Protecting Our Community
from Wildfire
Your neighborhood. Your board. Your Firewise certification. The San Elijo Hills Fire Safe Council is run by homeowners who live in these five evacuation zones — and we know the difference between Zone 0850 and 0921.
Zone 0: Your Home's Noncombustible Moat
The first five feet around your home must be entirely noncombustible — a “moat” that prevents wind-driven embers from igniting materials next to your structure. Most homes are lost not to direct flame, but to embers landing on combustible materials within this zone.
Based on the Wildfire Prepared Home Technical Standard from IBHS. Zone 0 work also counts toward your annual Firewise hours.
Remove ALL vegetation within 5 feet to bare mineral soil
Remove trees and branches within or overhanging Zone 0
Replace combustible groundcover with gravel, pavers, or concrete
Replace wood/vinyl fencing with metal or concrete within 5 feet
Remove vehicles and parked items from within 5 feet
Remove all combustible items — firewood, furniture, planters, storage
Source: Wildfire Prepared Home Technical Standard (IBHS)
Three Areas Every Resident Must Address
Prevention
Defensible space zones, home hardening, vent protection, and fencing recommendations. Zone 0 is the starting point.
Start with Zone 0 →Preparation
Know your evacuation zone (0850, 0852, 0854, 0920, or 0921), build your go-bag, and have a communications plan ready.
Find Your Zone →Evacuation
Understand the Hi-Lo siren, Alert San Diego notifications, and your six-step action plan when an order comes.
Know Your Routes →The Only Organization Doing This Work in San Elijo Hills
The San Elijo Hills Fire Safe Council is not a government agency. We're your neighbors — homeowners who got Firewise-certified, negotiated with CAL FIRE and San Marcos Fire, wrote a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and organized the workshops that other councils in San Diego County reference.
That work produced something concrete: all three zones of San Elijo Hills now hold official Firewise USA® certification. That certification is the specific legal trigger for the California state law requiring your insurer to offer you a premium discount. No other council in this neighborhood did that for you — because there was no other council.
To keep that certification active, each zone needs residents to log one hour of preparedness activity per household annually. The board handles the paperwork — you submit your hours once a year.
