Saturday’s event brought dozens of people to Lompoc.
“We have to do our part as citizens we can't expect the government to do it all. That means we have to have defensible space, we have to harden our houses, we have to have evacuation plans and evacuation roots, know what we're taking, so this is a fun way to learn about it before you have to be evacuated,” Joan Hartmann, Santa Barbara County Supervisor said.
People who showed up to the Lompoc Veterans Hall walked away with some valuable knowledge about what they can do to protect themselves from house fires and wildfires.
Firefighters showed people step by step how to operate an extinguisher, children learned how to be comfortable in evacuation situations and people were given the opportunity to talk to firefighters.
“We want to be here to help them with education and resources. We want to make it really fun and family-friendly and show kids they don't have to be scared of a wildfire,” SBCO Fire Safe Council executive director Anne-Marie Parkinson said.
A few agencies and nonprofits worked together on the project.
The Lompoc Fire Department received funding to work with the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council and the Santa Barbara Fire Department to prepare a community wildfire protection plan.
Ash Keen and their three-year-old daughter showed up to the event.
“I want to start getting her involved with community support, especially with natural disasters. I grew up here in Santa Barbara County and I had to evacuate many times as a kid,” Keen said.
Keen says it is important to implement fire safety early on.
“I just want to get her thinking about that so that it will just be like a normal part of life that we are all ready for,” Keen said.
They had many activities at the event including exhibits designed with education in mind.
Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council will hold an evacuation workshop in May of 2024.
