Why does your community need an Arson Watch Program? Well, about 10 years back one of our franchisees in our company had all his belongings lost in a fire in the Conejo Valley in California adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains. He was not alone as whole neighborhoods and 10’s of thousands of acres were destroyed in under two days.

The following year the fires were back bigger than ever before. This time half the city of 100,000 people were in danger with half of Malibu CA over the hill cut off. Many lost their homes and few lost their lives unable to get out of the canyons in time. The fire moved so fast there was little time to escape. This year the fire was believed to be arson related, although no one was ever caught. That year there were other fires all burning simultaneously around Northern and Southern CA and parts of Northern Nevada.

That is when The Car Wash Guys, our company decided that they would get involved. Although many of us live in very green areas, where fires have a tough time getting started, once they do get going they generate their own wind and heat and little stands in their way. The most important strategy is to catch them early. Of the nearly 20,000 brush fires annually in the Western States in the Forest Regions, few ever get out of control, but the ones that do we all remember. By uniting the entire community and working together we can decrease the number of fires intentionally started and a better response to those that are started by negligence or by Mother Nature such as lightening. We must work hard to preserve our area and make our community one of the best places in the World, a person could ever hope to live. We have a great community and we intend to guard against the loss from fire. We want our community to be the greatest in our state and our citizens, friends and families to know that we are all looking out for them and they are looking out for us. No longer will the temptation exist for an unethical situation to occur from an arsonist. Arsonists will know that our town is a no fly zone and that it is not only a police car, fire department vehicle or the USDA Forest Service truck that they need to be concerned with. They will be caught if they attempt anything by the first person who sees them. The Schwann’s delivery truck, the school bus driver, an electrician, a plumber, a real estate agent, anyone and everybody will be observing while driving around in their normal course of business. With this same group of people we too wish to interact with Mother Nature to keep the natural forest fires to a minimum. We intend to protect our families, homes and beautiful serene area from devastation that can be prevented or quickly contained.

You may wish to consider setting up a neighborhood arson watch in your area as part of community effort. If you are interested in learning more, we have written a free online 21-page E-book, which is available at:

http://www.lancewinslow.org/arsonwatch.pdf

Perhaps you might look through it and see if this is a potential solution for your community during this next fire season?