OC Fire Watch program gearing up for SoCal fire season

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (KABC) -- For nearly three years now, Phil Sallaway has served as a volunteer for the Orange County Fire Watch program. As a retiree, he says he likes being able to give back to his community.

"It's not too hard. You get assigned to a location and you educate the public," said Sallaway. "That's a big part of what it is because sometimes the public doesn't realize that some of the things they might be doing can contribute to a possible fire."

And that's where the OC Fire Watch program comes in. With more than 300 trained volunteers that deploy to 36 locations across orange county, the program focuses on reducing situations that can lead to wildfires during high risk conditions, or red flag warnings.

"Just being mindful that maybe when it is those red flag warnings, not pulling off to the side of the road or having your chains hanging from your car, "said Renalynn Funtanilla, program coordinator for the OC Fire Watch program. "Things like that, that we can prevent those accidental ignitions that can cause those disastrous wildfires."

Once a red flag warning is issued by the national weather service, the OC Fire Watch program deploys its many volunteers to various posts where ignition is likely to occur, including throughout the OC Parks System. Volunteer shifts typically last about two hours. They are also able to utilize their virtual fire watch tower.

"That way they're able to detect and report any early ignitions as well as communicate with the public about the importance of wildfire prevention and understanding that this is a community issue, which requires a community response."

The OC Fire Watch program is always looking for more volunteers to add to their ranks. If you're interested, you can fill out an interest form at letsgooutside.org.