First got a quote from another tree guy. Assumed he was licensed and bonded but asked anyway: nope. Of all services to hire for your property, tree work has got to be the greatest potential liability. It didn't matter that the tree guy had glowing reviews and nice project photos. Without all the necessary insurance your cheaper tree work is actually more expensive when probability is accounted for. These days we can expect to lose our homeowner's liability policy if a claim is made, such as damage to a neighbor's house from trimmed tree limb ricocheting off a lower branch. Left messages with other BB tree guys: crickets, which is a good indicator of bad work ethic. FRM: Oscar texted a response promptly, and met me when promised. Pleasant surprise, his estimate was not significantly higher than the first tree guy, meaning that un-bonded tree guy was pocketing the insurance premium money necessary to offset my risk. One can appreciate the motivation to run an independent tree gig, but hearing the efforts that the FRM office performs just to be legit in California, it seems like enabling a cheater. I enjoyed watching the crew work together. Top-notch skill and equipment. Crew guy Austin is a local family man who is a master of single rope technique, SRT, that he learned in Colorado. Once way up, he could balance and lean out on a branch to drop a "widow maker" safely. I still get nervous when I look up at that Jeffries Pine and remember that scene. Then I think how glad I am that Oscar's FRM responded to my text. read more

I hired Oscar and his crew to help me comply with 7 fire hazard violations that the county tagged me with. To say they did a phenomenal job would be an understatement. What they were able to accomplish was nothing short of amazing. I had 2 large bark beetle infested pine trees coming up through my second story deck. Due to power lines, they were not able to use a crane. Instead, they climbed the trees, took out one branch at a time, lowered them gently by a rope, then cut up the trunk. There was absolutely no damage to my property. In all, they took down 4 dead pines. In addition, they trimmed all the oaks around my roof line, thinned out the native shrubs, and removed 2 dump trucks full of pine needle and leaf debris from my property. Their crew worked the entire day to get the job done. Oscar is as professional and personable as they come. He puts customer service first and takes great pride in his work. I gave him a copy of my abatement notice. He told me if the county found any of his work to be non-compliant, he would come back and resolve the issue at no charge. I for sure will use his services from now on, especially for abatement. May even check him out for snow removal during the coming winter. read more

I recently had two trees removed from my property in Big Bear Lake, CA by Fire Risk Management, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. From the start, Oscar Dykesten was fantastic. He was the only contractor who told us about the Mountain Rim Fire grant -- something no one else even mentioned -- which ended up saving us significant money. He was flexible with scheduling, making special arrangements to work around my availability. On the day of the cut, the team from Fire Mountain Rescue arrived early, worked hard, and left the area spotless when the job was done. One of the trees was positioned directly over our cabin, but Oscar and his crew handled it with extreme care, ensuring nothing touched our roof. Oscar even climbed the tree himself, showing professionalism and skill from start to finish. I highly recommend Oscar and the team at Fire Risk Management for their knowledge, professionalism, and top-notch work. Brad Veach - Big Bear Lake, CA read more

Fire Risk Management (FRM) was absolutely awesome! Oscar (the owner) came out a few weeks ago, inspected the trees, and gave a very reasonable quote. Within a few days, the workers were on site and working their magic on six (6) trees in desperate need of attention. They cleaned up the property as they finished up and were done about 5 hours after they started. My new neighbor wanted to have his done after seeing how well our trees came out. If your trees are within 10 feet of your home, get hold of FRM and schedule your trees to be done before then! In June of this year (2025), Big Bear Valley defensible space property inspections will begin, and there will be no warnings on what to clean up. Look up what is expected to keep your property as safe as possible! This isn't just so you don't get a fine before you have it done... With all the recent destructive fires in the area just this January, do all you can to help ensure your property is safer. read more

Fire Risk Management is one of the most professional service businesses I have ever worked with in the Big Bear, CA area. The owner, Oscar, is organized, communicative, professional, and a real pleasure the work with. FRM is a licensed California Contractor fully insured & bonded, including Workers Compensation Insurance. From quote to completion, Oscar delivered the completed work he quoted on time, for the price he quoted, and in a professional, safe, clean, and efficient manner. Oscar his a highly qualified expert in his field who readily provides information on fire prevention, best practices, and fire codes. I highly recommend FRM to anyone in need of the services provided by FRM. read more

After almost getting burned by an un-named scam artist here in the Big Bear, CA area, we got in contact with Oscar at Fire Risk Mgmt. He came out immediately to give us a quote to remove our 50 ft pine tree. Oscar made it a point to give us a copy of his license and insurance which made us feel confident that we were in good hands. He gave us a fantastic quote. Oscar and his team were very professional and hard working. They cut the tree into logs for us to store and season for next year's winter. After the work was done, they cleaned up our yard and left our place looking as if they weren't even there. We would highly recommend Oscar and his team at Fire Risk Management. read more

