THE OJAI VALLEY AND SANTA PAULA WILDFIRE SAFETY PROGRAM
Free brush clearing for qualifying residents
A community program funded by CAL FIRE
Free while funding is available
The Ojai Valley region and Santa Paula
SERVING:
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
A Field Corps crew comes to you and clears the brush around your structures
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THE WORK
Brush and weed clearing, plus tree limbing up to 6 feet off the ground
WHERE
Within 100 feet of your primary dwelling
WHY
California law requires this defensible space in the State Responsibility Area and in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones
COST
Free for qualifying residents.
Brush clearing and chipping are separate programs. If you need qualified organic material chipped, apply on the free chipping page
WHO QUALIFIES
To qualify, you need to meet one of these criteria and live in the service area
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This program is funded by CAL FIRE to help residents the state has prioritized for wildfire defensible space assistance.
You qualify if you meet any one criterion below and live in the service area.
INCOME
Household income of $50,000 or less
AGE
Any resident aged 65 or older
SERVICE
Any resident who is a military veteran
DISABILITY
Any resident with a documented disability
SERVICE AREA
Please use the map below to see if C.R.E.W.’s Ojai Valley and Santa Paula Wildfire Safety Program serves your address. Staff will confirm eligibility on edge cases.
Community spaces and nonprofits: We are now accepting inquiries from community spaces, nonprofits, and similar organizations, provided the work falls within 100 feet of a primary structure and meets defensible space requirements. To learn more, email kat@thecrew.org
HOW IT WORKS
What happens after you sign up
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BEFORE
After you submit the form below
Staff reviews your request and reaches out within 3 business days or up to a week during peak season to confirm eligibility and schedule a visit. You'll get the scheduled date and contact information for the field corps supervisor who will lead the work.
If you'd like a backup person contacted alongside you (an adult child, neighbor, or caregiver), add their name and number on the form and staff will reach out to them too.
DAY OF
What to expect on the scheduled day
Before the Field Corps arrives: secure all domestic animals and livestock indoors or in an enclosure. Crews will not work within 15 feet of animal pens or corrals.
When the Field Corps arrives: You do not need to be home. Leave gates open and animals secured, and the supervisor will confirm the scope from your form and photo before the crew starts work.
AFTER
When the Field Corps crew leaves
Cleared brush and limbed branches stay on your property where the crew leaves them. C.R.E.W. doesn't haul material away as part of this program.
If you would like to apply for free chipping, visit the Chipping page
BEFORE YOU SUBMIT
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Defensible space is the buffer around a home where vegetation has been thinned or removed so a wildfire cannot use it as fuel. The cleared zone slows the fire and gives firefighters a place to work.
California state law requires 100 feet of defensible space around homes in the State Responsibility Area and in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Free brush clearing through this program meets that requirement for qualifying residents at no cost.
C.R.E.W. is a youth conservation corps. The Field Corps does land stewardship work, not landscaping or yard cleanup. The program scope is strictly defensible space fuel reduction within 100 feet of your main residence or qualifying structure. Requests outside this scope will not be scheduled.
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For the safety of Field Corps members, all domestic animals and livestock must be secured in a corral or kept indoors while work is in progress.
Brush clearance will not be performed within 15 feet of any animal enclosure. If animals cannot be secured on the day of the visit, the visit will be rescheduled or cancelled without prior notification.
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To protect Field Corps members from exposure, C.R.E.W. reviews properties with poison oak case by case. If there is poison oak on your property, say so on the form and attach a photo of it.
Poison oak grows throughout the Ojai Valley and is often present without homeowners realizing it. If you are unsure whether poison oak is on your property, please consult a photo identification guide before submitting your request.
Please read each section before completing the form
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If your property does not meet these conditions, the visit may be rescheduled or cancelled without notification.
SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST
Staff will confirm eligibility and contact you to schedule the visit within 3 business days or up to a week during peak season. All conditions in section 04 must be met for service.
Service subject to availability of grant funds.
Sign up for free brush clearing
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Signing up for someone else? A family member, friend, neighbor, or caregiver can complete this form on a resident's behalf.
Enter the property resident's name and address at the top of the form in the “Resident of recipient property” field and your own contact info in the "Authorized Backup Contact" field in the form.