Fire Prevention Campaign in Mariposa | ABC30 Fresno

kfsn

By ABC30

Friday, September 4, 2009

Fresno, CA Greg Fritz, Restaurant owner said: "We have thousands of people who drive by every day, and the more people think about it, the better it is for everyone."

The very visible Happy Burger Diner on highway 140 is one of the first of several local businesses to hang these homemade signs encouraging every resident to create 100 feet of defensible space around their homes.

Jim Wilson, Mariposa Co. Fire Chief said: "It's an incredible help for us to know that when we take a fire engine into someone's property that there's proper clearances done. We have plenty of room for our firefighters to operate and protect the property and it also makes it safer for them in a real dangerous situation."

Fire officials say many mariposa county homeowners, like this one, are good about keeping enough defensible space. But those involved in the new banner campaign say there's room for improvement.

Lyle Turpin, Mariposa Co. Supervisor said: "We can't get complacent, we just kind of need that refocus occasionally, and this is the way to do that."

And organizers of this grassroots effort believe more people will pay attention because of the fires that are burning around the state right now. As well as the recent one year anniversary of Mariposa's devastating telegraph fire.

Lyle Turpin, Mariposa Co. Supervisor said: "Now here we are with a year later with the threat above us, but it's just a tremendous reminder."

And chief Jim Wilson said every reminder helps.

Jim Wilson, Mariposa Co. Fire Chief said: "I think any time the business community gets involved, it adds an element of peer pressure and concern from the community as a whole that everyone fulfill their responsibility to do those fuel reductions."