Projects &
Accomplishments
The Council has been hard at work since forming in the fall of 2021. Here is a chronological list of what we have done so far.
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
PROTECTION PLAN DOCUMENT
A listing with links to many of the varied local community organizations that make our neighborhoods so great.
BLOCK CAPTAINS
In the mid ‘90s, the block captain system was set up to inform residents of potential problems in our area. Each street has a primary and bock up block captain, if the main black captain receives information that needs to be shared with the neighbor, it will be texted out to the block captain text groups and then forwarded to the residents on their street.
Each block captain and alternate gather contact information from each person who lives on their street. The block captain system allows us to pass information quickly to allow residents to evacuate quickly, if needed. In addition, block captains let the residents on their street know about community events and the culture of our community. All block captains and alternates are volunteers who care about their community enough to be involved in it. Talk to your block captain about volunteer opportunities in our wonderful community. If you don’t know who your block captain is contact Mickey Cross at mickeykc@juno.com.
CERT
CERT, Community Emergency Response Team, is a national volunteer organization throughout the United States. CERT members are trained in small fire suppression, search and rescue, building size up (to ascertain whether a building is safe enough to be entered to search for victims), CERT members are also trained in basic first aid and CPR CERT members are also taught how to document information from the event to pass on to other officials during and after the event. This training can also help you in your own home with your family.
Training is done at over the county in various CERT groups in various cities usually in the spring. Training usually takes a few weeks ending with a full training exercise covering all the areas covered in the training. Each year members participate in multiple trainings to refresh their skills. CET members work with the fine department as their sponsoring agency.
If you have questions about this group, you can email Mickey Cross at mickeykc@juno.com
More info here: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/oes/community/oes_jl_CERT.html
• October 2021 • Founded
• June 2022 • Awarded a San Diego Regional Fire Foundation Grant, Pop up tent, table, and tshirts
• Sept 2022 • Completed the Community Wildfire Protection Plan
• Sep 2022 • Implemented SAFER AWARD property assessment program
• November 2022 • Awarded an Elfin Forest Community Foundation Grant for website development
• January 2023 • Awarded a Community Fire-Safe Capacity-building Grant
• April 2023 • Approved Nonprofit status by IRS
• June 2023 • Awarded a SAFE Grant from the San Diego Regional Fire Foundation and the Fire Safe Council of Greater San Diego County for Equine Evacuation Clinic
YOUR COUNCIL AT WORK
Starting in early 2022, the Elfin Forest Harmony Grove Fire Safe Council, in collaboration with Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District and Cal Fire, began the development of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). This is a strategic document developed to mitigate the risk of wildfires protect lives, property, and natural resources. It outlines measures to reduce fuel loads, enhance defensible space, improve emergency response capabilities, and foster collaboration among stakeholders. CWPPs are vital because they provide a comprehensive roadmap for wildfire prevention and management tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of a community. By implementing a CWPP, we can proactively address wildfire threats, promote resilience, and minimize the devastating impacts of wildfires on both human and ecological systems.
Elfin Forest, Harmony Grove Community
Elfin Forest Harmony Grove Town Council is a 501c3, non-profit corporation, founded in 1980 that provides open forums for community members to discuss issues, express their interests, ideas, and collaborate to maintain and enhance the “Keepin’ It Rural” culture and quality of life that makes the area such a unique place to live. Forums include community gatherings, events and meetings as well as web-based information sharing via the Town Council website and social media. The Town Council is also a central voice of the community, publishing community news and events, and advocating with outside interests for preservation of the rural nature and character of the area. Membership is open to all the property owners of Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove
The Elfin Forest Trails Committee is a subcommittee of the Elfin Forest Harmony Grove Town Council. Riding and hiking trails in the Elfin Forest community were the dreams of many of the first residents here in our valley over 40 years ago. They started building trails along Elfin Forest Road with the permission of the property owners who also maintain the landscape on the trail on their property. Now there are over 10 miles of trails in the Elfin Forest community. The Elfin Forest Trails Committee attempts to keep our trails in good shape. In 2019 they took on the challenge of raising money to replace much of the fencing in the community as much of it was already 40 years old. Between 2019 and 2022, the Committee raised over $100,000 from many residents and the Elfin Forest Community Foundation. With this money, the Committee was able to replace much of the fencing along Elfin Forest Road, Elfin Glen, Elfin Forest Lane and Fortuna del Este. In addition they were also able to create a new trail that connects Fortuna del Sur to the main trail on Elfin Forest Road and to repair much of the erosion along the Faraway Lane Trail.
https://www.efhgtc.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ElfinForestHarmonyGroveTownCouncil
Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District was formed in October 1946 following the massive Santa Ana driven wildfire of 1943. From these humble beginnings came many inventions and firsts brought by the district. The list includes building the first mobile intensive care units in the country, “Daisy”, the first 911 dispatch service in 1970, building innovative brush and rescue trucks, first computer aided dispatch (CAD) system the first to use advanced life support trained personnel. The district has grown by adding the Del Dios area in 1987 and the communities of Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove in 2016. Today, the District covers over 44 square miles, 34,000 residents with over 80 full time employees that are overseen by Fire Chief Dave McQuead, who trained as a new fire fighter at the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department. https://www.rsf-fire.org/
https://www.facebook.com/RSFFire https://twitter.com/RSF_Fire
The Rancho Santa Fe Fire District Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit that was formed when the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District merged with the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department. The Foundation provides support and resources for the Rancho Santa Fe Fire District by raising money and resources to support the fire district with equipment, training, recognition, scholarships and more. https://rsf-firefoundation.org/ https://www.facebook.com/rsffirefoundation
The Elfin Forest Community Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit was formed by the Elfin Forest Harmony Grove Town Council in January of 1995. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of rural life in the greater Elfin Forest Community by funding grants aimed at preserving, maintaining and enhancing the overall quality of life within the Elfin Forest area. Grants are awarded in the spring and fall with application deadlines of April 15 and October 15. To date the foundation has awarded over 97 grants, over 46 grant cycles, funded 13 miles of trails and awarded $234,000 dollars. This website was made possible by a grant from the foundation. https://elfinforestcommunityfoundation.org/
The Escondido Creek Conservancy, a 501c3 non-profit was formed by Elfin Forest neighbors in 1991 while on a hike up Meisha Creek. These neighbors had grown so tired of continually fighting development, wanted to instead to work for land conservation to permanently preserve, protect and restore the beautiful, unique and biodiverse Escondido Creek watershed. Through partnering with organizations such as the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, County of San Diego, State of California Wildlife Conservation Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others the Conservancy has preserved over 7,000 acres and manages almost as many acres, much of within the Elfin Forest Harmony Grove communities. https://escondidocreek.org/ https://www.facebook.com/escondidocreekconservancy/
REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE AFFILIATES
