About
About Our Community
GOH Firewise is a wildfire preparedness effort led by a committee of homeowner volunteers. It serves homeowners within our designated Firewise community boundaries. We have been a Firewise USA®Community since July 11, 2024. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) administers the Firewise USA® program and provides guidance for how Firewise Communities are structured and run. The USDA Forest Service and National Association of State Foresters co-sponsor the program.
Our Community Includes:
- Glen Oak Hills HOA
- Rancho Glen Oaks HOA
- Non-HOA properties located within our approved Firewise boundary
Together, these neighborhoods include more than 400 properties working toward a common goal: reducing wildfire risk and improving community resilience.
What Is Firewise USA®?
Why We Became a Firewise USA® Site
Wildfire preparedness is most effective when neighbors work together.
Many actions that reduce wildfire risk occur on private property. By sharing information, encouraging mitigation projects, and promoting preparedness throughout the community, we can collectively improve our safety. GOH Firewise began as a result of the Fairview Fire in September 2022.
Jan Tucker brought the Firewise program to our community. Like many of our neighbors, she remembers the uncertainty and anxiety that came with receiving evacuation orders and preparing to leave her home. As she gathered important belongings and prepared for the possibility that her and her husband’s property might be threatened by wildfire, she felt extremely vulnerable.
The truth was that they had done very little to prepare their home and property for wildfire—they hadn’t even thought about it.. They didn't know anything about defensible space, home hardening, ember intrusion, evacuation planning, or the many other factors that can influence whether a home survives a wildfire. That experience changed her perspective.
She decided that if our community ever faced another wildfire threat, she wanted to know that she had done everything reasonably possible to improve their home's chances of survival. She believed many of their neighbors likely felt the same way.
That desire to learn, prepare, and help others do the same ultimately led to the creation of GOH Firewise. Our goal is not to eliminate wildfire risk—no one can do that. Our goal is to help homeowners become better informed, better prepared, and more resilient. Every improvement we make, every lesson we learn, and every neighbor we help brings us one step closer to a safer community.
If and when another wildfire threatens our area in the future, Jan and our Firewise committee and other volunteers want to feel confident that they’ve done everything they reasonably can to protect their families, homes, and properties. They hope the rest of this community – meaning each homeowner – feels the same way.
How Firewise Recognition Works
Each year, Firewise communities document wildfire mitigation activities performed by residents.
Examples include:
- Creating or maintaining defensible space
- Removing hazardous vegetation
- Home hardening improvements
- Educational activities
- Volunteer service supporting Firewise efforts
These activities help our community maintain Firewise USA® recognition and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to wildfire preparedness.
