoor fire sprinklers, noncombustible roofs, wide roads and driveways for firefighting equipment and 100 feet of defensible space around homes with irrigated, fire-resistant plants.

    Earlier this year, county supervisors expanded the concept by adopting shelter-in-place guidelines for developers wishing to build in backcountry areas where access is limited. They include tough building and landscaping standards with the requirement that property owners pay for monitoring and enforcement.

    The county policy defines shelter in place as “a last-resort design concept with relocation (evacuation) of residents to a safe location being the preferred action.” No projects incorporating the new guidelines have been submitted since the standards went into effect, county planning officials said.

    Paul Marks, chairman of the San Dieguito Community Planning Group that reviewed the existing shelter-in-place projects, said he remains skeptical that the idea worked in this week's firestorms. The Witch Creek fire was not a valid test because the threat to those particular communities was not significant enough, he said.

    Richard Montague, whose Firesafe 2000 company of retired fire chiefs prepared some of the shelter-in-place plans, said the guidelines only work if homeowners and their communities maintain the strict standards for landscaping, construction and other improvements.

    Joel Hirschhorn, author of “Sprawl Kills – Better Living in Healthy Places,” says shelter-in-place developments might provide “a second line of defense” but they can't overcome the problem of building homes in suburbs subject to wildfires.

    Crosby homeowner Dennis Samaritoni was relieved to learn that houses in his development were spared. But he said the fire-safety regulations didn't necessarily make him feel any safer. He and his wife evacuated from their 5,500-square-foot golf-course home Monday morning.

    “We lived through Hurricane Andrew,” Samaritoni said, “and I lived in the Bay Area during the Loma Prieta earthquake, so when someone says there's an impending disaster, we leave.”

    *****************
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  5. BrianZuk

    BrianZuk F1 Rookie

    Feb 18, 2007
    4,607
    NorCal (Bay Area)
    Full Name:
    BrianZuk
  6. johnhoughtaling

    johnhoughtaling Formula 3

    Nov 6, 2002
    2,101
    New Orleans
    Full Name:
    John William H.
    I'm very sorry for all of you that have been affected by this tragedy. Those of us in New Orleans unfortunately know what you are going through and will have to go through.

    My advice is to be very careful with your insurance company. They are not your friend, and they will cheat you if they can get away with it. Some things seem very clear but are not. Especially the timing of reimbursments. They should be sending you "advances" for living expenses commesurate with your standard of living. If they are not, look out.

    If any of you need any advice you're welcome to call me, and I'd be glad to give you advice without charge.

    My lawfirm represents the State of Louisiana, several class A highrises in Downtown New Orleans, and many significant buisness and properties affected by Katrina and Rita, and I'm a guest legal expert for several local TV stations on insurance related issues, and have recently been asked to give a seminar on insuruance issues and natural disasters in Rancho Santa Fe. The issues surrounding the claims are very similar, as are the traps often set by insurers that you often find out about when its too late. Making a mistake in the preservation of your claim process can be very costly.

    If you need any advice you're welcome to call me at 504-456-8649, I'd be glad to give you some tips without charge. Tell my secretary that your a friend from Fchat, and she will get through to me.
     
  7. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,384
    Texas!
    Do you mean that my insurance company don't love me? Are you saying that insurance is a rigged game? (BTW, three economists won Nobels this year because their research confirmed that insurance is a game you can't win. Imagine that.)

    John is right, though. You should pull your policies (that is if they didn't burn up) and read them carefully. Pay careful attention to the notification rules, and don't settle for the first offer if you don't think that it is right.

    Good luck, Dale

    PS Guess who has made more than a potfull of money in the insurance bidness? That's right, Grandpa Buffet.
     
  8. Stbernard

    Stbernard Karting

    Mar 29, 2007
    78
    USA
    Full Name:
    Benjamin
    #258 Stbernard, Oct 26, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  9. hank sound

    hank sound F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2004
    5,953
    Burbank, CA
    Full Name:
    Hank Garfield
    Oh my God!!! I'm so sorry-----------------------but glad that you're all OK.

    Hank
     
  10. TestShoot

    TestShoot F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 1, 2003
    12,026
    Beverly Hills
    holy crap!
     
  11. BrianZuk

    BrianZuk F1 Rookie

    Feb 18, 2007
    4,607
    NorCal (Bay Area)
    Full Name:
    BrianZuk
    Oh my God, thats horrible!!! Poor CS and GT3 RS. My condulences to the owner, that must really suck :(
     
  12. Dilancer

    Dilancer F1 Rookie

    Jan 28, 2007
    3,388
    Los Angeles
    Full Name:
    Dilan B.
    Oh man! Sorry to hear that. As long as a human life has been saved its all good. I'm sure the cars can be replaced. Glad no one got hurt.
     
  13. 1ual777

    1ual777 F1 Rookie

    Mar 21, 2006
    2,948
    Orange County, CA
    As painful as it is to look at, no-one was injured or killed. A material thing can be replaced.
     
  14. JERRYZ

    JERRYZ Formula Junior

    Sep 1, 2004
    658
    Orange County, CA
    Mark, we'll be crossing our fingers for you. I hope all is well for you guys.
     
  15. markymark360f1

    markymark360f1 Formula 3

    Dec 15, 2004
    1,279
    San Diego
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Fire came close, but we are ok.
    Thank you.
     
  16. Z400Central

    Z400Central Formula Junior

    Dec 23, 2003
    436
    San Diego
    Full Name:
    Steve C
    That it did! Mark - Did you receive my voice mail? Now the time comes to clean up.
     
  17. DMOORE

    DMOORE Formula 3

    Aug 23, 2005
    1,720
    San Diego
    Full Name:
    Darrell
    Gary, Mark, Jon,
    It's good to see that all is well with you gentlemen. Jon, that's a bit too close for comfort....

    BTW we need to get a SD drive together. Even a Little Italy meet up, mid week would be great.

    Best regards.
    Darrell.
     
  18. carless

    carless Formula Junior

    May 20, 2005
    272
    So. Ca.
    Full Name:
    Paul
    #268 carless, Nov 1, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  19. TexasF355F1

    TexasF355F1 Six Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 2, 2004
    68,823
    Cloud-9
    Full Name:
    Jason
    That's an amazing photo.

    It's sad and ironic how such a terrible event can hold a bit of beauty.
     
  20. Bmw M3 Guy

    Bmw M3 Guy Karting

    Dec 28, 2005
    64
    San Diego, CA
    Full Name:
    Justin
    It was close but didn't make it here.
     
  21. charlie_ludden

    charlie_ludden F1 Rookie

    Nov 12, 2005
    2,762
    Orange County
    Full Name:
    Charles
    I live 5 mins from their further down Alicia
    where abouts are you
     
  22. TheBigEasy

    TheBigEasy F1 World Champ
    Consultant

    Jun 21, 2005
    16,861
    California
    Full Name:
    Ethan Hunt
    I am home this weekend and just got back from taking a drive tourning the damage. It's not as bad as I was expecting, but still very scary. The flames reached about 150 yards from our backyard, and the front of Cielo looks very scary, I'm glad it was all able to be saved. Driving down Del Dios Hyw is just erie... and the mudslides are going to be a huge mess the first time it rains.
     
  23. carless

    carless Formula Junior

    May 20, 2005
    272
    So. Ca.
    Full Name:
    Paul
    CDC
     

Share This Page