Page 7 - Placentia Summer 2025

VACATION HOME CHECKS
With Summer approaching, we want to remind everyone that
the Police Department offers a Vacation Home Check service
through our VIPS (Volunteers In Police Services).
If you are going out of town for more than three days and
would like to have extra eyes on your home while you are
away, you can complete and submit the online form (available
on our website) three days before you leave, and our VIPS will
perform regular checks of your property.
For more information, contact Kelley Krahling at kkrahling@
placentia.org or visit www.placentia.org/police to complete
the application.
SUMMER/FALL CERT TRAINING COURSE
The City of Placentia offers free CERT training to the public
several times a year. Dates for the Summer/Fall 2025 CERT
training are being planned for Tuesday nights in August,
September, and October 2025. This course offers training on
Emergency Preparedness, Neighborhood Watch, Fire Safety,
Search & Rescue, Disaster Medical Operations, Terrorism and
Disaster Psychology.
The course concludes with a Disaster Simulation where
participants put their new skills to use in real-life
emergency scenarios. As the recent California fires have
shown, emergencies arise suddenly, and our best defense
is strong preparation. If you want to take the Summer/Fall
2025 CERT course, please contact (714) 993-8214 or email
ppowers@placentia.org.
www.placentia.org
STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S
FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONE (FHSZ)
The City of Placentia was recently added to the State Fire
Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) map. This change
requires our residents located in certain areas of the city
to comply with defensible space and weed abatement
requirements.
If your home is within this newly identified area, you will
receive communications from the Placentia Fire and Life
Safety Department directly. We will be providing resources to
homeowners and the community in the surrounding areas.
For more information, please visit www.placentia.org/fire.
Defensible space applies to all existing structures within
the FHSZ. Here are some basic requirements for ensuring
defensible space:
•
Zone Zero (0-5ft) – Ember Resistant
•
Use hardscapes like gravel, pavers, or concrete
•
Remove all dead and dying plants
•
Remove all branches within 10ft of any chimney
•
Limit combustible outdoor furniture
•
Relocate firewood and/or lumber
•
Replace combustible fencing, gates, etc.
with non-combustible alternatives
•
Zone One (5-30ft) – Fuel Reduction Zone, High
•
Remove all dead plants and vegetation
•
Trim trees regularly, including dry leaves
and dead palm fronds
•
Create a separation between trees, shrubs,
and items that could catch fire
•
Zone Two (30-100ft) – Fuel Reduction Zone, Low
•
Cut or mow annual grass to a height of no
more than four inches
•
Create horizontal space between shrubs and trees
•
Create vertical space between grass, shrubs, and trees
•
Remove fallen leaves, needles, small branches
•
Keep ten-foot clearance around wood piles,
down to bare dirt
CITY NEWS
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