Moonridge Area To Get Evacuation Signs

Big Bear Lake, CA, August 26, 2011, noon – As part of the Bear Valley fire agencies’ continuing efforts to implement the Big Bear Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan, one goal is the installation of emergency evacuation route signs in areas that can become confusing to people when a wildfire occurs.  One of those areas is upper Moonridge where it is a maze of winding roads.  David Yegge of the Fire Protection District says it can be very smokey during a wildfire event and it would be easy for people that are not familiar with the area to get disoriented and not know what direction to go. Evacuation signs, if followed, will lead drivers safely out of the Moonridge area. Because the signs will be installed in the county area and the upper Moonridge area of Big Bear Lake, the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce felt the project should be overseen by one organization.  This project was headed by the San Bernardino County Code Enforcement Division, which was funded through a grant from the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross. According to Team Leader Julie Hernandez of County Code Enforcement, it has taken two years to plan and seek approvals from various city and county departments. She said it’s been a lot of work but it’s rewarding to see that the signs are up. She hopes we never have to use them in a true emergency, but if we do, the signs will help with an orderly evacuation from the Moonridge area.