When a Red Flag Warning signals high temperatures, low humidity and strong Santa Ana winds, Orange County Fire Watch springs into action.

Within 24 hours, Renalynn Funtanilla, Fire Watch program coordinator, will call on more than 300 trained volunteers to warn residents and help watch for the first sign of wildfire.

About a third of the volunteers will take shifts at trailheads and roadsides around Orange County’s open spaces until the Red Flag Warning, issued by the National Weather Service, clears.

“Even if it’s a small two-hour window, it really makes a difference to have that coverage during Red Flag Warnings because it’s better to have more eyes and ears than none,” Funtanilla said.

Funtanilla and some of the group’s volunteers were out Wednesday, Aug. 13, on the Pacific

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