The Deer Springs Fire Protection District is located in San Diego's inland north county and serves an area of 47 square miles providing fire and emergency medical services to approximately 13,000 residents. Most of the residents reside in the Hidden Meadows, Jesmond Dene, and Castle Creek areas, or within one of two prominent mobile/manufactured home communities. These communities consist of predominantly single-family residences. The District includes the Welk Resort and Time Share facilities, which houses a large number of visitors year-round. The majority of District residents live on or near the wildland-urban interface. The northern section of the District consists of thousands of acres producing income from avocados, citrus, and other agricultural activities.
The most prominent topographic features of the District are Moosa Canyon and the Merriam Mountains. Moosa Canyon is approximately six miles long, one mile wide, and approximately 500-600 feet deep, with steep slopes. The canyon covers approximately 2,500 acres. The Merriam Mountain Range is a coastal range running north and south west of Interstate 15. It is approximately 6 miles in length with elevations to 2,100 feet. The mountain consists of several large canyons, draws, peaks, and valleys. Scenarios have been modeled by CAL FIRE focusing on Moosa Canyon and the Merriam Mountain Range and their potential for involvement in a fast-moving, powerful fire that would be highly destructive and difficult to control.
The vegetation throughout the Deer Springs District is a combination of coastal sage scrub which is dominated by California sagebrush, California buckwheat, and laurel sumac and chaparral which is dominated by chamise, scrub oak, and Manzanita. As a result, much of the District is considered at high risk of wildfire.
The Deer Springs Fire Protection District also includes a 14-mile stretch of heavily traveled Interstate 15, which is bordered primarily by wildland vegetation. This highway connects inland San Diego County with Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to the north. Each year, there are numerous fires that start along this 14-mile stretch threatening the District and surrounding communities.
