Firewise
The first time I had heard about Firewise was at a town hall meeting held at The World Forestry Center in Portland nearly two years ago. After some devastating wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, the city of Ashland in southern Oregon took on the role of making the whole city a Firewise community. Through strong leadership of the mayor of Ashland, the city was certified and continues to work with Firewise. org to search out issues with monitoring and checklists to reduce wildfire risks in their area.
Firewise is a program of the National Fire Protection Association and collaborates with the USDA Forest Service, the US Department of the Interior and the National Association of State Foresters (NASF).
I got to attend a talk that was put on by our Chapter of the Small Woodlands Association (WCSWA) recently that was held during our regular monthly meeting held at the Fire Station in North Plains. The speaker was Carrie Berger (along with her sons) from OregonState.edu, she was describing what her neighborhood in the city of Corvallis was doing to become and stay certified as a Firewise community just as Ashland is doing.
It begins with simple steps by looking at the space you occupy, your home. The website is very informative and easily navigable.
Staying safe
With proper preparedness, you can help keep your family safe from fire. Two easy steps you can take are: Testing the smoke alarms in your house, and creating and practicing a fire escape plan. Here you will find tips on everything from safety in living and entertainment spaces to pet wildfire evacuation.
Once you take a look at your interior dwelling, moving beyond the boundaries of the house becomes a natural step in observing wildfire risks.
Limiting the amount of flammable vegetation, choosing ignition resistant building materials and construction techniques; along with regular exterior maintenance in the home ignition zones, increase the chances your home with (sic: will) survive a wildfire.
Simply having a checklist for a supply kit could be a live saver during the time of an emergency and is available to print for free from the Firewise website. Seeing what your can do personally to be prepared for disaster is just the beginning of being able to make your indoor space survivable, then working toward your creating your outdoor safer and moving out into your community, town and beyond. Working together is the key to making wildfires less devastating.
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I am so pleased to announce that MaryJane Nordgren has made her new book available to the public! Click here for your copy of Nandria’s War.