SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Stan Luhr, a resident of Granite Hills in East County, is leading his community in wildfire preparedness efforts through his nonprofit, Community Fire Response.
With wildfires becoming a year-round threat, Luhr is taking proactive measures to ensure his neighborhood is ready for potential fires. He organized a community meeting to raise awareness and share strategies for fire safety, including the use of pool pumps and hoses to protect homes.
Additionally, Luhr has converted his gas system to run on propane, allowing it to operate for extended periods, which he believes is a worthwhile investment for fire safety.
Fire officials held a presentation at Luhr’s home, attended by about 40 neighbors, on Thursday to discuss the Fire Wise and Fire Safe programs available in East County.
“Being prepared for a wildfire is not just an individual responsibility; it truly is a community approach,” said Robert Johnson from CAL FIRE during the presentation. “It requires a leader, a plan and then a set number homes that are going to be established to be designated as part of the fire wise community.”
Andy Lawler, Fire Chief of San Miguel Fire & Rescue, highlighted the challenges of firefighting in Granite Hills, noting the area’s potential for wildfires and the importance of having defensible space around homes.
“Some of these homes sit far back off of a roadway and may make it very difficult for us to make our hose line stretch and reach, so therefore if it’s an effective tool and it’s actually working,” said Lawler. “We may very well use that piece of equipment to extinguish any types of fires in the trees.”
Luhr hopes that by making his neighborhood safer, they can attract the attention of insurance companies to return to San Diego and offer coverage.
As Granite Hills faces the ongoing threat of wildfires, community efforts led by individuals like Stan Luhr are crucial in enhancing safety and preparedness.
“Let’s work together and let’s have a plan, and I think that plan could be very successful,” Luhr emphasized.
FOX 5/KUSI’s Jennifer Franco contributed to this report.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KSWB. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KSWB staff before being published.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
