Normal Heights Fire Safe Council
Fire Safety Through Community Engagement
Breaking News
June 30, 2025, the commemoration of the “no-lives-lost” 40th anniversary of the Normal Heights Fire included comments from District 9 Council member Sean Elo-Rivera on the City’s efforts to protect the evacuation corridors in this Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, balanced with the need for housing, in this area which is characterized by many one ingress/one egress residential blocks. Chief Tony Tosca added his comments on the work he’s done with the City to ensure fire safety in this canyon rim community. A video of the 6/30/85 fire event was shown and refreshments were served as the sun set on another year of no-lives-lost to wildfire here in Normal Heights
Plus, KUSI did a presser on June 30, which you can view here…
On June 29, I sent out 4 awesome work crews to the 4 corners of this Normal Heights Fire Safe Council and they were spectacularly successful in ridding our neighborhood of combustible debris. Thank you, fire safe neighbors!
Thanks to everyone who made this 40th Anniversary commemoration a success!
During June, please consider doing a Do-It-Yourself cleanup of fire fuel at your home or nearby neighborhood (remove firewood and tree branches that touch wood fences or wood decks; fill up your green bins with downed canyon or street tree branches, as examples). Then take a photo of the work, note the time it took you and send the photo and those metrics to normalheightsfsc@yahoo.com. Or send an email with your availability to help as part of a work crew on June 29 2025, noon-4pm, and help us keep Normal Heights fire safe(r). Local cleanup spots are being determined, and you too can suggest one. Then come on June 30 2025, 6pm, to the 5100 block of 34th St to celebrate a “No-Lives-Lost” commemoration of the 1985 Normal Heights Fire. Cold drinks and ice cream treats. Thanks, Fire Safe Neighbors!
And We Got Funded!
Watch how these good dollars are put to good fire safe use! On May 19, 2025 we collected a $5,828 check from the Fire Foundation and I have already purchased a branded tent. Read more…
As for the new Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) map, released by Cal Fire March 24, 2025, the City of San Diego is currently considering adding back areas that were excluded by this newly released map. This add-in is important for the award of local fire safe grant monies that go towards education and home-hardening, as well as acting as a reminder that the areas are still considered very high fire hazard by those homeowners affected by the exclusions. Residents in Kensington raised an alarm when they were excluded, especially after the nearby Montezuma fire last October burned 37 acres and destroyed one home. The City has inconsistent oversight of brush clearing and is struggling to manage the homeless encampments that plague this area and other fire hazardous areas of San Diego. Re-inclusion in the Cal Fire VHFHSZ map is an important tool in helping the affected residents help the City maintain fire safe neighborhoods! See also the awesome forum that Alvarado Estates/Rolando/Kensington FSCs organized on 5/21/25 at the Kroc Center in response to those bewildering exclusions on the new Cal Fire map – Reduced San Diego High Fire Zones Questioned at Forum – Kensington Fire Safe
Susan Redelings, Chair NHFSC
