SAN DIEGO - Saying they wanted to help fire victims and avoid more environmental damage, county supervisors unveiled plans Tuesday to clean debris off people's property in unincorporated communities.

County officials said they would seek reimbursement from the state for victims without fire insurance, and for victims whose insurance policies did not cover debris removal. They also plan seek money from insurance companies for victims whose policies did include debris removal clauses.

Board Chairman Ron Roberts said Tuesday that the county already had received $5 million and a promise from the state that it would pay 75 percent of all costs of removing debris from uninsured and underinsured properties. Supervisors buttressed the state's allocation Tuesday by setting aside $7 million in county funds.

"We want to make sure this happens swiftly and safely," Roberts said.

County officials said they wanted to help fire victims speed up their recoveries and move on to rebuilding, but that they also had environmental concerns.

Environmental health officials are worried that charred debris from more than 1,000 incinerated homes, 870 sheds, garages and other "outbuildings," and more than 2,000 vehicles could become a toxic soup that would flow to watersheds and the ocean if hit by winter rains.

Supervisors said fire victims who want to take part in the program must sign waivers to allow county workers onto their properties. The county planned to start mailing waivers and other information Tuesday to fire victims who had already registered their temporary living addresses.

They said victims could also get waivers and information at the county's assistance centers in Fallbrook and Ramona, by accessing the Web site, www.sdcountyrecovery.com, or by calling the toll-free debris removal hotline at (877) 308-8111.

Supervisors stressed that the program was voluntary. Some fire victims who had insurance policies that would cover debris removal, supervisors said, might be able to find contractors willing to do the job more cheaply than the county.

Roberts said that price had not yet been determined. The county solicited bids this week and hopes to hire a contractor and numerous subcontractors by the end of next week.

"So people will be able to compare the costs of this program if they have to pay with their insurance," Supervisor Dianne Jacob said.

For people without insurance or with insurance that did not cover debris removal, the county's program will be a boon, supervisors said.

"If you don't have insurance, there should be no doubt in your mind that this is the program you want," Roberts said. "Even if you have insurance, this will give you the comfort knowing that it's going to be handled professionally, and there will be no problems in terms of the environmental issues that come with debris removal."

Roberts said that county supervisors met with leaders from all of the big insurance companies last week and those companies said they were comfortable with reimbursing the county directly on behalf of their customers.

"We're trying to make this as easy as possible," Roberts said.

County managers said they would try to start the program this week by sending in teams of county, state and federal crews to remove hazardous materials - including paints, pesticides and swimming pool supplies - from burned out properties.

Once the hazardous materials were properly disposed of, county officials said, crews could begin removing the rest of the fire debris, from concrete to wood, and household appliances.

The county conducted a similar debris-removal program after the 2003 wildfires, and eventually spent $6.5 million in "general fund" taxpayer money on that process. The county hoped that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse that $6.5 million, but the agency rejected the county's applications and appeal.

Chandra Wallar, director of the county's land-use division, said Tuesday that county officials were working hard to make sure they complied with FEMA's guidelines on the debris removal process, and hoped they could get some reimbursement for the latest fire costs.

Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 739-6696 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.