Neighborhood Earns Firewise Designation, First in La Verne
After years of devastating California wildfires, one La Verne neighborhood is taking proactive steps—and inviting others to learn how to do the same.
In recent years, the frequency and intensity of California wildfires have increased, and many homeowners have asked the same question: What can we do now to better protect our homes before the next fire starts?
That question has taken on new urgency in La Verne’s hillside neighborhoods—where dry brush, steep terrain and seasonal winds heighten the risk. Residents of Rustic Canyon Estates, a 120-home community in the City’s northern edge, have moved from concern to action, earning recognition as La Verne’s first National Fire Protection Association Firewise USA site and adopting a three-year plan aimed at reducing wildfire risk block by block.
For neighbors there, wildfire preparedness is no longer an abstract conversation about state maps and fire seasons. It is a coordinated effort that includes an action plan to harden homes, clear defensible space and plan for evacuation—together.
"What they’ve done is tremendous,” said Lonnie Shipman, community risk reduction specialist with the La Verne Fire Department. Shipman described the Firewise application process as resident-driven, with at least eight households required to form a recognized site. He also said community volunteers Raymond Swain and Jim Gilmartin have done a good job of communicating with the fire department and the regional Firewise coordinator.
“This program is about people helping each other,” Shipman said. He added that wildfire preparedness can no longer rely solely on emergency response.
Rustic Canyon, bounded by Calle Aragon on the west, Brydon Road on the east and Golden Hills Road on the south, sits in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Its proposed Firewise Community Action Plan was developed following a summer 2025 risk assessment conducted by the Rustic Canyon Estates Community Committee, with assistance from Gabriel Albarian, a National Fire Protection Association regional coordinator.
“The three-year plan includes education and outreach goals, such as participating in community events to share awareness of our activities,” community volunteer Raymond Swain said. The plan also promotes home hardening materials, defensible space guidance and evacuation planning.
Shipman emphasized that Firewise is fundamentally a neighbor-to-neighbor effort.
“If you and I are neighbors, and you take care of all of your defensible space and I do nothing, the problem is my house will ignite, and that’s going to increase the chance of your home igniting because of the proximity,” he said. “If people band together in their neighborhoods, they create a much larger defensible space.”
The designation lasts three years and requires annual progress reports. Participation is voluntary. “There are no mandates and no enforcement by the City,” Swain said. Homeowners are responsible for work on their own properties, though Swain said costs may be limited to volunteer time.
Other neighborhoods can apply to the Firewise program, and non–Rustic Canyon residents are welcome to attend a community meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Central by X2O Banquet Hall, 2451 Foothill Blvd., Suite D, La Verne. Mayor Tim Hepburn and Fire Chief Brandon Coatney will be in attendance. RSPVP to raymondswain1@gmail.com.
For more information, visit the Firewise website or contact community volunteer Raymond Swain at raymondswain1@gmail.com.
Download the National Fire Protection Association's How to Prepare Your Home From Wildfire Fact Sheet in English or Spanish.
La Verne Daily News