We had several trees that needed to come down and some that had come down on their own. I saw a good review for Fire Risk Management on The Nextdoor App so gave them a call. Oscar came right out and walked the property with me, pointing out how things should be done and why. He really knows trees! He was friendly, informative, and efficient. He brought his crew out yesterday to do the work and I was amazed at how well it came out. Our surroundings have never looked better. They moved the wood to form an impressive several-cord woodpile. Left everything totally clean. And extremely reasonable price. I highly recommend them and I will definitely use them again! read more

We called several tree trimmers for estimates to cut down four pine trees that had been topped by the power company. Oscar was the first to respond, quickly provided us with a very fair quote and we scheduled a date shortly after that. Oscar and crew arrived on time, were extremely courteous, were very conscious of our existing landscape and cleaned up everything. They arrived in clean white shirts, left in very dirty shirts and did a fantastic job. We have already passed his contact info to our neighbors and will definitely use him again as the need arises. read more

Oscar runs a first class tree service in all regards. We've had other services for projects in Long Beach, San Pedro and back in Colorado at several properties. No other company has even come close to Fire Risk Management Big Bear in quality of work and interaction. They operate as a well oiled team and make extremely difficult falls look simple while putting personnel and property safety first and foremost. We will only use Oscar and team for our property here in Big Bear, CA read more

Oscar and crew were prompt, courteous, polite, efficient, and helpful throughout the process of having a few trees trimmed and a dangerous leaning tree fully removed. They went the extra mile and cut all of the wood we kept to firewood length (and even some other wood that I had on the pile). When the work was done they cleaned up the yard and left it looking better than when they started. The price for the work was very fair and we will work with FRM again the future, no doubt. read more

Oscar and his team were recommended to me by a friend. He gave me a great estimate for removal of 4 trees and dead limb cleanup. He came out and did the work in timely manner even though we had just had a bad wind storm. I appreciate how fast and efficient his crew worked and they did a great cleanup job. It is clear to me that Oscar takes great pride in is work. I would recommend him to anyone and everyone. Thanks for the great work on my yard. Kathy H. read more

I called for an estimate for a tree removal. It was urgent that it be removed soon, due to a notice from the County. Oscar squeezed me in the next day. The job was done in a safely manner and they are very clean. Actually, my neighbor's and my place were left cleaner than before Fire Risk came to do the tree removal job. The wood is stacked neatly, all I have to do is spilt it. We are very pleased. I highly recommend Fire Risk Management. read more

Oscar took such great care of us! We were not in town while he removed some trees from our property because of fire hazard and he did such a fantastic job. We cannot express how much we appreciate his thoroughness and thoughtfulness. Even though some of the neighbors were upset that we were removing trees he patiently talked to them and explained the fire danger and why it needed to be removed. We highly recommend Oscar and his company. read more

I had the opportunity to speak on the phone with Óscar in mid July regarding weed/brush/dead trees abatement in a vacant lot in Big Bear. Oscar was very responsive and knew what needed to be done. He visited the site, took "before" and "after" photos and sent them to me and updated me during the course of the work. I was glad and lucky I found Oscar, as he did a great job taking care of this jungle. Thanks again Oscar!! read more

I am very impressed by Oscar and his crew. They did excellent work and on time when they said they would be here. They removed a tree and cut it up into fire log lengths. They also trimmed a few tree to meet fire code regulations. They were neat and cleaned up well when they finished the job. Last they were reasonably priced. I highly recommend Fire Risk Management for any of your tree trimming or removal needs. read more

Oscar the nicest, helpful man ever. He achieved the help from the city/fire on a dangerous tree next to electric lines, worked on getting it authorized for removal with no charge to me the homeowner. I cannot say enough about him, his assistance with my problem, his kindness, his time he devoted to me in helping me is something rare to find these days. He is a 10 star in my book. Irene Johnson BBL read more

I had Oscar come out to trim dead branches from my many pines. Oscar came when he said he would. He gave me a fair estimate for the job, and he explained what he would be doing. Everything was done beautifully and completely. He and his worker cleaned up from the work, and the yard looked even better than before they came. Extremely trustworthy and super work. read more

Oscar and his crew are professional, reliable, knowledgeable and friendly. I called Oscar on a Thursday for a bid on trimming trees, removing hazardous brush to comply with the Big Bear fire ordinance, and Oscar sent me a bid on Sunday and the work was performed on Monday. His crew did an outstanding job! I highly recommend Fire Risk Management. read more

We had a tree that had partially fallen over and four other trees that were dead and needed to be removed. Fire Risk Management provided the best bid and was available in less than one week. Their work was excellent and their cleanup afterward was outstanding. Definitely a keeper for our maintenance needs. Travis Montgomery Big Bear City read more