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I own a vacation home (cabin) in a high risk area east of the cascades. We have a special road district and an HOA but neither entity seems to be addressing the needs of wildfire preparedness. Has anybody here had experience with participating in a wildfire focused neighborhood committee/group? Any ides on how such a group might be structured? I am thinking of something like a neighborhood watch type program but focused on wildfire preparedness? The group would need to be able to work with HOA and Special Road District Boards, Forest Service, Local Fire Officials and other agencies that could provide expertise, equipment and maybe even potential grant money for preparing the community for a wildfire event.

My property borders a national forest and there was a small fire (about 2 acres) a few years ago. It was controlled quickly but could have exploded had the conditions been a little different. Nothing has been done since then to prepare our community for the next one. It's an overgrown mess down there both in the forest and on the private property side.

Edit: This could be a start: Want to Organize Your Neighborhood for Wildfire Preparedness?
 
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Good luck with that. About 25 years ago my dad was appointed to the Butte County CA planning committee. At that time there was only one real way off the hill. Think Paradise and Magalia CA. Camp Fire. He made waves. The County Supervisors fired him.

No planning was done. The big time shiet happened. Unless one can harness and apply real political power most of these dangerous situations will not be addressed. Politicians just tend to kick the can down the road. Make your own preparations. :(
 
^^^^^

What he said. Way to much kingdom encroachment and fiefdom protection involved for people to get on the same page to be proactive. They might have to get off their azzes and do some mitigation work. I have limbed up the junipers on my two and a half acres in Crooked River Ranch, and even extended that to a common area behind us a bit.

Some people do this and some do not. This area is fairly well protected but the right set of conditions in the wrong area could blow things up pretty good. I can stand off any fire adjacent to our property, I have a 300 gallon tank and foam injection system with about 300 feet of hose to protect the property.

Try and organize a group of people for a common goal and get back to me on how that works out. :)
 
I go to my mom's twice a year and clear the underbrush for 200 yards in all directions with the house and garage at center. You need volunteers to clear that brush. Trees tend not to catch as easily, especially if there's no brush to act as kindling.
 
Good luck with that. About 25 years ago my dad was appointed to the Butte County CA planning committee. At that time there was only one real way off the hill. Think Paradise and Magalia CA. Camp Fire. He made waves. The County Supervisors fired him.

No planning was done. The big time shiet happened. Unless one can harness and apply real political power most of these dangerous situations will not be addressed. Politicians just tend to kick the can down the road. Make your own preparations. :(
I just watched this video about Camp Fire. It was a very sad and scary situation down there.

I have done a lot of work around my place but my evacuation routes are all single lane gravel roads with lots of fuel along both sides. The shortest way out to the highway is almost 2 miles. My greatest fear is not knowing where all the fire is and which way to evacuate if I am woke by fire in middle of the night.

My place is well off grid and has no running water. Cell service is very spotty.
 
I would build a fireproof underground survival cellar if I lived in an area that was prone to wildfires.
It wouldn't have to be that elaborate, just enough to shelter in place to save my family and myself, kinda like a tornado shelter.
 
I would build a fireproof underground survival cellar if I lived in an area that was prone to wildfires.
It wouldn't have to be that elaborate, just enough to shelter in place to save my family and myself, kinda like a tornado shelter.
I have thought about that, my only concern would be how to keep it from filling with smoke. I guess dying from smoke inhalation would be less painful than burning up in trapped car:(
 
I would build a fireproof underground survival cellar if I lived in an area that was prone to wildfires.
It wouldn't have to be that elaborate, just enough to shelter in place to save my family and myself, kinda like a tornado shelter.

or homemade:

 
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I own a vacation home (cabin) in a high risk area east of the cascades. We have a special road district and an HOA but neither entity seems to be addressing the needs of wildfire preparedness. Has anybody here had experience with participating in a wildfire focused neighborhood committee/group? Any ides on how such a group might be structured? I am thinking of something like a neighborhood watch type program but focused on wildfire preparedness?
Look into Firewise Community or Firewise USA. Its a NFPA funded program usually administered by the State.
Contact the local ODF protection and ask them if they are running the Firewise program.
If so ask for them to come out and assess the community. If there is work to be done they will give all the landowners some things to do to meet specifications . There is also , usually, a cost share to go with it........like 400 or so per acre......they may also have a grant money funded crew to help out.
They will come back and inspect when you tell them you are done, if passed the area will be deemed and signed a Firewise Community and they will develop a plan of attackfor future fires in your community based on fuel breaks and deficible spaces , evacuation plans, etc.
They will need a community leader to communicate with.
If they do not run the program ask them how to get qualified as a FW community , they may have another mechanism to get it qualed .
 
Last Edited:
Look into Firewise Community or Firewise USA. Its a NFPA funded program usually administered by the State.
Contact the local ODF protection and ask them if they are running the Firewise program.
If so ask for them to come out and assess the community. If there is work to be done they will give all the landowners some things to do to meet specifications . There is also , usually, a cost share to go with it........like 400 or so per acre......they may also have a grant money funded crew to help out.
They will come back and inspect when you tell them you are done, if passed the area will be deemed and signed a Firewise Community and they will develop a plan of attackfor future fires in your community based on fuel breaks and deficible spaces , evacuation plans, etc.
They will need a community leader to communicate with.
If they do not run the program ask them how to get qualified as a FW community , they may have another mechanism to get it qualed .
I will look in to this. I think that is exactly what I had in mind.
 
To create its wildfire model, First Street Foundation started with publicly available data from federal, state and local government sources. It ran simulations of wildfire behavior millions of times to predict whether properties are likely to be in a wildfire and used satellite imagery and other data to estimate the intensity of the potential exposure, said Ed Kearns, the organization's chief data officer.

 
I am going to spend the weekend creating some wildfire refugia on our public lands. Fire season will be here before we know it. For now it will be calorie burning season.
 
One of the simplest things you can do as a community is find someone to graze the area . For little cost the available fuel could be cleaned up by a flock of sheep or goats. Goats eat brush up about 5 ft or so and sheep eat grasses.DR
 
I am going to spend the weekend creating some wildfire refugia on our public lands. Fire season will be here before we know it. For now it will be calorie burning season.
Example of my refugia work

Before:

20220528_060521.jpg


After:


20220528_092349.jpg


Multipy this area times thousands and it should keep me busy for the next few decades.
 

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