Well, it's official now. The Orange County Fire Authority, which had said last year that it was reviewing the appropriateness of stay-and-defend for Orange County, California, decided against endorsing the policy or providing any formal training for home owners. They've had a couple public meetings in communities, like hard hit Yorba Linda yesterday, and announced the decision.

I believe that OCFA already came to this conclusion even before the recent disaster in Australia, but I'm sure that the loss of life there only reinforces their decision.

I have yet to run across any news articles about folks who did stay-and-defend and came out OK in this latest round of Australian fires. It's possible that the fires this time were just too much even for a well-prepped, well-equipped homeowner and homestead. Well, or maybe the media is focussing elsewhere, like on the tragic loss of life.