Wildfire Season is Coming. Are you ready?

A Message to Our Community: Help Us Keep Mi Wuk Sugar Pine Fire-Safe

At last night’s Fire Board meeting, I had the opportunity to speak with one of our dedicated property inspectors about the most common fire safety concerns they’ve observed during this year’s inspections. With property inspections now officially underway, we wanted to share the top three violations our inspectors are seeing across the District—along with a few tips to help you stay compliant and reduce fire risk:

Top 3 Property Inspection Issues in Our District:

1. Remove flammable items from underneath decks, balconies, and stairs.
   A common issue our inspectors find is the storage of firewood, cardboard boxes, and other combustible materials under decks. These items create a significant fire hazard and should be removed promptly to help protect your home and property.
2. Clear roofs, gutters, porches, and stairways of leaves, pine needles, and other vegetation.
   As we drive through the District, many homes still have buildup on their rooftops. These fine fuels can ignite easily from embers and should be cleaned off regularly—especially during fire season.
3. Remove all dead or dying vegetation.
   This includes dry grass, weeds, shrubs, branches, and leaves. Clearing this material helps reduce the overall fuel load around your property and creates defensible space, which is critical for slowing or stopping the spread of wildfire.

Let’s Work Together

These efforts are not just about compliance—they're about protecting our homes, our neighbors, and the natural beauty of our area. We know maintaining your property can be a big task, but every bit of effort helps make our community safer.

A Special Thanks to Our Volunteer Inspectors

Our property inspections are conducted by volunteers through the Volunteers In Prevention (VIP) Program, developed by CAL FIRE. These dedicated individuals donate their time—not for pay, but out of commitment to your safety and the well-being of our entire District. Their busiest season runs from May through September, and we are incredibly grateful for the many hours they give.

If you see an inspector out in the field, feel free to give them a wave or a thank-you. Their work makes a real difference—and your cooperation does, too.

Let’s continue to support each other and do our part to keep Mi Wuk Sugar Pine fire-safe this season!