Pasadena Fire Department Promotes Home Hardening Tips for 4th of July Weekend

As Pasadena expands its very-high-fire-severity zone to include hundreds of new properties, fire officials are urging residents to harden their homes over the Fourth of July weekend by clearing brush, cleaning gutters, and sealing gaps to reduce fire risk.

“Preparedness continues to be the best way to stay safe,” said Fire Chief Chad Augustin. “In recent years, Southern California has suffered tropical storms, floods, earthquakes and wildfires, underscoring the need for community-wide preparedness.”

Augustin heads a department that performs about 4,000 inspections a year in high-fire-hazard zones.

The department’s home-hardening checklist calls for clearing roofs and gutters, creating defensible space, trimming trees and shrubs, sealing vents and gaps, keeping decks clear of debris, and using non-combustible materials.

The city’s very-high-fire-severity zone will grow from 3,911 to 4,610 properties—an 18 percent jump that triggers annual safety inspections. Affected areas include the Arroyo Seco, sections west and north of the 210 Freeway, and upper Hastings Ranch in east Pasadena.

Under Pasadena’s Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance, owners must remove dead trees and keep grasses and weeds cut within 100 feet of buildings and 10 feet of roads. Owners must strip leafy foliage, deadwood and other combustibles up to three feet above ground on mature trees within 100 feet of any building. They must also maintain five feet of clearance between roofs and overhanging branches.

“A working partnership between property owners, their neighbors and the City of Pasadena is the best defense against disastrous fires,” Augustin said. “Well-maintained vegetation beautifies neighborhoods and controls erosion. When neglected, it becomes volatile fuel for a fast-moving wildfire.”

The department offers free annual inspections; any fees are waived when violations are fixed within 30 days. Owners who fail to comply may have contractors hired at their expense, plus inspection and administrative fees to cover hazard-correction costs.

Inspectors can require extra protections in especially hazardous areas, beyond the ordinance’s minimums. The department plans to expand its Prepared Pasadena program citywide by 2025.