Your house is nowhere near the wildland urban interface (WUI) — or at least you think so. The foothills are miles away, the chaparral in the far distance. The chance that your house could burn is far, far from your mind.

But in the North County, while the WUI may not be a worry for you, rolling hills and wide swaths of grassland often are. Under windy conditions a fire in the grasslands can spread quickly, often much too fast to outrun or provide more than a few moments to plan for an evacuation.

Often, when a wildfire occurs you have just a few minutes to react, decide what to take and how to get out safely.

Learning to Live with Wildfire

While there has been a great deal of focus on the things you can do to prevent your home from being destroyed should a wildfire threaten it — through home-hardening measures, planting fire-resistant vegetation and maintaining proper clearances — your home can be replaced.

Learning how to prepare what fire officials call your “go bag” and having it ready to go at the first sign of a fire coming your way may be the most important thing you can do other than ensuring you get out of harm safely.

North County Workshop on May 31

The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council in partnership with local fire agencies, Office of Emergency Management, and North County police departments will be putting on a Wildfire Evacuation and Survival Workshop at the Cabrillo High School Little Theater on May 31. The location is 4350 Constellation Road in Lompoc.

This free event seeks to empower our community with the knowledge to make critical decisions in real life wildfire evacuations. During the workshop experts will speak on the different facets of evacuation and you will have access to several different resources. Our community has long asked for more in-depth information regarding wildfire evacuation, and we aim to provide just that.

The event will last from 10 a.m. through 1 p.m. with presentations by just retired Santa Barbara County Fire Marshal Rob Hazard and Montecito Fire Specialist Nic Elmquist and others.

They’ll also provide a current assessment of wildfire potential given the abundance of new vegetative growth due to the late winter rains, and discuss the basic questions dealing with evacuation: where to go; how to get out safely; and what to wear while doing it.

Those who want to attend should note that the workshop is focused on providing the community with what you need to know should a wildfire occur near you rather than a family-focused event.

Those who plan to come are encouraged to RSVP. This will help provide information about who will attend and what your interests are.