Tag Archives: Prepare for Fire Season

Ali True: Firewise

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July and record setting heat are around the corner. Are you ready for wildfire? This is the time to be sure that firewood has been moved away from your home, the areas immediately adjacent to your foundation and underneath your deck are clean from debris and mulch (when is the last time you looked under your deck to see what an ember could ignite?), and that your roof and gutters are clean of debris. Trim back overhanging tree branches, clear dead vegetation, and keep your grass cut short. Make the area around your home defensible and a place where fire activity will decrease, not increase, due to overgrown and fire-prone vegetation. Other easy suggestions can be found here.

Please take a moment to know how to stay informed about wildfires: these are sites to bookmark or enter in your phone.

·         If you see smoke, call the Wildfire Hotline at 541-552-2490. It is a pre-recorded message with fire and smoke information that is updated as conditions change.

·         Know fire season restrictions at www.ashland.or.us/fireseason. This page will be updated as the fire danger level rating increases and equipment use restrictions take effect.

·         Register your cell phone with the Citizen Alert program. This service will notify you by text or call if we have an emergency, including a wildfire evacuation. Local landlines are already registered, but if you only have a cell phone, you have to register your number to receive the alerts. Also, be aware of our local 1700 AM Emergency Broadcast radio station.

·         For preparedness information, please Like the Ashland Firewise Facebook page and follow on Twitter. Great info, photos and information are posted here daily that can help keep you informed and prepared during fire season.

Lastly, please help to keep your community and neighborhood safe by respecting the ban on fireworks in the City, and pass the word to friends and neighbors. Did you know that personal fireworks injured 8600 people and caused 15,000 fires across the US in 2010? Because of our concern for the safety of our citizens, visitors, buildings and forest, personal fireworks and sky lanterns are not allowed in the city of Ashland any time of the year. Please respect this ordinance and do your part to protect our city and watershed from catastrophic fire. Fireworks are exciting and create a great show to watch…..when lit by professionals. Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Thanks to all of you who have strived to make your home and neighborhood safer from the threat of wildfire by removing hazardous vegetation on your property or around your neighborhood. These actions do make a difference when a wildfire strikes and embers are in the air. Ashland’s 12 nationally recognized Firewise Communities are a testament to the  commitment Ashland residents share towards preparedness.

Remember that we all play a role in being prepared for wildfire. Have a safe summer season.

Thank you,

Ali True/Firewise Communities Coordinator
Ashland Fire & Rescue
541-552-2231
www.ashlandfirewise.org

Ashland Firewise: Ali True

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Greetings,
Fire season is around the corner! Are you prepared?  It may be March, but fire season will be here before we know it. Now is the time to get ready!

First, a brief update on the status of Firewise Communities in Ashland. As of 2012, there are 12 nationally recognized Firewise Communities in Ashland. Those are neighborhood organizations that have undertaken the simple 5 step process to become prepared together, for a wildfire. Ashland leads the state as the municipality with the most number of Firewise Communities. Way to go Ashland!

In addition, over 100 residents completed individual grants last year through our Firewise program to create defensible space in their own yards. Each and every resident who creates defensible space helps to save their own home, as well as limit the spread of wildfire within the City. Many of these residents worked with their immediate neighbors on property line plantings that endangered both homes, and now are safer.

The Firewise Commission has also been busy preparing events for Firewise Week, the first week of May. More info on that soon! In 2013, Ashland Firewise is partnering with Ashland CERT to combine the popular programs of Firewise and Your Neighborhood Redness program.  The optional combination, called “Map Your Firewise Neighborhood” offers residents information about defensible space standards and wildfire preparedness, in addition to other disasters. We are hoping this pilot project helps to disseminate Firewise information to all neighborhoods in Ashland. For more information, contact myself, or Terri Eubanks, Ashland CERT Coordinator.

I am happy to announce the Firewise grant program for 2013. Additional funding has been secured to offer Ashland residents reimbursement for removing fire-prone vegetation near homes. The terms of the grant are very similar to years’ past; this year the max amount is $500. The grant requires a home assessment first, and is only for people who have not previously participated in a grant program. For more information, please visit ashland.or.us/grants. If you or your neighbors still have juniper, Leland cypress, or arborvitae around your homes, this grant may benefit you!

Remember that more than vegetation matters when making your home Firewise. Construction features and regular home maintenance can play a huge role in your  home surviving a wildfire. For more preparedness info and tips, contact myself, or check out the comprehensive website, ashlandfirewise.org.

Whether it is installing 1/8 inch mesh screening under your deck, moving your woodpile, or cleaning out your gutters, all of these tasks can make a difference! Please check out the Ashland Firewise  on Facebook.  Great tips, photos, events reminders, and more are posted regularly. Take a quick moment to Friend or Like Ashland Firewise on Facebook, or follow on twitter. Just follow the links in my signature. Ashland Fire & Rescue is your resource for wildfire preparedness and information. Let us know how we can help.

Thank you,
Ali True/Firewise Communities Coordinator
Ashland Fire & Rescue
541-552-2231
www.ashlandfirewise.org

Wildfire-Embers signature banner - March 11 2013

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